• Every few years we come out with a custom-designed piece of art for our students to wear. Anyone who loves Tai Chi & Qigong is welcome to pre-order “Our Community Tshirt.
• This year our shirt displays The Wood Dragon and the Tiger.
• There was such a demand for this design that we are almost sold out! We have a few sizes and colours left so please email us if you are interested in a TQSpirit t-shirt. CONTACT US 
• Collaboration on design concept: Sifu Josie, Phoenix, and artist, Allan Burns. 
• More updates on the next T-shirt design will be coming soon. 

The Tiger and the Green Dragon – Yin and Yang

The Green Dragon and the Tiger are two of the most legendary and respected creatures in Chinese mythology, and they’re often seen together as opposites that balance each other — like yin and yang, Heaven and Earth, strength and wisdom. Read on…

A Tale of Balance…

Long ago, in a land where mountains brushed the sky and rivers sang ancient songs, there lived two great guardians of the natural world: the fierce Tiger of the West, and the wise Green Dragon of the East.

The Tiger ruled the forests and mountains. He was strong, brave, and fearless. Every animal respected his power, but many were also afraid. The Tiger believed in strength above all, and he solved problems with a growl and a swipe of his mighty paw.

The Green Dragon, meanwhile, lived in the clouds and rivers. She was graceful, clever, and full of ancient knowledge. She could make it rain or shine, and her voice carried on the wind. The Dragon believed in peace and patience, but some thought she was distant and mysterious.

For a long time, the Tiger and the Dragon stayed far apart. They ruled their own lands and had no reason to meet—until one day, something changed.

A terrible drought came upon the land. Rivers dried up, plants withered, and animals grew hungry and desperate. The Tiger roared in frustration, demanding the skies to open. But no rain came. The Dragon wept in the clouds, but could not find the strength to bring balance to the Earth alone.

Finally, the two met at the center of the land—where mountain met sky, where Earth reached toward Heaven. At first, the Tiger growled, “You watch from above while we suffer below!”

The Dragon replied gently, “And you, mighty Tiger, strike without asking what can be done.”
They argued and paced around one another, the Earth trembling and the skies rumbling. But as they moved, something happened. They noticed their shadows on the ground—swirling in a perfect circle. The Tiger’s strong form curved into the Dragon’s flowing shape. They realized: they were opposites, but not enemies. They were part of the same world.

So the Tiger used his strength to move clouds from the mountain tops, and the Dragon summoned the winds and rain. Together, they restored the balance of nature.

From that day on, they became known as the Guardians of Balance —Tiger representing the courage and power of the Earth, and Dragon representing the wisdom and flow of the Heavens. When seen together, they reminded all creatures that true strength comes not from one side alone, but from harmony between the two.

What can we learn from this tale?

Just like the Tiger and the Dragon, we all have different strengths. Some of us are bold and action-oriented like the Tiger. Others are thoughtful and gentle like the Dragon. But when we work together and listen to one another, we create balance—and that’s where real magic happens.

Sometimes, we feel like a Tiger—bold and loud.
Other times, we’re like the Dragon—quiet and thoughtful.
But the world needs both.
When we listen and work together, we create harmony.

A Story of the Dragon and the Koi – Courage, Perseverance, and Never-Giving-Up

One legend tells about a place called Dragon Gate.

If a Koi Fish is able to jump over the Dragon’s Gate, located at the top of a waterfall, along the Yellow River, cascading from a legendary mountain, its success in leaping over the waterfall will transform it into a dragon.

As the legend goes, every year, in the third month of spring, a huge school containing thousands of Koi swam up from the sea on the Yellow River. The colours of their beautiful bodies flashed in the sunlight making them look like living jewels.

All was going well until the Koi reached a waterfall. Immediately, a large number of them grew discouraged and turned back, finding it much easier to simply go with the flow of the river. Yet, a smaller but very determined number of them stayed on, straining and leaping to reach the top of the falls.

Again and again they flung their bodies through the air only to fall back into the river below. All this splashing noise drew the attention of local demons who laughed at their efforts and all their struggles. Adding to their misery, the demons sadistically and repeatedly increased the height of the falls.

Despite the demons and the barrier, many of these Koi refused to give up. Undeterred, the Koi continued their efforts for one hundred years.

At last, with one heroic leap, a single Koi reached the top of the falls. The Gods smiled down in approval and transformed the exhausted Koi into a shining dragon. Forever he (or she) would spend their days chasing pearls of wisdom across the skies of the vast and eternal heavens. Any Koi who finds the strength and courage to leap up the falls, he or she will become a heavenly dragon. If you look closely, a Chinese dragon’s large scales indicate its origin from a Koi.

When you look at the new t-shirt design, we want you to imagine hundreds of red and white Koi swimming upstream. Imagine what an effort it would take to overcome the power of the mighty Yellow River, swimming against its swift current. Some will not be deterred by anything, not even a waterfall.  The Koi’s goal is to travel upstream to fulfill its destiny and reach its goal of transformation.

This Dragon Koi design symbolizes overcoming obstacles and never giving up.

Our blue Dragon are all about consciousness, communication, and mental awareness. It is an auspicious symbol of great and benevolent magical power. It is also meant to symbolize rebirth, a new beginning and a new chapter in one’s life, starting with a clean slate.

A Dragon and a Koi, the two together, reminds us that if a person works hard and diligently, a transformation will occur and success one day will be achieved.

In addition to the dragon and Koi symbolism, if you look closely, you’ll also see the symbolism of the Yin Yang Symbol and the Infinity symbol or figure 8.

A true story…Inspiration comes when you least expect it!

Figuring out a new design for a group t-shirt can be challenging. This time around we just couldn’t decide on what would be interesting, meaningful, or creative. How could we top our 2014 Dragon Koi Design which stands for Courage, Strength, and Perseverance?
We wanted our new design to have a story… but nothing was speaking to us!

Well, about 6 months before, the General Manager of the TQSpirit, Phoenix, one day said “Do a crane design!” At the time, I (Instructor Josie) said: “I just can’t “see” it.” I just shook my head and said “It doesn’t speak to me right now.”

THEN…

In 2016, I was getting ready to drive to our our first tai chi class of the session in Lions Bay. Glennys, my dear friend and training partner, was meeting me at our house and we’d drive up together. I decided to wait outside in my car. Glennys pulled up and as she was walking over to my car, I got out to give her a hug hello. As we were both getting back in the my car that was when something huge drew my eye skyward. My mouth dropped open as I saw the largest bird I have EVER seen in the sky coming straight towards us. It was so humungous I imagined it to be an ancient teradactyl. It’s wing span was the largest I had ever seen!

I yelled to Glennys… “whoa, look at that… holy (bleep).”

We both watched in awe as it lightly landed on the roof of our house. It just sat there and stared at us. Luckily, I managed to get a picture of it, as without it, no one would believe our story. I had never seen anything so big that could fly! It had to have been over 5 feet tall.

That evening I told the story to Phoenix. I showed him the picture as proof! Phoenix just stared at me, smiled, and said: “I told you so.”

We both laughed. I said, “Ok, I see it now.” We then set out to create this Crane Design.

What I learned later from some Birdie friends,was that it was likely a rare sighting of a Sandhill Crane. I am told that few of them are ever seen in B.C., let alone in North Vancouver on our roof! After a bit of google research I learned that the Sandhill Crane was recently on the endangered list.

It was quite an amazing sight! After having this unique experience I knew this had to be part of our groups’ new design.

As I have told everyone…sometimes husbands are right! (hee hee)

OUR CRANE DESIGN – Its Deeper Meaning

Our last tshirt design, the Koi and the Dragon, was designed to represent: Courage, Strength, Determination, and Never Giving Up.

• This year’s design with the Two Cranes, is designed to represent Longevity, Happiness and Eternal Youth.
• The Crane is legendary in China for being the prince of all feathered creatures on earth.
• The Crane feeds in the water, stands on land, and flies through the air with grace.
• Next to the Phoenix, the Crane is the most favored of all Chinese bird symbols.
• The Crane is the ancient symbol for longevity because of its exceptionally long life span.
• In many legends, the spirits ride on cranes, which are also said to bear the souls of the departed to the heavens. One Chinese legend says that an immortal rode a crane to heaven.
• The crane also represents a lasting soaring spirit, health, and happiness.
• Cranes are usually painted with other symbols of longevity such as pine trees and peaches or pears. – Cranes with peony flowers symbolize longevity and prosperity. Cranes and lotus symbolize longevity and purity. In our t-shirt design we have included the pine tree and the plum tree.
• Because it is evergreen, the pine tree is regarded as a symbol of longevity. Unlike most other trees, the pine does not wither during winter and thus represents noble endurance in the face of adversity.
• Plum blossoms are the first flower to bloom each year.
• The plum blossom stands for renewal and emblematic of perseverance and purity.
• Its appearance while the weather is still cold makes the plum blossom the flower of winter while spring belongs to the peony, summer to the lotus and autumn to the chrysanthemum.
• The five petals of the plum blossom are auspicious since the number five is sacred in China.
• The crane’s white feathers are seen as a symbol of purity and relate to the AIR element and the yang of the heavens. The white feathers are also part of a symbol of old age and wisdom.
• The crane’s red head feathers are considered to be a sign of vitality and connect to the yang element of FIRE.
• The Crane has long been an auspicious symbol and next to the Phoenix is the most important bird in Chinese legends and Chinese art.
• It is also a Chinese symbol for wisdom and is sometimes called the “heavenly” or “blessed” Crane. The death of a Taoist priest is said to be “turning into a feathered Crane”.
• The Chinese also embroidered cranes on their clothing and their images are seen in many ancient paintings as they also represent happiness and a soaring spirit, capturing the beautiful way it soars through the skies.
• The Chinese Writing on the right hand side of the design reads “North Shore Tai Chi & Qigong”.
• The Red Square with Chinese Writing is an idiom in Chinese. It means longevity. There are four characters. 1st word means Pine Tree. 2nd word means Crane. 3rd and 4th words means long life. Chinese people see crane as immortal. Pine has long life and it’s tall and very upright; it symbolizes one’s virtue. Crane is immortal which means it will never die; pine tree lives for over hundred or thousand years! Two together means longevity.

Content coming soon….