This is a classic in the martial arts field, the first Bagua style Kung Fu book in English. Lee Ying Arng, the vice president of the Hong Kong Kung Fu Association, was a pioneer. His was one of the first Kung Fu books ever in English, the first Iron Palm book, the first film strips (8mm in those days) to be available. His modified Yang style Tai Chi - almost completey ignored - is one of the best abstractions of the set ever done.
Here is a BaGua book that is not only informative but charming. In the first section it presents the basic palm positions, gives an historical overview with pictures of famous masters, shows Lee himself doing applications. The next section if a trasnlation into English of a famous text by Yen Tie Hwa showing some of the neatest illustrations ever of Chinese fighting applications. The usage is Ba Gua to the max with some pretty twisty renditions but all fascinating. A bibliography is enclosed. This reprint is pretty much the original except for the hard cover, dust jacket and the absence of a fold out chart. A must-have for any Ba Gua library.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: The first and the best... Comment: First things first: Bagua is a Chinese martial arts. It is relatively new, about 200 years. It is based on walking in a circle. It is also based on change, an important Chinese philosophical element. This book is a well known teacher commenting on the book of another famous teacher. The spelling is an earlier Romanization of what most people would now call Bagua. The text covers basics, walking and applications. Some history is noted and a bibliography. This is a reprint of the original hard back but it is also difficult to find in its own right. There are some photos but the real treasures are the absolutely charming illustrations from Yen Tie Hwa's first book. Every line shows the spiral energy of the style. It is a must for real practitioners and the first book in English on the style.
