Old Tai Chi manuals (English translations)

Discussion in 'Tai chi' started by huoxingyang, Jan 23, 2014.

  1. huoxingyang

    huoxingyang Valued Member

    I hope I am not breaking any rules by drawing attention to an interesting website I came across:
    http://brennantranslation.wordpress.com/

    Basically this guy translates old Chinese martial arts manuals into English, mostly Tai Chi stuff. Some interesting finds too, for instance the book of Tai Chi principles, a copy of which was held with both the Yang and Wu families. Interestingly, the copy the Wu family held appears to be older than the copy the Yang family owned.

    Interestingly, in the Sabre section of "Taiji Compiled: The Boxing, Saber, Sword, Pole, and Sparring" (1943) an extra 360 degree turn is included near the start of the Yang 13 Sabre set, something I have never seen done in contemporary performances of the form.
    Likewise, in the "Taiji Manual of Xu Yusheng" (1921) the second section of the Yang long form includes a double jumping kick prior to the "fighting tigers" postures, something I have never seen in practice either.

    I wonder what people here who practice Yang style think of this.
     
  2. Dan Bian

    Dan Bian Neither Dan, nor Brian

    Thanks :)

    That'll keep me busy for a while!
     
  3. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    Variance in forms, even in the same line can be pretty common. Good site, I had read the Gu Ruzhang material from there before and seen the The Wu and Yang manuals up on there that you mention.

    The manual attributed to Yang Ban Hou, I'm fairly sure is the "Yang family 40 chapters" that appears in Yang Family Touchstones, a Douglas Wile book/ translation. I was going to check if indeed it was, but never actually got round to it. Be surprised if it wasn't though.

    I see he has added more Chinese boxing manuals, and there's some interesting ones in there, so thanks for the reminder. Always worth checking back on that site, great resource.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2014
  4. aaradia

    aaradia Choy Li Fut and Yang Tai Chi Chuan Student Moderator Supporter

    Cool! Can't wait to browse it this weekend. Sent the link to a couple of my fellow students.
     
  5. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    My mistake, the book I mention contains Yang Ban Hou material published by Wu Meng-hsia. I need to check those out then :cool:
     
  6. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

    I posted a link to that site last year. No bugger thanked me! Grumble... sulk...

    ;)
     
  7. cloudz

    cloudz Valued Member

    Copied the above from another forum.. So yeah, seems I got the author/ translator right, just the wrong book that these "forty chapters" appeared in. Dr. Yang Jwing-ming has done a translation also. I borrowed a copy of the lost classics book from a friend (who posts here too), that must be where my recollection came from. Not sure I ever gave that book back.. :)
     
  8. huoxingyang

    huoxingyang Valued Member

    Noob's luck I guess :)
     
  9. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

    Seriously, thanks for sharing it, because now a lot more people are going to get to see it. It's a great resource, full of really interesting stuff.
     
  10. runcai

    runcai Valued Member

    According to taijiquan Manual (in Chinese) compiled by Shen Shou published in 1990 (2nd edition in 1995), there are 42 chapters 32 chapters plus 10 supplementary chapters. In the 10 supplementary chapters the chapters on Zhang Sanfeng were excluded but 5 chapters were added. He also noted there were many mistakes and changes in different manuals by different transmissions. I think it will be a very big task to verify the teachings from these manuals. It is not too difficult to workout the theory from practice but not the other way around.
     
  11. shootodog

    shootodog restless native

    Link or it never happened.









    Thank you Johnno
     
  12. Johnno

    Johnno Valued Member

  13. Ki_user

    Ki_user New Member

    Excellent find
     
  14. nintyplayer

    nintyplayer Valued Member

    I'm pleasantly surprised to see a book by my grandmaster in there! (Startling Rainbow Sword by Yin Qianhe). I'll be sure to look into this manual!
     
  15. geelongtaichi

    geelongtaichi New Member

    Thanks, we used our Malaysian Yang grandmasters expression of Yang - so I am looking forward to the jumping you mentioned. Thank you so much for the info.
    ~g
     

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