Bulletin Number Four 1986

Mr. Wu Qingyuan (Go Sei Gen) Human intelligence may be applied to art, science, as well as commerce, industry and politics, thereby giving birth to glorious civilizations; it may also be applied against its own kind, thereby bringing oppression, war and destruction. The art o f the board game is deeply fascinating and enticing, perhaps precisely for the reason that it provides a way o f pitting one in te lli gence against another, thus in a peaceful way giving vent to the fighting instinct deep down in human nature. Weiqi is extremely simple and natural in its rule, but immeasurably complicated in the variation it gives rise to, much more so than any other board game. It is not accidental that for two thousand years it has permeated the Chinese life and thought, and grown into an integral part o f Chinese culture and history; or that after being exported to Japan, it has become even more refined after centuries o f careful studies, and was eventually elevated to the status o f a ‘national art' o f the country. Weiqi playing reflects the pattern o f thinking: the style o f the individual gives cue to personal trace, whereas the national style allows an insight into the character o f a people. In China, for instance, weiqi playing is an expression o f flair and intelligence; it is also a symbol o f ease and leisure. Stories abound in which the incomparable poet restored an upset game w ithout d ifficu lty, a prime minister went on playing in the face o f an invading army, or the master player was easily beaten at the game by the goddess whom he happened to meet in a mountain dwelling. Whereas in Japan, weiqi takes on the character o f a duel, in which technique, strength and w ill power are o f supreme importance. Weiqi professionals exhausted themselves fighting each other w ithin a closely regu lated system o f tournament and ranking, and often became martyrs o f the art, such as amply illustrated in the stories o f Akahosi and Mizutani. As for Mr. Wu Qingyuan (Go Sei Gen), who now stands in front o f you, who w ith supreme talent and diligence became a national champion at thirteen, and after emigrated to Japan created a new era o f weiqi through the dis covery o f the ‘New Opening' and was for twenty years the undisputed master o f the weiqi world, who at the same time was for his whole life a deeply religious person in search o f peace - he is no longer what can be understood from the viewpoint o f a single people. Rather, his art o f weiqi as well as his remarkable life are both testimony to the conflict as well as the amalgamation o f the two peoples and the two cultures o f China and Japan. Wu Qingyuan's exceptional talent and deep love for weiqi are rare inborn gifts. From the age o f seven when he first started playing he immediately became deeply immersed in the wonderful world o f the weiqi board together w ith its black and white playing stones, and w ith insatiable desire he began to bore into the ancient Chinese and modern Japanese weiqi classics bought by his father. He emerged as a leading player in Beijing after only three to four years, and at the tender age o f thirteen achieved what masters o f a bygone age such as Guo Bo-ling and Wang Longshi did several centuries ago, namely to win national championship, and moreover, was even able to square o ff w ith the senior Japanese professionals who were then far in advance o f Chinese players. However, he was not destined to enjoy the leisurely life o f a Chinese weiqi master such as Shi Xiang-xia or Fan Xi-ping: after the sudden death o f his father, his mother had no choice but to accept repeated invita tions from Japan ， and in 1928 took the fourteen-year- old Qingyuan to that country in search o f a new world for her talented son. His playing strength confirmed upon arrival in Japan, Wu was very exceptionally awarded the rank o f the Third Dan, and thus secured the position o f a professional player. During the following four to five years, under the care o f his teacher Segoe Kensaku, Wu enjoyed a steady and happy life , and was soon able to distinguish himself in many tournaments, attaining the exalted rank o f the Sixth Dan when he was barely twenty. A t that time Wu Qingyuan and 4 NEWS