Master of Five Excellences

by Cheng Man-ch'ing

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 188331903X
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Frog Books
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A great look at Cheng's talents beyond tai chi

Master of Five Excellences is a wonderful book for anyone who wishes to learn more about the tai chi master Cheng Man-ch'ing. Cheng has always been an interesting figure to me, for his skill in tai chi, as well as for his skills as an artist and scholar. Hennessy's translation is smooth and easy to read. It gives readers a taste of Cheng's abilities in poetry, painting, calligraphy, tai chi and medicine. The work also includes color prints of some of Cheng's paintings as well as reproductions of his calligraphy. Perhaps most interestingly for me, as someone who has worked to mesh my academic studies with my practice of tai chi, it shows how Cheng incorporated all of his arts into a coherent world view.