Health Preservation Treasury of China - Health Preservation Quotes (Colloquial Illustrated Edition)

Author: Ni Taiyi, Yi Hongbo
Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: A collection of the essence of Chinese medicine, the insights of, ancient secret classics, calligrapher's tastes, family secrets, the essentials of yin and yang, breathing exercises, traditional massage techniques, physical conditioning methods, folk health remedies, beauty techniques, imperial health preservation methods, folk health remedies. It is a comprehensive book of classic Chinese health preservation quotes spanning thousands of years of Chinese culture. This book gathers the essence of health preservation from various documents of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, medicine, and the Hundred Schools of Thought. In addition to emphasizing the completeness of theory, it also focuses on the operability of the content. The Tao is not far from people; it lies in everyday life. The term "health preservation" first appeared in the Inner Chapters of the Zhuangzi. It is a theory and method that aims to preserve life, maintain a healthy spirit, enhance wisdom, and prolong life according to the laws of life's development. As early as the ancient times, there was the concept of longevity. The Book of Documents Hong Fan listed "longevity" as one of the "Five Blessings." During the Pre-Qin period, the famous philosophers explored health preservation as part of their philosophical thoughts, with diverse viewpoints, laying a solid foundation for the development of Chinese health preservation. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, the theories of health preservation began to integrate. For example, Ji Kang advocated combining "purity, emptiness, tranquility, and peace" with "breathing exercises," while Ge Hong proposed "achieving inner cultivation of body and spirit and outer warding off evil" by "utilizing various techniques." Building upon the Wei, Jin, and Six Dynasties, the health preservation techniques of the Sui and Tang dynasties showed a state of integration of various techniques. For instance, the Essential Formulas for Saving Life recorded the "Laozi Massage Method," which combined breathing exercises with massage. Sima Chengzhen's "Health Preservation Exercises" further integrated combing hair, tapping teeth, circulating qi, massage, and breathing exercises. By the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, the collection, organization, and compilation of previous health preservation materials, the writing of specialized health preservation books, and the creation of new health preservation techniques marked the maturity and prosperity of Chinese health preservation.
However, the health preservation methods of ancient China are vast in content and profound in argument, with many discussions scattered across various ancient texts. It would be difficult for a single person to fully explore their depths even with a lifetime of effort. To guide people in practicing health preservation with scientific methods, improving their physical fitness, and achieving the noble goal of longevity, we have specially dug up health preservation secrets and selected the essence of health preservation from the vast Chinese traditional medical classics to compile this book.