"Qigong"& mdash;a regimen of body, breath, and mental training
exercises& mdash;was one of the most widespread cultural and
religious movements of late-twentieth-century urban China. The
practice was promoted by senior Communist Party leaders as a
uniquely Chinese healing tradition and as a harbinger of a new
scientific revolution, yet the movement's mass popularity and the
almost religious devotion of its followers led to its ruthless
suppression.
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."
According to Palmer, 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 andculture of
post-Mao society.
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