James Gong: The Chinese Dragon


Book Description

Ming Lee - The Chinese Dragon - is the unbeaten, undisputed queen of virtual martial arts. Until she meets James Gong, fresh from his starring role in Ham Solo: Revenge of the Fist. Can their combined skill, grace and teamwork defeat everything the virtso world throws at them? Do they take down the mobsters? The bully? And just where does 'the gymnast' fit into all of this?




James Gong: The Big Hit


Book Description

James Gong is training for his black belt in taekwondo. One night a camera crew turns up at training for an episode of My Life. James is sparring a white belt who gets carried away and hammers James' foot. Sparks fly in James' brain and he gasps – all caught on national TV. James responds with a jumping spinning sidekick which obliterates his opponent. This is the beginning of James' woes at the club, for he has disgraced Mr Cho, the head instructor. Hollywood Productions just loves James' jumping , spinning sidekick. They decide to star him in their small budget flick, Big Action in Little Town. Unbeknown to James, Hollywood Productions is a scam company that basically produces B grade ‘loser’ movies to offset huge tax bills. Meanwhile James, who lusts after his sister Caitlin’s best friend, Amber, thinks his sudden film career will curry favour. Not so. If anything, Amber shuns him even more. Determined to win the love of his life, James tries to learn how to skate, because he knows that Amber fancies a local skater named Spiros. He only succeeds in showing himself up, but James is pathetically immune to the irony and subtleties of life. He figures that all is well with the world and that he’s making vast progress. To Hollywood Productions’ great horror the flick is so bad that it’s good. People have queued at the premiere and national TV stations have got wind of the huge success of this little budget movie. Big Action in Little Town is going to be a blockbuster!




Tàijí Jiàn 32-Posture Sword Form


Book Description

The Sword Form is an important aspect of the popular Chinese martial art, Tàijíquan. The 32-Posture Sword Form, from the point of view of the physical movements only, is not complex, but there is a significant amount of other information, relating to the applications, that is open to interpretation. Written by an experienced teacher of Tàijíquan, this book provides a detailed description of the Jian (the sword), its parts and how it should be held. Using photographs and illustrations, the author gives step-by-step instructions for the main 13 applications including sword strokes, stances and footwork techniques. This book contains a wealth of information on Sword Form technique and is an ideal resource for students of martial arts, experienced practitioners or anyone interested in learning about Tàijíquan.




Chinese Gung Fu


Book Description

This new edition of Bruce Lee's classic work rejuvenates the authority, insight, and charm of the master's original 1963 publication for modern audiences. It seemlessly brings together Lee's original language, descriptions and demonstrations with new material for readers, martial arts enthusiasts and collectors that want Lee in his purest form. This timeless work preserves the integrity of Lee's hand-drawn diagrams and captioned photo sequences in which he demonstrates a variety of training exercises and fighting techniques, ranging from gung fu stances and leg training to single- and multiple-opponent scenarios. Thought-provoking essays on the history of gung fu, the theory of yin and yang, and personal, first-edition testimonials by James Y. Lee, the legendary Ed Parker, and jujutsu icon Wally Jay round out this one and only book by Lee on the Chinese martial arts. -- from back cover.




The Swimming Dragon


Book Description

For therapists, healers, and lay practitioners, this superb guide covers every aspect of the ancient healing art, from its basic functions and the energetic principles underlying its practice to a detailed history of the method and its practitioners. Most important, it offers an explicit presentation of essential qi gong methods and styles of practice, including basic postures and respiratory exercises. The author translates into Western medical language the effects of qi gong on the nervous system, heart rate, blood pressure, endocrine system, appetite, and digestion. With an enlightening summary of the relationship between qi gong and the other Chinese healing arts, and an inspired collection of quotations from traditional texts, this is a thorough representation of an increasingly popular approach to health and healing.




Journey to the West (2018 Edition - PDF)


Book Description

The bestselling Journey to the West comic book by artist Chang Boon Kiat is now back in a brand new fully coloured edition. Journey to the West is one of the greatest classics in Chinese literature. It tells the epic tale of the monk Xuanzang who journeys to the West in search of the Buddhist sutras with his disciples, Sun Wukong, Sandy and Pigsy. Along the way, Xuanzang's life was threatened by the diabolical White Bone Spirit, the menacing Red Child and his fearsome parents and, a host of evil spirits who sought to devour Xuanzang's flesh to attain immortality. Bear witness to the formidable Sun Wukong's (Monkey God) prowess as he takes them on, using his Fiery Eyes, Golden Cudgel, Somersault Cloud, and quick wits! Be prepared for a galloping read that will leave you breathless!




Bruce Lee The Tao of Gung Fu


Book Description

In the months leading up to his death, Bruce Lee was working on this definitive study of the Chinese martial arts--collectively known as Kung Fu or Gung Fu. This book has now been edited and is published here for the first time in its entirety. Bruce Lee totally revolutionized the practice of martial arts and brought them into the modern world--by promoting the idea that students have the right to pick and choose those techniques and training regimens which suit their own personal needs and fighting styles. He developed a new style of his own called Jeet Kune Do--combining many elements from different masters and different traditions. This was considered heretical at the time within martial arts circles, where one was expected to study with only a single master--and Lee was the first martial artist to attempt this. Today he is revered as the "father" of martial arts practice around the world--including Mixed Martial Arts. In addition to presenting the fundamental techniques, mindset and training methods of traditional Chinese martial arts, this martial art treatise explores such esoteric topics as Taoism and Zen as applied to Gung Fu, Eastern and Western fitness regimens and self-defense techniques. Also included is a Gung Fu "scrapbook" of Bruce Lee's own personal anecdotes regarding the history and traditions of the martial arts of China. After Lee's death, his manuscript was completed and edited by martial arts expert John Little in cooperation with the Bruce Lee Estate. This book features an introduction by his wife, Linda Lee Cadwell and a foreword from his close friend and student, Taky Kimura. This Bruce Lee Book is part of the Bruce Lee Library which also features: Bruce Lee: Striking Thoughts Bruce Lee: The Celebrated Life of the Golden Dragon Bruce Lee: Artist of Life Bruce Lee: Letters of the Dragon Bruce Lee: The Art of Expressing the Human Body Bruce Lee: Jeet Kune Do




Astrology and Cosmology in Early China


Book Description

Drawing on a vast array of scholarship, this pioneering text illustrates how profoundly astronomical phenomena shaped ancient Chinese civilization.




The Coming Collapse of China


Book Description

China is hot. The world sees a glorious future for this sleeping giant, three times larger than the United States, predicting it will blossom into the world's biggest economy by 2010. According to Chang, however, a Chinese-American lawyer and China specialist, the People's Republic is a paper dragon. Peer beneath the veneer of modernization since Mao's death, and the symptoms of decay are everywhere: Deflation grips the economy, state-owned enterprises are failing, banks are hopelessly insolvent, foreign investment continues to decline, and Communist party corruption eats away at the fabric of society. Beijing's cautious reforms have left the country stuck midway between communism and capitalism, Chang writes. With its impending World Trade Organization membership, for the first time China will be forced to open itself to foreign competition, which will shake the country to its foundations. Economic failure will be followed by government collapse. Covering subjects from party politics to the Falun Gong to the government's insupportable position on Taiwan, Chang presents a thorough and very chilling overview of China's present and not-so-distant future.




These Violent Delights


Book Description

An Instant New York Times Bestseller! A BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Book of 2020 Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River. The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery. A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal. But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.