This book was indeed a rare find and was loaned to me by my bonesetter, who is friends with one of the two brothers who co-authored the book. The background story is also interesting as the two brothers were separated by the civil war for 50 years, with the elder brother Chang Chi Yen (張繼炎) living in Taiwan and the younger brother Chang Chun-Yen (張俊炎) who stayed behind in Tianjin. When they reunited they found that they had both cultivated a strong interest in martial arts, having both studied the internal arts. The elder brother had studied in the lineage of Sun Lu Tang, with a combination of Bagua, Xingyi and Taiji and the younger brother began studying Tongbei and Pigua quan and later had the good fortune to with martial arts legends such as Wang Xiang Zhai and Ma Fengtu (who introduced Baiji quan into the Central Guoshu Institute). Thus in their discussions they realized that there were no contradictions in their theory and thus set out to write a book together detailing the Sa-fang 撒放 theory of martial arts and how to issue power.
This book is a result of that decision, and as the elder brother was a professor in physics, the book had the benefit of a a more scientific approach to the theory of a perfect power delivery. Having sat down and read through the book, it combines passages from Wang Xiang Zhai as well as theories from the Taiji classics, combining to present a highly readable book on the internal arts theory. None of the ideas presented in the book are unique but are repackaged in an easily accessible form in the form of short passages or aphorisms. What is most valuable is that it is in both English and Chinese and the English is one of the best translations that I have seen of internal martial arts concepts, and done with the meticulous care of someone who is training in the martial arts. The chapter on the different types of power is exceptionally clear. This text bears reading and re-reading again. Having attempted to translate Wang Xiang Zhai's poems in the past, I can understand how difficult it is to get the wording right.
It is a shame that this book was only published in a limited press run in 2004 and not more widely disseminated as it would have benefited a wider audience, especially in the West. Having tried to google the two brothers I have not found a great deal of information, and would appreciate if any of my readers knew more information about them. Also readers who are interested in finding more about the book can contact me directly.
This book is a result of that decision, and as the elder brother was a professor in physics, the book had the benefit of a a more scientific approach to the theory of a perfect power delivery. Having sat down and read through the book, it combines passages from Wang Xiang Zhai as well as theories from the Taiji classics, combining to present a highly readable book on the internal arts theory. None of the ideas presented in the book are unique but are repackaged in an easily accessible form in the form of short passages or aphorisms. What is most valuable is that it is in both English and Chinese and the English is one of the best translations that I have seen of internal martial arts concepts, and done with the meticulous care of someone who is training in the martial arts. The chapter on the different types of power is exceptionally clear. This text bears reading and re-reading again. Having attempted to translate Wang Xiang Zhai's poems in the past, I can understand how difficult it is to get the wording right.
It is a shame that this book was only published in a limited press run in 2004 and not more widely disseminated as it would have benefited a wider audience, especially in the West. Having tried to google the two brothers I have not found a great deal of information, and would appreciate if any of my readers knew more information about them. Also readers who are interested in finding more about the book can contact me directly.
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