A quiet place for teachings, context, and practical reflections — Neidan (內丹), Taoist cultivation, and the internal arts.

Chinese painting and calligraphy are traditional arts rooted in discipline, technique, and philosophical insight. In this article, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen explores how practice, Qi, and artistic freedom shape these forms, revealing a way of seeing that goes beyond form and representation.

Chinese poetry reveals layers of meaning through sound, imagery, and suggestion. In this first issue of Notes from the Tower of Songs, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen introduces a famous poem by Li Bo and reflects on its melancholic beauty.

An introduction to the Cinnabar Library and the role of texts as “threads” (jing 經) — sustaining and transmitting Taoist alchemical tradition across generations.

On our curriculum you’ll find courses on two internal martial arts: baguazhang (the palm techniques of the eight trigrams) and shidaxing (the ten great forms), better known as xinyiliuhequan (the mind-focus fist of the six co-ordinations). The latter is also known as the xingyiquan (form and focus fist) of Henan Province.

Lantern Festival marks the illuminated closing gate of the Chinese New Year period—when family, community, and returning light come together. It is not simply a night of decoration, but a completion: a final seal that finishes the transition into the new year with brightness, movement, and shared joy.

Internal Alchemy cannot be learned from books alone, nor reduced to techniques or sensations. Drawing on personal experience and classical context, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen explores why Neidan is so often misunderstood—and what is required for practice to unfold safely and authentically.

In this first issue of Zhuangzi for Cultivators, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen reflects on the famous story of Zhuangzi and the tortoise. Set against the political realities of ancient China, the passage reveals Zhuangzi’s uncompromising view on freedom, power, and the conditions for a long and meaningful life. From a Taoist alchemical perspective, the choice to “drag one’s tail through the mud” remains a powerful metaphor for living freely, beyond status and authority.

What defines a Chinese lineage? Not reputation or claims, but transmission: a living continuity that binds people together, protects a body of knowledge, and safeguards its essential characteristics. Within a tradition, the distinction between those “inside the gate” and those outside it is not a matter of status, but of responsibility, depth of training, and the preservation of what cannot be obtained through texts alone. This essay offers a closer look at lineage as it func

Many people practice taijiquan today for health, relaxation, and gentle movement. But there is another side: a traditional martial curriculum based on endurance, skill development, and “chi ku” — the ability to withstand hardship. This is the difference we teach.