I have never seen a bow to a flag in Taiji, Sins.

Chinese martial arts tend to be family based with the 'Sifu' being the father of the family. Respect is accorded to the father in accordance with most traditions and a bow to the father is much like an honour or greeting afforded to someone you respect. In truth, of the 3 Sifus I have trained under, only one ever asked us to perform a bow - and that was traditionaly done at the end of a particular form. On speaking to a few Chinese people I am reasonably reliably informed that the bow is not often used in Chinese tradition anymore.

Japanese martial arts tend to be more, well, 'Martial'! The 'Sensei' is more like a teacher or commander than a father. The bow in those circumstnces is almost compulsory. When I took Aikido for a while we not only had to bow to the Sensi but also the image of Morihei Ueshiba (The founder of Aikido). Perhaps the Korean tutor that took your son was more inclined to the Japanese traditions than the Chinese? In modern Japan the bow is still extensively used in greeting I believe. I guess he had just incorporated the Taiji form into his own earlier training - as they do in some other martial arts.

Kat - Keep up the Qi Gong! It is more important to the Taiji form than a lot of people think - And the benefits are apparant even when not practicing Taiji. Think how all that deep breathing into the diaphram will help you bellow out choruses:-)

Cheers

DtG