Cheng Man-ch'ing, the famed master of t'ai chi, is regarded as an enormously influential figure in codifying the most widely practiced form of the ancient martial art. This volume, developed by the martial arts master and scholar, details the way that students arrive at a posture -- from beginning movements to the end pose. Master Cheng provides practitioners with a complete and concise guide to the Short Form, enabling them to make rapid progress.

This is the original classic about Short Form, the most popular and widespread form of T'ai Chi in the West. T'ai Chi Ch'uan is a must-read for every serious T'ai Chi student. This book is not meant to "teach" T'ai Chi Ch'uan, but meant to expound upon its meaning to the earnest practitioner; to offer the layperson a glimpse into this ancient art; and to communicate the author's unique perceptions and experiences that only a lifetime of practice can cultivate. Taken in this context, this is a most valuable book.

The revised edition of the classic "Thirteenth Chapters" with notes and index was prepared for teachers, scholars, and serious students seeking both T'ai-chi treasures and a broader understanding of the sources of Cheng's teachings. In the preface he states: "My teacher, Yang Ch'eng-fu, suspended the family transmission. He did not lightly share his knowledge, fearing it would fall into the wrong hands.... Therefore I have taken all of these secrets and presented them in this book."

"Wolfe Lowenthal's quiet little memoir will with window-opening wisdom reinforce, I think, my view of how Cheng stood on Tai Chi. It tells how a young writer reacted to this strange Chinese man when he appeared in New York City in the mid-1960s and stayed there for a decade before returning to Taiwan to die in 1975. In a nickel town where neurosis is a cardinal virtue, the Tai Chi center established by Cheng soon became an oasis of learning. In my visits there I was invariably approached by a quiet fellow with a ready smile and loads of questions. His form and sensing hands improved but he never lost his kindly ways. This led me once to tell the three seniors that the one person in the club who best exemplified Tai Chi was this junior. That man who has since become a teacher of the art is the author if this book." -Robert W. Smith, from the Preface

Master the Chinese martial art of T'ai Chi with this accessible, illustrated guide. T'ai-chi (Tai Chi) is an effortless and rhythmical art that stresses slow breathing, balanced and relaxed postures, and absolute calmness of mind. It requires no special equipment or place to practice and takes no more than ten minutes a day. This book, from renowned Tai Chi master, Cheng Man-Ch'ing, introduces T'ai-chi as a means to a healthier life, as a sport and as a method of self-defense. It is a complete step-by-step manual for the beginner. With conscientious practice, readers will master the sequence of thirty-seven postures that will make up the T'ai-chi solo exercise. Students will learn how to progress from exercise to sport to self-defense with maximum efficiency. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and more than 275 photographs and 122 foot-weighting diagrams guarantee an understanding of the correct form. A history of T'ai-chi, including thumbnail sketches of famous masters, and the first English translation of the basic T'ai-chi document, known as the T'ai-chi Ch'uan Classics, are also included.

Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing regarded a set of five disciplines—the "five excellences"—to be the mark of a well-rounded person: calligraphy, painting, poetry, t’ai chi, and medicine. Although he is best known for his teachings on the martial arts (in particular, his highly influential adaptation of t’ai chi), versatility was central to Cheng’s philosophy of life, and he encourage his students to combine artistry with scholarship. This inspiring book is a commentary on and working compendium of Cheng’s literary and pictorial interpretations of these subjects. Of interest to aficionados of Chinese art, culture, and history, Master of Five Excellences also offers internal techniques for practitioners of the martial arts, as Hennessy provides an insight into the rarely-glimpsed creative side of Cheng Man-Ch’ing.

Following Master of Five Excellences, the previously published volume of Cheng Man-Ch'ing's teachings, comes this volume in which Man-Ch'ing expounds his views in 49 essays. His lessons of inner development and comments on daily life will be of particular interest to both t'ai chi adherents and those interested in Chinese culture. Photos & line drawings.