Liang Dehua - Chuan Cheng Taijiquan and Internal Arts Academy

This video is taken from my teaching at a Taijiquan camp in Ávila, Spain. It begins with an explanation of the principle commonly known as Xu Ling Ding Jin (虚灵顶劲), commonly translated as “the ethereal force at the crown.
However, in this lesson, I deliberately use the traditional term Xu Ling Ding Jin (虚领顶劲), which can be translated as “the force that leads the crown upward, allowing the back of the neck to remain open and uncompressed” instead.

Rather than describing a metaphysical concept, this interpretation emphasizes a practical training approach—creating openness at the back of the neck by gently lifting the crown of the head. This offers a clearer and more functional understanding than the term Xu Ling (虚灵 - Ethereal), which originates from Buddhist terminology.

In Taijiquan, Song (松) is not achieved through conscious relaxation alone. True release occurs when the body’s structure allows tension to naturally dissolve. For this reason, correct form practice becomes the most essential foundation of training.

Practicing the Big Frame form allows the body to extend and open correctly, turning the crown of the head into a natural point of suspension. This enables relaxation to release downward from the shoulders and throughout the body—forming the most important first step in internal training.

/*Note - The term Xu Ling (虚灵) is frequently associated with Buddhist terminology and abstract awareness, while Xu Ling (虚领) points more directly to a functional method of training—using the crown of the head as a subtle point of suspension to create space and freedom through the cervical spine.

Practical Xu Ling Ding Jin and How to Use It to Create Your Empty State This video is taken from my teaching at a Taijiquan camp in Ávila, Spain. It begins with an explanation of the principle commonly known as Xu Ling Ding Jin (...

During this European tour, I have collaborated with Emmanuel Agletiner to organize a workshop dedicated to long pole training in Yang-style Taijiquan on October 4-5. The curriculum will encompass the cultivation of 𝑁𝑒𝑖 𝐽𝑖𝑛, the practice of Taijiquan striking through long pole methods, and the four sticking pole drills with a partner.

If you are interested, don't hesitate to get in touch with Emmanuel at: [email protected]

/*We have arranged a special direct procurement from China to supply long poles for all workshop participants, so you can receive yours on-site without the hassle of sourcing one yourself.

See you in Hungary!

Liang Dehua - Tai Chi Chuan Seminar - First time in Hungary! ☯

Liang Dehua’s way of teaching is unique and highly focused on the old tradition of internal arts, particularly Yang-style Taijiquan. His lessons contain a variety of Nei Gong (internal exercise), Nei Jin (internal force), as well as a strong focus on the martial components (knowledge and applications) of the art. Since 2017, Liang Dehua has been sharing his knowledge worldwide, conducting workshops in Asia, Europe, and South America. He also began accepting several overseas students to assist him in spreading his expertise throughout the world.

☯ Yang Tai Chi Chuan – Push Hands Seminar – 19-22 September, 2025

➡ Are you interested in learning authentic Yang-style Taijiquan?
➡ Would you like to learn the Traditional Yang Taiji Pushing Hands sets?
➡ Do you want to advance your internal skills?
➡ Do you want to learn the true internal forces (Jins) of Taijiquan?
➡ Do you want to complete the missing parts of your Taiji training?
➡ Do you want to achieve the maximum benefits from your Taiji practice?

☯ Increase your internal power! – Workshop, 23 September, 2025

➡ Yang Tai Chi four sticking spear
➡ Yang Tai Chi four non - sticking spear
➡ Gong Li training

In workshop, Liang Dehua shares the traditional Taiji spear training passed down from the Yang-family. You will learn the solo and partner spear training exercises and specific practices using the long pole to develop Gong Li and increase your internal power.

‼ The seminar and workshop fees will be published soon. If you would like to be notified separately as soon as the exact information is available (exact location, early bird ticket prices, etc…), please fill in the form on the following page:
https://bit.ly/liang-dehua-seminar

We look forward to welcoming you!

Heya! I am pleased to announce that the workshop in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has been confirmed and will be held on the weekend of September 13–14.
This time, I intend to share the techniques of Four Directions (四正推手) and Four Corners Push Hands (四隅推手) or Da Lu—the traditional push hands methods of the Yang family Taijiquan.

These two forms are the two-person training methods for developing and understanding the essential Eight Jins of Taijiquan. The format I will be teaching follows the methods of the third Invincible, Yang Shaohou, which can be developed further into various stepping push hands methods, including the free stepping or Randomly Trampling on Flowers method (Lan Cai Hua). (In contrast, the push hands method from Yang Chengfu typically only develops into push hands with "three steps forward, three steps back.")

I would therefore like to warmly invite everyone interested in Taijiquan's traditional push hands—not the modern version of back-and-forth forceful pushing—to attend this workshop.
I am also happy to let you know that this tour of Europe will feature different topics in each country, so you are welcome to attend workshops in other countries as well.

And one more thing—during this trip, I will also be offering a workshop focused on training the Yang family Taijiquan sticking spear. Please stay tuned!

In the Tian Zhaolin lineage of Taijiquan, some branches include two sets of small frame forms. The first is a slow form, sometimes referred to as the "old frame" and "Small Flower Frame" (Xiao Hua Jia, 小花架). The second is a fast form known as "Taiji Long Fist" (Taiji Changquan, 太极长拳).

I previously shared a clip of the slow small frame from the lineage of Master Chong Shouyong. In this post, I will share an explanation of the differences between the slow small frame and the middle frame forms, as described by Master Sun Yizhao, a student of Master Tian Zhaolin, as follow:

"The differences between Yang-style Old Frame and Yang-style Middle Frame mainly include the following five points: First, the Jin paths are different. The Middle Frame primarily releases long Jin, while the Old Frame mainly releases short Jin and sometimes releases a second return Jin (Fa Er Hui Jin). Second, the postures and techniques are different. Some postures and techniques in the Middle Frame are not present in the Old Frame, and vice versa. The most significant difference is the "Lifting Hands" posture, where the form and application are entirely different. The Old Frame's "Lifting Hands" posture is true to its name, while the Middle Frame's "Lifting Hands" posture, except for the final practice and application, no longer conveys the meaning of "lifting hands." Third, the silk-reeling circles differ. The Middle Frame involves a process from large circles to small circles, from many circles to fewer circles, eventually leading to a practice where circles become formless. The Old Frame has more silk-reeling circles, some larger, some smaller, and sometimes moves in straight lines that conceal circles within. Fourth, the coordination with breathing differs. The Middle Frame does not emphasize coordinating with breathing; over time, breathing and movements naturally harmonize. In contrast, the Old Frame requires coordinating with breathing from the beginning, although the transitions between postures may not focus on breathing, but the final posture and the second return Jin must be coordinated with breathing. Fifth, the speed of practice differs. Practicing the Middle Frame should be as slow as possible; to develop deep skill, one set should take at least 40 minutes. The Old Frame is practiced at a moderate speed, with one set taking about 20 minutes."

Taiji Chang Quan or Taiji Long Fist.

Yang style Taiji Chang Quan teaching "Talks On The Practice Of Taijiquan" narrated by Yang Cheng Fuand recorded by Zhang Hong Kui stated that:"太极拳之程序，先练拳架（属于徒手），如太极拳、太...

In my previous post, I discussed Zhu Xi's explanation of the concept of Zhongyong as applied in Wang Zhongyue's Taiji Classic. Here, I cannot help but share Yang Chengfu's interpretation of a particular phrase from the same classic for this post.

There are many Taiji instructors who have offered their interpretations of Wang Zhongyue's Taiji Classic. However, for practitioners of Yang-style Taiji, the most authoritative explanation would undoubtedly be that of Yang Chengfu himself, as documented in his first book, The Practical Application of Taijiquan (太極拳使用法). Below is Yang Chengfu's explanation of the phrase:

「虛靈頂勁氣沉丹田不偏不倚」
頂者頭頂也，此處道家稱為泥丸宮，素呼天門，頂勁非用力上頂，要空虛要頭容正直，精神上提，不可氣貫于頂，練久眼目光明，無有頭痛之病，丹田在臍下寸餘即小腹處，一身元氣總聚此地位，行功如氣海發源，環流四肢，氣歸丹田身與氣不偏倚，如偏倚，猶磁瓶盛水瓶歪倒，則水流出矣，丹田偏倚，則氣不能歸聚矣，此說法佛家稱舍利子，道家為練丹，如此練法氣壯多男，工久外有柔軟筋骨，內有堅實腹臟，氣充足，百病不能侵矣。

𝑬𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑱𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒓𝒐𝒘𝒏, 𝑸𝒊 𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒏, 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈.

"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑. 𝐼𝑛 𝐷𝑎𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑖𝑤𝑎𝑛 𝑃𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 '𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝐺𝑎𝑡𝑒.' 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐽𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 (𝐷𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐽𝑖𝑛) 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 (𝐿𝑖) 𝑝𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑢𝑝𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑. 𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑑, 𝑖𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑥𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑢𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑒𝑑. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑡 (𝐽𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑛) 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑄𝑖 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝑜𝑛𝑒'𝑠 𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑏𝑑𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛, 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑐ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙. 𝐼𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦'𝑠 𝑌𝑢𝑎𝑛 𝑄𝑖 (𝑂𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛 𝑄𝑖) 𝑔𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝐷𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑄𝑖 𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 '𝑠𝑒𝑎 𝑜𝑓 𝑄𝑖,' 𝑐𝑖𝑟𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑏𝑠. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑄𝑖 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑄𝑖 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐼𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 (𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟), 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟-𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑘—𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑄𝑖 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒. 𝐼𝑛 𝐵𝑢𝑑𝑑ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑠 (𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑟𝑎), 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝐷𝑎𝑜𝑖𝑠𝑚, 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑥𝑖𝑟 (𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑟). 𝐵𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑄𝑖 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑢𝑙. 𝑂𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑥𝑖𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑. 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑄𝑖, 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠."

𝐌𝐲 (𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐡𝐮𝐚) 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮’𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

A particularly noteworthy point in Yang Chengfu’s explanation is his pairing of the phrase "Not leaning or inclining" (不偏不倚) with the preceding phrase "Xu Ling Ding Jin, Qi Sinks to the Dantian" (虛靈頂勁氣沉丹田), instead of associating it with the subsequent phrase as many others do. This suggests that "Not leaning or inclining" serves as an explanation for the preceding phrase. Specifically, when Qi sinks to the Dantian, the body and Qi must remain not lean or incline to each other. Any deviation disrupts internal harmony. This insight is fascinating as it indicates that sinking Qi involves aligning the body and Qi in such a way that the Qi can consolidate.

Since I previously referenced Confucius’s Zhongyong, let me extend that analysis here. From a Confucian perspective, this internal practice should involve cultivating internal harmony, or Zhonghe (中和). This implies that concepts like central equilibrium ( Zhongding - 中定) or sinking Qi to the Dantian result from achieving peaceful internal alignment. Peace leads to stability, and stability prevents deviation or imbalance. Avoiding imbalance also ensures adherence to the principle of avoiding double heaviness (Shuang Zhong). Without imbalance, one does not need to rely on (extra) physical force (Li), allowing Zhongding to maintain its position naturally. Thus, Zhongding is not a fixed point but a state of internal harmony. When the body and Qi align, Qi can consolidate, and the body does not require additional physical effort. However, if the body and Qi deviate, it is like water in a misaligned flask—the water spills out.

Another fascinating detail is the phrase "if the Dantian is leaned or inclined," which implies that the Dantian is not a fixed physical component with a defined shape or location into which Qi can simply be forced. Instead, the Dantian is formed through the internal alignment of the body and the sinking of Qi, allowing Qi to gather. Without proper alignment, the Dantian itself can be misfunctioned.

Based on what I have learned from my teacher, especially in the Ma Runzhi lineage, neither Zhongding nor the Dantian are fixed physical parts of the body. The Dantian arises from the gathering of Qi, while Zhongding results from the alignment of the body, Qi, and internal qualities. This explanation aligns closely with Yang Chengfu’s insights above.

May the Year of the Snake bring you endless wisdom, prosperity, and happiness. Happy Chinese New Year!

I’ve critiqued how the concept of Qi is often misinterpreted in the West, deviating from its original meaning in Chinese. But if you ask whether there are people in China and Taiwan who also misinterpret Qi in incorrect ways, I’d say there are just as many.

Let me give you an example of a renowned Qigong master, Wang Lin, whose death became major news. I’ve written about him before on my Facebook.

Wang Lin was a prominent Qigong master in China, known for his "supernatural" abilities—like conjuring snakes and performing miraculous feats. His style was akin to those meditation-based Qigong practices that claim mystical powers.

He had a vast following and was incredibly wealthy, owning a massive estate and creating a sanctuary for himself, much like spiritual mediums in Thailand. He called it “Wang Fu.”

Some of his notable disciples included Ma Yun (Jack Ma), the Chinese billionaire often quoted by Thai pro-China enthusiasts, Zhao Wei from the hit TV series Princess Pearl, Wong Faye (a famous Hong Kong singer), and most intriguingly, Jackie Chan and Jet Li—actors deeply rooted in Chinese martial arts traditions.

However, Wang Lin later ran into financial disputes with his disciples. In short, he scammed them out of money. That might have blown over, but then he went a step further—he hired people to kidnap and kill a former disciple. That landed him in prison, where he eventually passed away.

Following this, figures like Jack Ma, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan went silent, not commenting on the matter at all.

It’s human nature, isn’t it? Once people gain knowledge and wealth, they often begin chasing after boundaries far beyond what they used to understand. It’s no surprise that those in high places often fall into superstition. You can even see it in Thailand—wealthy and educated individuals obsessing over religion and the occult. Even professors, some of whom teach science, are deeply into amulets and superstitions about Buddhist powers.

So, take it as you will. In truth, Qigong is real and has been scientifically shown to benefit physical and mental health. But people like Wang Lin—and many others who exaggerate its effects—are nothing more than con artists exploiting people for personal gain.