Pingtung postie stays calm with dedicated tai chi practice

Pingtung postie stays calm with dedicated tai chi practice

2025-03-05

A Pingtung postal worker has attracted attention with his tai chi prowess. The Pingtung postman has been practicing the traditional Chinese martial art since fifth grade. Now he teaches it during his free time. Shen Hsin-hung has even won a gold medal at the Citizens Sports Games, Taiwan’s prestigious amateur athletics contest. We met up with Shen to learn how this gentle martial art fits into his life.

Postal worker Shen Hsin-hung sets off on his scooter, in a green uniform, with a wad of mail to deliver.

Shen Hsin-hung
Postal worker
I used to work as a substitute teacher in schools. It wasn’t very stable. So, up came this exam for the post office, and I’ve been doing this ever since, 13 years.

He winds his way through the streets of Gaoshu Township in Pingtung, deftly stuffing each letter into its recipient’s mailbox. But it’s a tiring job. How do you imagine he manages the exhaustion? He has a special practice.

Shen Hsin-hung
Postal worker
I relieve some of the exhaustion through tai chi. It’s an exercise that’s about preserving and nurturing energy. So I actually feel great and very energetic after I’ve been practicing.

He changes into a tai chi uniform. He’s been practicing the martial art since the fifth grade. After he entered the post office in 2011, he eventually began teaching tai chi in Fulun Temple in his hometown, Changzhi Township, and promoting the practice.

Shen Hsin-hung
Postal worker
Martial arts films used to be very popular, so that was a motivation for me. On a physical level, of course, it does make the body basically a bit stronger. But the main thing is that it can help to calm your heart and mind.

Shen’s years of practice have borne fruit: in recent years he has won accolades at the Citizens Sports Games.

Shen Hsin-hung
Postal worker
I’ve taken part in the Citizens Sports Games six or seven times. My highest achievement was a gold medal, yeah. A further achievement would of course be if I can win gold three years in a row.

Tai chi is about the marriage of strength and softness, a practice that can be seen in Shen’s movements, but also in his life as he combines his passion for the martial art with his service to the mail.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

郵務士.太極"雙修"13年有成全民運奪金常勝軍

2025-03-05

屏東長治鄉，有一名郵務士沈信宏，從小受到武俠片啟蒙，開始接觸太極拳，2011年考進郵局後，也持續學習沒有中斷，近幾年參加比賽，更在全民運動會中，獲得金牌，亮眼的好表現，讓他在工作之餘，也在社區開班授課，向鄉親推廣所愛，完美平衡郵務士太極的雙重人生。

穿上綠色制服，一整疊待送出的信件，郵務士沈信宏，出發送信。

[[郵務士沈信宏]]
“(之前)我是在學校當代課老師，因為那時候比較不穩定，剛好有這個郵局特考，後來就一直做到現在，13年”

騎機車穿梭在屏東高樹鄉，沈信宏熟門熟路，把信一一塞進信箱裡，但工作很耗體力，如何消除疲勞，他有自己的一套。

[[郵務士沈信宏]]
“透過打太極拳，然後去消除一些疲勞，因為太極拳本身，它是一個養精蓄銳的運動，那我反而覺得打拳完之後，精神是非常好的”

換下制服，穿起太極拳服，國小五年級接觸太極拳的他，2011年考進郵局後，並未中斷學習，後來更在家鄉長治鄉的福崙宮教起太極拳，推廣這項運動。

[[郵務士沈信宏]]
“因為以前都很流行武俠片，所以剛好這是一個動機，對身體來講的話，基本上當然就是身體會比較強壯一點，最主要是，能夠讓自己的心比較平靜”

沈信宏在長年訓練下，近幾年參加全民運動會，也獲得亮眼成績。

[[郵務士沈信宏]]
“全民運大概參加了6、7次，最好的成績是金牌，對，那再更好的成績，當然就是連續三年都拿金牌”

剛柔相濟的太極拳，如同沈信宏的人生般，透過練太極，調和郵務工作的繁忙，為雙重人生找到平衡。

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People bustle around night market stalls, making for a lively scene.

Lee Kuan-kuan
FTV reporter
It looks like drone footage of a typical Taiwanese street scene. But it’s actually an entirely handmade, 1:64 scale model.

If you look closely, even the food on the tables is realistic. Every ingredient of the pan-seared steak is essential. Not a single one is missing. At the stall next door, to make the surface of the pan-fried buns look crispy, the artist has to use different colors.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
It’s a little difficult to make it so small while also being extremely realistic. I believe that when making something like a steak, you need to have a steak as well as the egg. All the accoutrements of a food stall.

Ko Ta-tung used to work as an advertiser for over 20 years. In 2008, he started posting his artwork online of miniature versions of Taiwanese night markets. He’s loved visiting night markets since he was a kid, and dreamed of creating his own quintessentially Taiwanese art.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
For this mirror, I thought for two months about how to make it reflective. I tried out so many things. It had to be small and curved, as well as reflective.

It’s not enough to just draw a sketch, print out a 3D model and paint it. In order for a piece to be this realistic and possess a soul of its own, you have to try all kinds of paints and materials, in addition to having a delicate hand.

Wearing a magnifier, he paints on every detail on one by one. This food cart is now complete. To make an entire night market, the next step is for Ko to try making a “boss” of this little fiefdom.

Ko Ta-tung
Miniature artist
I’ll first photograph a few examples. Yeah, like the apron and some hand gestures. Then I can make the feel I want of the people and stall owners.

From visualizing the scene to the finished product, Ko does everything himself to make his imagination concrete. His small workshop is packed with his artwork. One day, he hopes to hold an exhibition to show more people his miniature versions of Taiwanese life.

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Shih Chun-mao
Calligrapher
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Shih Chun-mao
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This is a photo from a press conference held by US President Donald Trump in 2017. Or, is it? German artist Thomas Demand recreated the scene from paper before he captured it on camera.

Sung Yu-mei
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