Master Cheng's New Method of Taichi Ch'uan Self-Cultivation [Paperback]

Cheng Man Ch'ing   (Author), Mark Hennessy (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Cheng Man-ch'ing, the famed master of t'ai chi, is regarded as an enormously influential figure in codifying the most widely practiced form of the ancient martial art. This volume, developed by the martial arts master and scholar, details the way that students arrive at a posture -- from beginning movements to the end pose. Master Cheng provides practitioners with a complete and concise guide to the Short Form, enabling them to make rapid progress.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese

About the Author

Mark Hennessy spent eleven years in China studying philosophy, classical language, and taichi ch'uan. He has lectured at the National College of Political Science in Taiwan and Tonsei University in Seoul. His previous translations of Cheng's writings are: Cheng Man-ch'ing: Master of Five Excellences and Cheng Man ch'ing: Essays on Man and Culture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Blue Snake Books (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883319927
• ISBN-13: 978-1883319922
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Tai Chi & Qi Gong

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CMC's New Method (translated by Mark Hennessy)., January 3, 2000

By 

Justin Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master Cheng's New Method of Taichi Ch'uan Self-Cultivation (Paperback)

A great book, with superb introduction and CMC Tai Chi Chuan form content. Form is discussed in a non-martial context (as opposed to Man-Ching's 13 Treatises), and there are foot diagrams as well. This is *the* book to learn the Simplified 37 Posture form from!

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master Cheng at his best, June 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Master Cheng's New Method of Taichi Ch'uan Self-Cultivation (Paperback)

This is the last of Cheng Man-Ching's Chinese books, untranslated until now. Any Short Yang Form practitioner will find this text invaluable, and will find its detailed instructions very helpful for polishing their form practice. Also, Master Cheng provides a number of essays on martial virtue and the avoidance of mistakes in ones practice, as well as exerpts from the classics of Chinese philosophy. Mark Hennessy's translation skills are known to be excellent, so one can trust the veracity of the text.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good material, but could be more clear, August 15, 2001

By 

John Ball (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master Cheng's New Method of Taichi Ch'uan Self-Cultivation (Paperback)

The material contained in this text, like all of Cheng Man-ch'ing's writings, is wonderful. It is a clear discussion of the process of learning Tai Chi, and gives many new ideas to practice. My complaint with this book is with the translator, not the original material. After reading it, I'm left wondering what the translator added to this text. His preface brings up the interesting issue of how the content of the 37 posture form changed while the number of postures did not. However, he doesn't take a position on the argument, and offers no insight as to why the change in content is important to the reader. Also, in the discussion of the form, there are two sets of pictures. One set is of the final posture, and a second step shows the intermediary steps. It is slightly confusing because the two sets of pictures are from obviously different times as Cheng is wearing different cloths in each set. It is unclear from the text if the pictures were like this in the original text, or if the translator pieced them together. Overall, the material in the book is wonderful, but the translator could have done a better job in bringing it forth.