Publication Date:1989 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping:Expedited shipping available Condition:Brand new, great information
Customer Reviews:
An Alternate Tai ChiSeptember 11, 2007 David Sterkin(California) The first thing is you have to get out your magnifying glass. The photos are a little small (not TOO small) in this book. The entire book has facing pages with Chinese and English and the English is good. This is a really interesting form, somewhat like Tai Chi. It comes from the original Wu Dang area which is a Daoist sacred place and, some people say, the original area that gave us Tai Chi.
In general Daoist exercises rely on using the mind to move the body,often called moving meditation. This is no exception. The title is a little misleading because "grappling" suggests joint locking and throwing but this is a single person form. One of the real strong points of the book is the explanations. They are very detailed unlike so many books that barely describe any more than you could see for yourself in the photo. The names for the movements are great. You have "Colorful Phoenix Flies High in the Sky and a Hundred Bird Chirp Together", "Sudue the Tiger on the Fairy Estate to Eternally Defend Taoist Scriptures" and more.
This form comes from a Taoist Monk named Li He Lin. The man who taught the auhtor had to "ascend Wu Dang Mountain" to learn it. This one probably dates back to 1488. It was created from a really famous exercise of the Five Animals and also the 13 Alchemical Exercises of Chang San Feng (supposedly the creator of Tai Chi). This exercise requires very little space. If you are interested in Daoist Chi Kung (Qigong) this is one of the better ones to learn.
