Tucked away in the dense Bashakill Forest and just steps from South Road and Haven Road, the Mamakating Environmental Education Center (MEEC) looks no different from a ranch-style single-family house.
It is a sunny Saturday morning; the deep green of summer has faded, and tree leaves have started to fall. Walking into the woods behind MEEC, a small group of locals practices slow-motion, Tai Chi–like exercises under the guidance of Mr. LongFei Yang, a Chinese-American martial arts master.
On Oct. 4, 2025, Mr. Yang held an introductory seminar and exercise session at MEEC. During the two-hour class, he demonstrated key principles of Chinese martial arts and the philosophy behind them. Using vivid visuals, he explained Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and their relationship with nature and the human body.
The seminar also included both static and dynamic exercises, which helped attendees understand the body’s energy, improve balance, overcome long-standing unhealthy habits, and establish a healthy lifestyle and exercise routine.
During the session, Mr. Yang told attendees that the class focuses on health benefits and harmony with nature, rather than fighting. “When you stand close, a car passes by very fast; however, when you look down from an airplane, the car seems to move very slowly,” Mr. Yang explained. “The motion of Tai Chi looks slow, but it has a profound effect.”
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He shared the historical account of Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of Tai Chi Chuan (fist). According to Mr. Yang, today’s Tai Chi Chuan is a modified version that retains some of the original gestures and movements, but much of its essence has been lost over time.
Mr. Yang began systematic martial arts training at the age of six. He studied many disciplines, including forms, fighting techniques, and weapon use. He has extensive training in Tai Chi Chuan, initially under the guidance of his grandfather and later under Master Dong Xi Shen, a 20th-generation Chen-style Tai Chi Chuan teacher.
As he grew older, he focused on hard external Wushu styles, including the Shaolin “Iron Palm,” “Iron Fist,” and “Iron Body.” He also studied Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do, known as “the Drunken Fighter.” Mr. Yang is the first certified instructor of Shanxi Seven Star Praying Mantis to establish a martial arts school outside mainland China.
Jackie Broder, director of MEEC, attended the entire session. “I loved it. I feel like it’s something I’ve been interested in for a long time,” she told Vision Times. “This is my first time, so I really loved the peacefulness of it and the connection with nature. I hope we can do it again.”
“We’ve had other people approach us for things like Pilates,” Broder said, “but they were more looking to use it as a business space, and it was harder to connect with our mission here. Tai Chi seems to fit in better. I think everybody had a really positive experience, and many people asked for a return.”
Ms. Broder said that MEEC’s mission is to be a community hub for information and education, mostly centered on the Bashakill Wetlands. “Protection of the wetland is only going to come through education and emotional connection,” she said.
The event was subtitled “A Way of Returning to Nature,” echoing that mission.
