Customer Reviews

Lost T'ai-chi Classics from the Late Ch'ing Dynasty (Suny Series in Chinese Philosophy & Culture) (Suny Series, Chinese Philosophy & Culture)

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In a market saturated with nonsense that passes as tai chi, it is refreshing that someone has taken the trouble to publish something as potentially useful as this book. Not only does it provide several very old texts on tai chi which were written by acknowledged masters, but it also explores the history of tai chi in a more scholarly manner, rather than passing on half truths about "my teacher once told me that his teacher told him...". Thanks to Douglas Wile for raising the bar on tai chi literature in the US. Hope to see more like this one.

This is nothing short of great scholarly work. The sheer amount of research that Douglas Wile put into the book must have been overwhelming. The text should be of interest to Sinologists and any serious student of Taijiquan alike, for it's stern cross-examination of the political and social factors that played into the Taijiquan creation mythos (including that of Zheng Sanfeng's involvement.)

Douglas Wile gives us a glimpse into the first major Classics of Taiji, an up-close look at the authors, their possible motivations and background history as based on the newspaper clippings and other records available from the Ch'ing time period. Various sources and theories are cross-examined, and held up against the records from that timeline. This questioning and cross referencing allows us better understanding of some of the strong cultural and seemingly mythological attributions that are prominent in today's presentation of the art.

Wile presents the reader with the Wu and Li family's involvement, their contributions to the art, their influence, and in turn, what influenced them. The various theories and chronologies, the various newspapers and records, numerous discrepancies and inconsistencies, and other significant information that leads the reader to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the depth of Taijiquan. While we may never know with 100% certainty the exact origins of the art (the Chen's account being perhaps the most feasible,) we may certainly discount many of the theories that are currently being passed off as genuine history.

The classic texts would be difficult for beginning tai chi students to understand, however,this book is an excellent choice for experienced students of tai chi. Texts of tai chi classics supplemented with the author's analysis of the signficance of the text and a detailed history of tai chi make this a book I will go back to over and over as my tai chi practice deepens.

This is for those truly interested in Tai Chi such as historians, researchers, long term practitioners. For myself being a researcher of Chinese Martial Arts and trying to unlock the essence and 'true' martial intent of Tai Chi, this book has been a pivotal key in unlocking more pieces to the giant puzzle.

To the layman or even a long time practitioner with no knowledge of fighting these poems may seem like esoteric nonsense. To the individual that understands application and fighting these poems hold the secrets to the application in Tai Chi.

Thank you Mr. Wile for an excellent source in my long journey!