Ju Ming, who works in diverse range of mediums, including wood, bronze, stainless steel and styrofoam, is an exemplary sculptural artist of the 20th century. He seamlessly incorporates the essence of his artistic and cultural heritage into his works. His profound 'Taichi' series is intrinsically linked to his physical and mental practice of Taichi, which he took up in the mid-1970s on the advice of mentor and fellow sculptor Yuyu Yang. The sculptures in the series capture the duality of Taichi exercises - their movements and their spirit - as well as their creative, energizing aspects. Lot 129 and Lot 132 are casted with styrofoam and bronze molds respectively. Taichi Series: Single Whip is a simplified geometrical figure with reduced delineation of details. Through this gradual abstraction, the artist shifts the focus from the action of the exercise to the internal potential energy and momentum of the body. The sculpture's external angular transition is gentle, reflecting Ju Ming's comprehension of the shape and spirit of Taichi and Laozi's concept of "soft and tough, static and dynamic, straight and curved". The lowered body of Single Whip depicts a retreat in the face of confrontation. The movement's goal is to distract and scatter the confronting force, while gathering strength to rise suddenly and take the opponent by surprise. The works feature an unidentified Taichi player without any distinguishing facial or physical features. What matters is the relationship between body postures and the space, not the player's identity. Taichi sculptures require no definite space. With variations in time, light and space, they start a new dialogue with new content with the area in which set. As the American sculptor Isamu Noguchi said of Taichi: relative perspective of our vision, lay volume, line point, giving shape, distance and proportion. Movement, light and time itself are also qualities of space'. (I. Noguchi, quote in S. Hunter, Isamu Noguchi, New York, 1978, p. 85.) The dynamic lines on carved surfaces and the mass of the sculpture provides a unique experience as the viewer strolls around the sculpture. Taichi Arch (Lot 131) evolves from the Taichi Series - Push Hand duo. Ju Ming once exhorted, "there was still remaining space between two actual sculptures from the old Push Hand Series. Now I conjoin their arms, thus creating a path with muscle texture for Chi (air) to flow. Everything is interrelated then becomes one, one that comes in the form of an arch." The nature of Taichi martial arts is natural and unrestrained; casual and elegant; dashing and refined. Under each move of attack and defense lies the essence of yin and yang. The two seemingly opposite sided figures compose the noumenon of Taichi.