T'ai Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmissions

by Douglas Wile (Editor)

Three generations of Yang family masters lifted the art of T’ai-chi ch’uan from a closed courtyard in the Honan Province to the status of a national treasure and made of it, like India’s yoga, a gift to the world. Yang Lu-ch’an in the nineteenth century, fllowed by his sons and their sons, have given T’ai-chi ch’uan the theoretical and practical standard which still defines and shapes the art for a majority of practitioners today. This book draws together the written and photographic record of their teachings, a legacy spanning more than fifty years of published material. The contents include oral instruction, mnemonic verses and training songs, commentaries to the T’ai-chi Classics, essays, autobiography, and family legends, much of which have not been previously translated. 159 pages

Genres: Martial Arts, Nonfiction, Health, Philosophy, History

159 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1983

Reviews

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having studied personally with the Yang Family for over 10 years, I can say that this book is an excellent resource for those interested in the serious study of Taijiquan. As someone who loves Taiji, yet does not read Chinese, I feel a great debt of gratitude to Mr. Wile for making these writings available in such a thoughtful and accessible form. The book contains information that will benefit beginners, as well as texts that require many years of study and practice to comprehend. I know that I will be going back to it for reference and inspiration for many years to come.

[Joel Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHEREVER THE MIND GOES THE CHI WILL FOLLOW AND WHEREVER THE CHI GOES THERE WILL NATURALLY BE ENERGY.

Tai chi is the art of concealing hardness within softness, like a needle in cotton.

Descending means sinking the chi to the tan-tien and rising refers to the light and sensitive energy at the top of the head.

In order to avoid a stiff vertical posture, we emphasise the concept of suspension from above.

Relax the waste. The waste is the ruler of the body. If the waist is relaxed the feet will have power and our foundation will be stable.

Seek stillness in movement.

[Julieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Secret transmissions?? I feel like I should whisper my review...If you are studying Tai Chi, you should definitely have this book in your library. It's a classic. You'll get a history lesson and thorough philosophical guidance. The pictures will help you with your form. You'll always go back to it as we are always relearning.

[WryPriest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-edited and properly scholarly contextualized collection of Yang family primary source materials on Taijiquan. The majority of the material is transmitted directly from Yang Cheng-fu if not featuring him specifically (photos, demos, discourses, etc.). Though there are some lineages of non-public variations of Yang family TJQ, this book does not delve into those, but the conceptual discussions and transmitted sayings still apply across variations and contrast functionally with the sorts of fundamental concepts found in other systems like Xingyi, Xin yi, Bagua, Chen TJQ, etc.

There are a handful of other books that exist which are just snippets from this one. If you have even a marginal dedication to Taijiquan or any other internal Chinese martial art, you probably already know this one. It's among the handful of mandatory books and honestly remains amazingly accessible. Ideally somewhere high-quality versions of the images with Yang Cheng-fu exist and will be widely republished or made available.

[Amalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is most suited for serious practitioners. However, still if you are a person like I, who is practicing moderately or studying or interested in starting to do both, this is an excellent book to expand your knowledge. The translation is excellent. It is clear, and it has the quality resonance of true classics.

This book passes along much history and workings of the Tai Chi /Taijiquan. These early works are not a step-by-step manual, but guides to the practicing student to help gain insight into what they're practicing. Yang style Tai Chi Chuan is both an extraordinary defensive art as well as an unparalleled physical and mental health maintenance exercise.

[JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad little book on the various teachings of the Yang Family masters that had (at the time of the printing) never really seen print in the USA. I did gain a few insights and teaching inspirations from the book. However, I don't recommend this book as a good introduction to the art of Taijiquan (T'ai Chi Ch'uan) as much of the transmitted knowledge is for the current and long-time students of the art.

[Paul Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that has inspired many a historian of Chinese Martial Arts, Wile begins by explaining that there are no real secrets (something echoed by later writers such as Wolfe Lowenthal) and that much of what we swallow as accepted martial arts history is in fact just the personal accounts of individuals or schools with their own specific agenda. A book you will come back to again and again. ​

[Mzd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is appreciated more by people I know. It is a good window onto the illiterate transmissions. Poetic mnemonics. You have to have context to get the most out of it. (I'll have to remember the perfect companion I found for it...) A must for your Tai Chi Library.

[LWDC]

Somewhat repeated readings are necessary to learn from the seemingly abstractness of the writings. With practise of body movement your own ideas form and can be perhaps then translated to the ideas of the ancient Chinese.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for anyone interested in the advanced principles of Tai-chi.