Lost T'ai-chi Classics from the Late Ch'ing Dynasty

Douglas Wile comes across as a self proclaimed expert. The book has way too much of his interpretations of history and way too little of the actual translations of the text. it quickly became clear to me that he is either not a practicing martial artist or a novice, as he misses nuances that you've learned as an advanced martial artists. His bias shows that he either doesn't respect or understand the internal martial arts. As with all the Chinese martial arts classics the reader has to have an operating understanding of the martial arts to be able to benefit from the writings. If we can't read Chinese we are at the mercy of the translator. A translator with advance knowledge of the martial arts is more likely to communicate the intent of the writer of the original text.The Essence and Applications of Taijiquan is an example of a good translation, this book is not.I get the impression the book was an outcrop of his Masters or PHD project.

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.

This is probably the definitive history, while saying there isn't really a definitive history: a lot of mythology and alternative facts down through the years. It's not just a history, but also a cultural reflection and an aid to teaching and practice.

This book provides a great historical insight into the factors that influenced the evolution of taichi.

This is priceless reading for any true tai chi pugilist. The book. Gives history, background and in depth practice detail. Tai chi theory at its highest level.

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.

Informative.

From my perspective, I found it very interesting.

This book is good... very good but sometimes it seemed to follow an agenda in proscribing the invention of systems to particular people or the use of them in particular areas...Well worth the read and would recommend it.

profound read

Received in very time. Thanks