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Book Review: Qigong Fever By Gary Abersold
| Posted on June 7, 2008 at 1:31 PM |
If you are new to Qigong, you might be wondering what would be a good book on Qigong to purchase. With the many array of approaches probaly the most important one is:
In this absorbing and revealing book, David A. Palmer relies on a combination of historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives to describe the spread of the qigong craze and its reflection of key trends that have shaped China since 1949, including the search for a national identity and an emphasis on the absolute authority of science. Qigong offered the promise of an all-powerful technology of the body rooted in the mysteries of Chinese culture. However, after 1995 the scientific underpinnings of qigong came under attack, its leaders were denounced as charlatans, and its networks of followers, notably Falungong, were suppressed as "evil cults."
Dr.Palmer, states the success of the movement proves that a hugely important religious dimension not only survived under the CCP but was actively fostered, if not created, by high-ranking party members. Tracing the complex relationships among the masters, officials, scientists, practitioners, and ideologues involved in qigong, Palmer opens a fascinating window on the transformation of Chinese tradition as it evolved along with the Chinese state. As he brilliantly demonstrates, the rise and collapse of the qigong movement is key to understanding the politics and culture of post-Mao society.
This book will give you a peek into how Qigong became powerful and ultimately was silenced by the Communist party in 1999. It is an important book for Westerners to learn on how and where these practices came from. It of course does not give the complete picture but its a great thesis on Modern Qigong to say the least.
I personally was pleased with the unbiased account of this publication; it confirmed the many stories I have heard from many of my teachers from several years. Qigong Fever could easily be a series of book's of many of the Masters who didn't make the book that were involved in Qigong Fever Craze. It also makes you wonder why would anyone who go to China anyway searching for a Good Traditional Master. Most of the Masters left China long ago and now lived exiled here in America & Canada. I give this book a AAA+++, a excellent look at Qigong as a System from a Modern perspective.
Gary Abersold
In this absorbing and revealing book, David A. Palmer relies on a combination of historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives to describe the spread of the qigong craze and its reflection of key trends that have shaped China since 1949, including the search for a national identity and an emphasis on the absolute authority of science. Qigong offered the promise of an all-powerful technology of the body rooted in the mysteries of Chinese culture. However, after 1995 the scientific underpinnings of qigong came under attack, its leaders were denounced as charlatans, and its networks of followers, notably Falungong, were suppressed as "evil cults."
Dr.Palmer, states the success of the movement proves that a hugely important religious dimension not only survived under the CCP but was actively fostered, if not created, by high-ranking party members. Tracing the complex relationships among the masters, officials, scientists, practitioners, and ideologues involved in qigong, Palmer opens a fascinating window on the transformation of Chinese tradition as it evolved along with the Chinese state. As he brilliantly demonstrates, the rise and collapse of the qigong movement is key to understanding the politics and culture of post-Mao society.
This book will give you a peek into how Qigong became powerful and ultimately was silenced by the Communist party in 1999. It is an important book for Westerners to learn on how and where these practices came from. It of course does not give the complete picture but its a great thesis on Modern Qigong to say the least.
I personally was pleased with the unbiased account of this publication; it confirmed the many stories I have heard from many of my teachers from several years. Qigong Fever could easily be a series of book's of many of the Masters who didn't make the book that were involved in Qigong Fever Craze. It also makes you wonder why would anyone who go to China anyway searching for a Good Traditional Master. Most of the Masters left China long ago and now lived exiled here in America & Canada. I give this book a AAA+++, a excellent look at Qigong as a System from a Modern perspective.
Gary Abersold
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