Wisdom of Taiji Masters

Book excerpt: In this ground-breaking book, author Nigel Sutton presents the wisdom, skill and experience of contemporary masters of Cheng Man Ching's Taijiquan as practiced in Malaysia and Singapore. Included are full discussions on training, teaching, Taiji principles, weapons, push hands, sparring, challenge matches, mind-body-spirit development, and stories of the late Master Cheng. Two generations of revered masters discuss Cheng's art in detail, including: Lau Kim Hong, Lee Bei Lei, Zhou Mu Tu, Ho Ah San, Tan Ching Ning, Dr. Fong Fung Tong, Wu Chiang Hsing and Koh Ah Tee. These eight teachers describe their experience which made this art, in 30 short years, the premier fighting style of Taijiquan in Southeast Asia. The masters discuss their experience with Taiji fighting, challenges and applications. This is balanced with discussions of Nei Gong or internal strength training, which is seemingly "lost" amongst Cheng's students in the West. Well known in the West for its role in the New Age movement, this is the first book to openly expose the reality of Cheng style Taijiquan as a fighting art in the words of leading masters from the lineage.