subject: The Mystery of Longevity' (1996) Liu, Zhengcai--A Review [print this page] The Mystery of Longevity' (1996) Liu, Zhengcai--A Review
The pursuit of longevity accompanied by health and relative youthfulness (only in such circumstances may it be enjoyed) has been an ongoing Chinese preoccupation for thousands of years. Tremendous wisdom and good, practical methods, successfully applied, have evolved as this review of 'The Mystery of Longevity' (1996) Liu, Zhengcai. Beijing, Foreign Languages Press (3rd Edition), attempts to make clear.
A compendium (191 pp paperback) of sound, traditional, tried-and-tested Chinese advice upon longevity, serving, substantially, to demystify and contextualise this in the daily experience of China, the world's most populous nation (with over 25 % of world-population). The author is adamant that longevity's secrets are not about to be discovered in some laboratory but are, rather, already present and known for many centuries, but not to all.
The writer's first recourse to external authority is ''The Yellow Emperor's Internal Medicine Classic'/ 'Huang Ti Nei Jing' attributed to the former's activities some 4,700 years ago from whence his exhortation to follow Yin and Yang and 5 Element Theory's balanced ways stem. Four sections outline different, inter-related ways to achieve this, as follows.
Contemporary Records of Centenerians
The Chinese are famous for inventing History! Ssu Ma Chien's ' Records of the Grand Historian' (93 CE) in 103 Volumes is a still-extant testimony to this. Of old, Chinese centenarians were frequently summoned into the Imperial Presence to explain how this laudable accomplishment was achieved, with official written records made and disseminated to encourage others! Examples of such accounts and related commentaries of Scholars and Officials are grouped in key categories indicating 'methods' involved. Examples of modern-day Chinese Centenerians (Urban and Rural) then follow in similar vein.
Chinese Body-Building
Never to be confused with its Western equivalent, this seeks rather to build and strengthen inner, core and skeletal muscle and the five main muscular organs (lungs, kidneys, liver, heart and spleen) through well-known exercise routines, many over 1,000 years old, suitable for all ages, Some neat resumes, accompanied by line drawings, provide more than adequate practical instructions for some of the better-known therapeutic routines e.g. 'Eight Pieces of Brocade' and 'Yi Yin Jing'.
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Food Therapy
Differing (again) from Western provision and successfully curing more people of more things for longer than other known systems, without unexpected side-effects (Chinese Bodybuilding's record is similarly enviable) shared natural bases make these two complementary categories overlap. 'Chinese Life Preserving Wine'/'Yang Sheng Jui' (p. 156) and 'Lean Pork Steamed With Sealwort'' (p. 160) remedying arthritis/impotence and gastritis/coronary heart disease, respectively, render longevity an appetising prospect. Internet searches for this 'materia medica' reveal growing wholesale importation into the West!
Treatment Regimes For Typical Old-Age Illnesses and Complaints Based Upon The Preceding Categories.
By now growing old shouldn't seem so bad! The final section's remedies include combining pleasant exercise, nourishing food, natural herbal supplements and correct mind-set (no matter what age). Thus, from the 'Common Cold' (p.166) to 'Gastritis' (p.176) and beyond have this positive, healthy bias supplemented by judicious use of massage therapy and acupuncture as circumstances require--all explained via an easily understandable rationale.
Conclusions.
This is not the land of instant results! However, regular almost imperceptible change for the better gradually recognizeable, after disciplined adherence to recommended regimes, appears as the most usual of outcomes. Without doubt, the naturalistic, holistic nature of the book's recommendations and the increasing ease with which these may be integrated into modern lifestyles, in varied fashions, ensure it (and similar others) growing future popularity.
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