Ju Ming was born in 1938 in Tunghsiao, Miaoli County, which is a center of wood carving in Taiwan. He received very little formal education in the arts, and at the age of 15, he was apprenticed to Lee Chin-chuan, a famous traditional master wood-carver. When he was 30, he decided to give up a well-paid position as a chief craftsman in a large woodcarving factory. He left Miaoli to study sculpture with the master sculptor Yuyu Yang with whom he studied for eight years. Yang suggested to Ju Ming that he take up Taichi boxing, the traditional Chinese boxing, as he had a frail constitution, and it would help him to improve his health.

Ju Ming soon discovered that practicing the ancient 'martial art' did more than just make him stronger: it gave him much food for thought and opened up profound new vistas for his creative work. Ju gained firsthand experience of the awe-inspiring vital force that circulates through all living creatures, and as he gradually adopted this new philosophy and internalized its principles, he also started to express it in his art. This was the point of departure for his Taichi series, a collection of works brimming with impressive momentum and a joyful spirit. In these pieces, Ju managed to sublimate the abstract essence of traditional Chinese culture and to pour it into his creations that transcend language and geographical barriers.

In 1978, Ju Ming had his second exhibition at the Central Art Museum in Tokyo, and his "Taichi Series" attracted international attention for the first time. A monumental bronze "Single Whip" was collected by the Hakone Open-Air Museum, which features works from world-renowned artists including Henri Moore and Picasso. His "Taichi Series" began a new direction in his creativity. A forerunner of the series, a woodcarving of a Kung Fu fighter had been shown in the 1976 exhibition in Taipei which launched his fame. This carving displayed the basic pose of the "Single Whip" series.

For Ju Ming, the "Taichi Series" is the starting point of his own unique style. He expresses the vital inner force discovered in Taichi boxing in a form that immediately resonates with a profound understanding of the energy within. In the "Taichi Series", Ju creates a tension between geometric abstract forms which bring forth the active and forceful postures of the figures. This, along with the contrast between the dynamic poses and the static material, and the rough and terse finishes create a rich rhythm in the works. The sculptures also play with a colorful effect of change between light and shadow. In "Single Whip", Ju Ming found his own voice and creates works of tremendous vitality and irresistible power as he explores the pure energy of traditional Taichi boxing.

The "Taichi Series" integrates the traditional concepts of sculpture with a new an exciting 'capturing' of nature and energy. The works are created for public display in a public space and bring a very humanistic prospect to urban life. With its unique visual symbols and sculptural graphic arts, the "Taichi Series" is very 'urban' but its energy and force is from nature. The works visual effect is of the dynamic conquering the static material, creating an excitement that is immediately apparent to the viewer. The sculptures are totally modern yet imbued with primitive life forces.

"Single Whip" is internationally the most well known of Ju's "Taichi Series". Taichi boxing seems to be quiet and powerless, however it combines the many contradictions of life. It is the Yin and Yang of traditional Chinese thinking. As a response to reality it involves activity and quietness, rigidity and fluidity. The posture causes the body to balance between both action and stillness, bringing quietness and peace to the practitioner.

Ju Ming created many pieces of the "Single Whip" which all have the same name. However, each piece is unique as it captures a different manner and imposing appearance. Taichi boxing stresses uniform, slow, soft, and round movements, creating very aesthetic poses, but these poses will all have different dynamics with different people practicing them. So, each individual work has a unique vitality imbued with its own life force.

The present piece, "Single Whip" made in 1991, is an early work from the series and was made in a limited edition of 6, measuring 303cm long and 160cm high. This is an extremely rare opportunity to have it offered in auction.

Currently, monumental bronzes of "Single Whip" can be found in many museums and public collections, including Japan's Hakone Open-Air Museum (created in 1977-1978, around 150cm high), Bank of China in Central Hong Kong, Exchange Square in Hong Kong (created in 1986, 280cm high), and Taiwan's Juming Museum (created in 1986, 467x188x267cm; created in 1999, 185.5x94x123cm).