Formosa Neijia

This is the book being reviewed in English and here it is in Chinese. The VCDs and DVDs can be found here and here. Here are video samples of Di.

I just bought a copy of Di Guo-yong’s xingyi book, which was recently released in traditional characters here in Taiwan. I can’t read simplified characters at all because trying to do so gives me a headache. I’ve been hitting the Chinese pretty hard lately but getting to where I want to be with the language seems as elusive as ever. The closer I get, the further away the goal posts seem. Haha. But this book on xingyi made me feel a bit better.

The reason that I say that is that this is one of the clearest CMA books I’ve ever seen. Di did such a good job on this book (two volumes in Chinese) that I’m ready to rethink my opinion of his material. I panned his staff VCD because it has what I believe is incorrect hand positioning in pi — using the staff that way would be quite ineffective. But despite some minor flaws, I think I may have judged him too harshly.

I actually have the entire ten volume set of his VCDs because it is the best representation of Hebei xingyi on the market today. By itself, it is good as a reference, but coupled with his book, I think the combination could be an extraordinary resource for the Hebei xingyi student.

One thing that makes the book different from the VCDs is the inclusion of alternate material. For example, he includes many different versions of the five elements and the animals that he didn’t show on the VCDs. These variations are what really make your xingyi come alive. They show how the moves are really just jings — the moves themselves are not so set in stone as most beginners think. For a great example, see this brief sample of Andrea Falk’s excellent translation of Di’s book. This sample shows the variation found in pi. I have other variations that I’ve picked up in various places and I like those a lot, but the ones shown here are also really good. In fact, some of the variations are MORE useful than the original moves.

He also put several forms in the book that aren’t on the VCDs. For example, there are more two man forms, there is the zonghequan (mixed xingyi), shi er hongchui (12 red hammers), and the most excellent an shen chui.

Let me talk about an shen chui for a mintue. An shen pao is the famous two-man advanced xingyi set. This set is really phenomenal because it isn’t flashy at all, as many two-man forms are. It’s very down-to-earth and grounded in usage — making it VERY worthwhile for xingyi people to learn. In fact, the two-man material SHOULD NEVER be shortchanged IMO, as it is in some lineages. The two-man 5 elements work is equally useful.

But the problem is, how do you practice this stuff when no one else is around? It’s a big problem, so big that some people forget an shen pao because they have no one to practice with — people like me. I forgot an shen pao and will now have to spend time getting it back.

But an shen chui is an shen pao designed for single-person practice, making it invaluable for xingyi people to learn. After you learn an shen chui, you will never forget an shen pao because you can practice the whole set — left and right sides — by yourself. An shen chui folds back on itself in the manner of san cai jian. The inclusion of this set alone makes the book a must have.

The second Chinese volume has bazigong and weapons. The presentation on bazigong is very well done. He goes into a great detail describing the movements and how the power is developed. The language that he uses in the book is remarkable because it is so clear. He speaks very directly in a way that I rarely see in Chinese and is great for a student of the language. I can completely understand why Andrea Falk chose to translate this book. Translating it would be much easier than most CMA books. That quality shines through very clearly in this section on bazigong.

Unfortunately, the weapons section isn’t as good as the other parts of the book. Di gives few alternate versions of the wepaons usage, and I can tell you that there are many that he could have included. Perhaps he didn’t do so out of space considerations. I really consider this section on weapons to just be an introduction, it’s really not that compehensive and very closely follows the VCDs.

Also missing are the higher weapons forms beyond the five element level. Di gave us a tease of the zonghe guen (mixed method staff) on the demo disk of the VCD series. But that is not in the book, nor are any of the other higher weapons forms.

Despite those minor points, this is the best written info that I’ve seen yet on Hebei xingyi. Andrea Falk will apparently translate the books in a four-part series. As far as I can tell, her translations are excellent — far above most of what is out there. This series of translations will be a must-have from Hebei enthusiasts.

P.S. Ms. Falk has translated the material that Di gave on the VCDs as well. The book closely mirrors the VCDs in some ways, perhaps making the two translations a bit redundant in some ways. The book does go beyond what is presented on the VCDs, making them the better buy. So bascially, everything on the VCDs is in the book, but not the other way around. So when the books are out, the VCD translations will be effectively obsolete. If you can’t wait for the material found in the later translations she’s doing, the VCD translations will contain much to get you started. Enjoy.