Essay

Greetings from Wudangshan

By Francois Du Bois

I am Francois Du Bois.

Some of you may know me as a professional composer and marimbist.

Others may have been my students at Keio University, or know me from instructing the Dubois Method in your company. The Dubois Method is something I have developed for business and career programs.

Actually, I am writing this column to you from China, from the mountain called Wudangshan, which is situated in Hubei Province.

I have been here for three months, practicing the martial art Baguazhang, which is in the kung fu school. Baguazhang is a specialty of the Wudang region.

Wudangshan is mainly known as one of the holy places of Tao, the legendary birthplace of tai chi and as a center of traditional Chinese medicine. In 1994, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Some of you may know the Wudang monastery from the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

Yes, that's where I am now.

I know you may be confused by this, since I introduced myself as a musician and specialist on career programs. "What the hell is this French man doing in the Chinese mountains for three months? What about his work?" you may be wondering.

I promise to explain this to you, bit by bit.

Besides being a professional musician, I am a specialist in career programs and I have invented a professional development method. I have been researching and developing this method for years with specialists from different fields, especially medicine and martial arts, because my theory and practice focuses on the balance and integration of one's physical and psychological state. For example, almost all professional musicians have some physiological problems because of the unusual way they use particular body parts more than others. The same goes for athletes. What is more, if such a person's body suddenly breaks down, their career could be over. And if the body doesn't break down, a psychological problem may arise, like depression. My professional development method focuses on creating a physical and psychological balance by constant actions to avoid these kinds of breakdowns.

I have been practicing martial arts since I was a teenager, so I have always known about the importance of connecting the physical self with the psychological self. So here at Wudangshan, I am not only training for myself but also advancing my research for the Dubois Method. This three-month training is actually a kind of R&D period for me and my staff members in Tokyo.

I celebrated Chinese New Year in China for the first time in my life last month and will be returning to Tokyo in February to teach again. I look forward to continuing the story next time. See you again in Tokyo!

Shukan ST: Feb. 13, 2009

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