Cullen and Master Zhou

A Scholar’s Story: Finding Balance Through Tai Chi

When Cullen McManus first encountered Tai Chi, it was not through a lifelong plan or a neatly defined path. Like many meaningful things, it entered his life quietly—through curiosity, timing, and need. Cullen, Daoist Gate Beverly’s Scholar for 2025–2026, was introduced to Tai Chi and Qigong through an elective course at Salem State University taught…

Jianghu – The Hidden World

The Chinese word jianghu (江湖) literally translates to “rivers and lakes” but it means so much more.  Jianghu is the name of the brotherhood of outsiders that existed in old China.  It is the counterculture society of workers who made their living with the skill of their own two hands: craftsmen, beggars, thieves, street performers, fortune…