The publication in 1934 of Yang Chengfu's book Essence and Application of Taijiquan (Taijiquan Tiyong Quanshu) marked a milestone int the modern evolution of the art of taijiquan. Yang Chengfu uses what is best termed 'demonstration narrative' to present form postures and suggested applications from his own perspective, as he performed them. This methodology renders his direct, hands-on-teaching of the art with such immediacy and liveliness that the reader experiences the master's teaching much as his students did.

This English translation finally makes Yang Changfu's classic work available to taijiquan enthusiasts in the West. It includes notes and commenary that clarify the author's frequent classical and literary turns of phrase and elucidate the philosophical and political under-pinnings that shape the text. The translator investigates and compares several early taijiquan books to help explain the roles played by two of Yang Chengfu's students, Dong Yingjie and Zheng Manqing, in bringing Yang Chengfu's words and teachings into print.

Serious students of taijiquan, and those wissing to deepen their knowlede of taijiquan history and theory, will find this seminal work indispensable to their study and practice.

Louis Swaim lives and practices in Oakland, California. He is the translator of the highly regarded handbook on the art of taijiquan Fu Zhongwen: Mastering Yang Style Tiajiquan (North Atlantic Books, 1999). He studied Chinese history, Mandarin, and Classical Chinese at U. C. Berkeley. After completing a master's degree, he continued his language study at the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies in Taiwan. He has been a taijiquan practitioner for thirty years.

Contents

Translator's introduction-Conventions; Notes
Zheng Manqing's foreword-Notes
Yang Chengfu's introduction-Notes
Yang Shouzhong's preface
Taijiquan form sections
Push hands and Dalu sections-Illustrated explanation of the Dalu form
Appendix: Taijiquan classics
I The taijiquan treatise
II Song of the thirteen postures
III The mental elucidation of teh thirteen postures
IV The taijiquan classic
V The song of pushing hands
Bibliography