The name “Roúhé Dàogǔan”, which is the name of Jim Carlson’s taijiquan studio, was given by Master Wang Yen-nien; “Roúhé” for the desirable softness of movement and breath (and referring indirectly to the broad river that flows through Mendon), and “Dàogǔan” meaning a study center.
In the Chinese tradition, Yin and Yang refer to the two opposite but complementary forces present in everything.
At the Roúhé Dàogǔan, an an antique Green Dragon rug hangs on the east wall and Robert Johnson’s White Tiger mural is on the west wall. Tradition says that the Green Dragon (yang, east) and the White Tiger (yin, west) protect each other. In Feng Shui, between the Green Dragon and the White Tiger is a space called ‘the dragon’s den’ where an abundance of chi can be found.
Roúhé Dàogǔan is located in a beautifully restored old building (complete with original tin ceiling) on the St. Joseph River in historic downtown Mendon, Michigan.
Jim Carlson of Roúhé Dàogǔan has been studying and teaching Yangjia Michuan Taijiquan in California and Michigan for more than thirty years.