In 1927, General Yang Sen invited Li Qingyun to Wanxian, China, to teach about health and longevity. Li Qingyun was reported to be 250 years old at the time, and his visit to Wanxian was big news. In 1970, Yang Sen compiled a book of his and other's accounts of Li Qingyun, titled "An Authentic and True Record of a 250-Year-Old Man, " which Stuart Alve Olson started translating into English in 1982. Besides the notion of someone living to 250 years of age, this book goes well beyond the biography of Li Qingyun's life. It has great historical value, especially for Westerners who are unfamiliar with much of Chinese history towards the end of the Qing dynasty. It also explains incredible health therapies and provides information on what is now called Medical Qigong. Much is explained about Daoism on meditation, breathing, qigong exercise, food, sex, and philosophy for Daoist living. Another true gem of this book is the philosophical teachings, as much of this material has never been presented in English. The depth of information provided in this book surpasses any previously published work on Daoist health practices and philosophy. It is rare to come across a text with such abundance of insights and written with such clarity as this material provides. Although"Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal: The Eight Essential Exercises of Master Li Ching-yun" was published in 2002, which includes translations from Yang Sen's book, the entire translation is now finally available.This book belongs in everyone's library who studies or has an interest in Chinese philosophy, qigong regimes, and biographies. A companion DVD-"Li Qingyun's Eight Brocades"-is now available."

This book provides a succinct organization of materials and advice Li Qingyun provided on the subject for attaining health and longevity. Stuart Alve Olson's The Immortal: True Accounts of the 250-Year-Old Man, Li Qingyun is a large book covering many aspects of Li's teachings and life, and since it is a direct translation of Yang Sen's Chinese edition, it can be more challenging to navigate the teachings. Stuart's purpose in translating The Immortal was to present that work as Yang Sen intended, and he didn't provide any personal in-depth commentary and instructions to clarify the teachings. This book then fills in the gaps regarding Li Qingyun's advice and instructions for attaining health and longevity. The first chapter, The Fundamentals of Longevity, starts out with basic, but unique, regimes on acquiring longevity. The second chapter, Foods and Herbs for Longevity, covers more clearly the herbs Li Qingyun and Yang Sen recommended for improving health and life span. The third chapter, Sex and Longevity, explains what Li Qingyun meant by the sexual practices of Refining the Rosy Clouds. The fourth chapter, The Eight Diagrams Elemental Exercises, more popularly called Eight Brocades, includes a detailed look at these exercises. The fifth chapter, Embryonic Breathing and Longevity, delves into Li's teachings on Opening the Three Passes and Embryonic Breathing Qigong methods named after the two primary images from the Book of Changes (Yi Jing)-Qian (Creativity of Heaven) and Kun (Receptivity of Earth). The sixth chapter, The Six Qi, is about the practice of the Six Healing Sounds used for both the cure and prevention of illness and disease, and as a meditation practice. The seventh chapter, Calming the Mind, is about regulating the mind and calming the spirit, the very roots of maintaining good health and acquiring longevity. These seven chapters provide a clear path for improving health and attaining longevity. You may not incorporate all of them into your daily practice, but you'll find numerous little regimes and insights that can prove most useful in your daily life. The intention of this book is not to convince you to take on all the practices, even though that would be quite effective, but to select those elements you find useful and appropriate to your life and schedule.

Despite its beauty, individuality and variety of design, the red or brown unglazed stoneware produced at Yixing in Jiangsu Province has received less attention than other branches of Chinese ceramic art. The Yixing potters have always specialized in the making of teapots, whose use became widespread during the Ming period as a result of the innovation of making tea from rolled leaves, rather than using it in the fine-ground, powdered from in which it had previously been supplied.

A beggar, an itinerant monk, leapt to greatness during a tumultuous epoch and went on to found the Ming Dynasty of China (1368--1644). As a destitute peasant with nothing to lose, he started a local rebellion; success built on success. Defeating local warlords, Zhu Yuan Zhang conquered all the southern part of China, then sent his army north and took the rest. By unifying many Chinese lands, he brought peace and prosperity after a long period of tumult. He is honored with the temple name of Ming Taizu, Grand Ancestor of Ming.

“This book is classic Perry -- elegantly and clearly written, based on rich and previously unexplored source material, full of human detail on political actors at the local level, presenting a gripping narrative and a clear analytical thrust. Perry’s account of Anyuan is fresh and original, making a convincing case for the area’s enduring contribution to the revolution.” - Joseph W. Esherick, UC San Diego, author of Ancestral Leaves

Kangzhan: Guide to Chinese Ground Forces 1937–45 is the first ready reference to the organization and armament of Chinese ground forces during the Sino-Japanese War of 1937–45. The work integrates Chinese, Japanese and Western sources to examine the details of the structure and weapons of the period. Recent scholarship has contributed greatly to our understanding of China's role in the war, but this is the first book to deal with the bottom-level underpinnings of this massive army, crucial to an understanding of its tactical and operational utility. An introductory chapter discusses the military operations in China, often given short shrift in World War II histories. The work then traces the evolution of the national army's organizational structure from the end of the Northern Expedition to the conclusion of World War II. Included are tables of organization and strength reports for the wartime period. The armament section illustrates and details not only the characteristics of the many and varied weapons used in China, many seen nowhere else, but also their acquisition and such local production as was undertaken. This is complemented by a chapter on the arsenals and their evolution and production programs. The Chinese army was one of the largest of the war and it, and Japan's, fought longer than any other. It faced unique challenges, including fragmented loyalties, huge expanses of territory, poor logistics networks, inadequate arms supplies, and, often, incompetence and corruption. Nevertheless, they fought bravely in major battles through 1941 and were able to counterpunch effectively in important regions through the rest of the war. Aimed at both military historians and wargamers, this work fills an important gap in our understanding of this, the most under-appreciated army of the war.

Now 101 years old, Master T. T. Liang came to the U.S. from Taiwan in the 1960s to introduce t'ai chi to America. His life story is full of the stuff that makes a great martial arts adventure: a career as a high-ranking government official, street fights and shootouts, opium dens and prostitutes, mystical martial arts masters and monks—the story of a life lived to the absolute maximum. Twenty-five photographs add to the captivating life story of this great t'ai chi master.