The YMCA Taiji boxing club’s anniversari book 青年會太極拳班週年特刋。民國十八年十二月 上海靑年會太極拳班贈

Translation by Paul Brennan. — Posted on December 25, 2017 by Paul Brennan. — 43 p. — (A Present from the Shanghai YMCA Taiji Boxing Club, Dec, 1929).古人有云。老而不教。幼而不學。乃風俗之大不祥。旨哉言乎。夫積行成習。合各習尚以成風俗。風俗云者。人心世道之所表示於外者也。是故風俗浮薄。其民必趨邪侈。風俗淳厚。其民必敦
信義。小之關於社會之興盛。大之關於國運之隆替。可不重視也哉。不學則志無所持。不教則業無所舉。志移業廢。必昧於義理。肆情妄作。不復有所顧忌。風俗如是。將無甯日。庸非不祥之甚乎。是以古人。不獨勉壯幼者必勤於學。且必勸老長者必勤於敎。庶幾相得益彰。化行俗美。國家社會。同進於安强之道矣。會員畢君子陛。年巳知命。無或輟學。曾以體質孱弱。就學於致柔拳術社。獲太極拳術之益。體質因以健旺。不敢私其所獲。以本會宗旨。服務社會。况會名靑年。人多幼壯。必教必學。乃熾乃昌。故於客歲。偕三數同志。與體育部凌主任希陶。及董事部委員史君宗棠。會商進行。設立太極拳術專班。欲以國技煆煉靑年會友之身心。造成異日為國宣力之中堅。集議數次。得史委員凌主任之賛助。於上年十一月二十七日開班成立。初時規模尚小。旣而班員增多。更得謝君德軒之義務教授。諄諄講解。不厭不倦。於今週年。附入者將近百人。手勢步驟。日漸進步。精神體魄。皆有增益。非畢君謝君之勤於教。及諸班員之勤於學。曷克臻此成績。以此推行成俗。豈不美哉。義忝列班次。得隨學習。深知斯拳之功用神妙。有益於男女老幼。故為搜集篇什。輯成初週特刊。將以傳揚國技。培植體育。而不暴其氣。勉副諸先進之德意云耳。 時在民國十八年十一月吳縣彭欲義序於申江
Ancient people had a saying: “If the old do not teach and the young do not learn, this does not bode well for the culture.” True words indeed. As the habits we accumulate become common custom, it is customarily said that the moral state of the people is outwardly revealed: when the customs are frivolous, the people will be decadent, whereas when the customs are down to earth, the people will be honest and trustworthy. On a small scale, this can affect the prosperity of a society, but on a large scale, it can affect the survival of a nation, and so it has to be taken seriously. Without learning, ideas will not be maintained. Without teaching, traditions will not be upheld. When ideas have become corrupted and traditions have fallen away, we will become blind to reason and take rash actions without any scruples. When our customs are in this state, days of peace are over and ominous events will be the norm. Therefore ancient people not only pushed the point that the young must diligently learn, but also that the old must diligently teach, hoping that the two will reinforce each other. With the spread of culture, the people will be improved, and thus nation and society will advance together along the path toward becoming stronger. Club member Bi Zibi has long known his duty and has never interrupted his studies. He used to have a weak constitution, but then he learned at the Achieving Softness Boxing Society and obtained the benefits of the Taiji boxing art. Because his body has been made so healthy, he did not dare to keep what he has learned to himself. The purpose of this club is to provide a service to society, especially to the “young” within the name YMCA. People in their youth tend to be robust, and so they need to be taught and to learn during that period in order to flourish and prosper thereafter. Therefore last year, he conferred with physical education director Ling Xitao and committee director Shi Zongtang about setting up a Taiji Boxing Club, wanting to use martial arts to give solid training in mind and body to the YMCA members, so that the youth of today may become the backbone of the nation in the future. After several meetings, he received the approval of Shi and Ling, and then the club was established on November 27 of last year. In the beginning, the scale of it was rather small, but its membership increased, and it also received the voluntary services of Xie Dexuan, who has given devoted and tireless instruction. And now after a year, there are almost a hundred people participating in the postures and movements, making constant progress and gaining benefit to both mind and body. Were it not for Bi and Xie diligently teaching, as well as the members diligently learning, these results could not have been achieved. From this success, let us spread the art and make it the custom, and then there will indeed be improvement for all. Honored to be part of this club and to have received instruction, I have come to deeply understand that this art’s most marvelous function is that it is beneficial for all – men and women, young and old. Therefore I have gathered some compositions together and compiled them into a special first anniversary publication in order to promote martial arts and foster physical education. Let us not bully our vital energy and instead strive to conform to the wisdom of the founders of the art.
- written by Peng Yuyi of Wu County beside the Huangpu River, Nov, 1929@中華民國卿雲國歌 Republic of China National Anthem – “Auspicious Clouds”
程厚坤先生書贈聯句 Couplet Presented by Cheng Houkun
王介壽先生書贈聯句 Couplet Presented by Wang Jieshou
靑年會太極拳班班員合影 Group Portrait of the Staff of the YMCA Taiji Boxing Club
太極拳式攝影 Photographs of Taiji Boxing Postures
太極拳推手式攝影 Photographs of Taiji Boxing Pushing Hands Postures
太極劍式攝影 Photographs of Taiji Sword Postures
序 彭欲義 Preface – by Peng Yuyi
太極拳宗派溯源 謝德軒 Tracing Back to the Origins of Taiji Boxing – by Xie Dexuan
講求衞生必須習練太極拳說 謝德軒 Giving Proper Attention to Health Requires Practicing Taiji Boxing – by Xie Dexuan
學習太極拳之經過 謝德軒 My Experience of Learning Taiji Boxing – by Xie Dexuan
太極拳各式名稱 謝德軒 Names of the Taiji Boxing Postures – listed by Xie Dexuan
太極劍各式名稱 謝德軒 Names of the Taiji Sword Postures – listed by Xie Dexuan
靑年會太極拳術班時間 Current YMCA Taiji Boxing Club Schedule
因病而學習太極拳之經過 畢子陛 My Process of Learning Taiji Boxing Because of Illness – by Bi Zibi
習練須有恆心說 畢子陛 The Need for Perseverance if the Training – by Bi Zibi
太極拳可以改造精神 盛效賢 Taiji Boxing Can Alter One’s State of Mind – by Sheng Xiaoxian
練習太極拳之要訣 沈濬文 The Keys to Practicing Taiji Boxing – by Shen Junwen
練習太極拳後之一得 邱祖望 What I Have Learned Since Practicing Taiji Boxing – by Qiu Zuwang
太極拳療病功效之報告 徐可亭 A Testimonial About the Curative Effects of Taiji Boxing – by Xu Keting
其二 胡省初 Testimonial 2 – by Hu Shengchu
其三 王為彰 Testimonial 3 – by Wang Weizhang
其四 黃定良 Testimonial 4 – by Huang Dingliang
其五 王子謙 Testimonial 5 – by Wang Ziqian
太極拳却病延年詞 彭遵路 Taiji Boxing for Preventing Illness & Prolonging Life – by Peng Zunlu
靑年會太極拳術班週年紀念感言 彭遵路 My Feelings upon the First Anniversary of the YMCA Taiji Boxing Club – by Peng Zunlu
轉錄褚民誼先生論太極拳之功用 Chu Minyi’s Discussion of Taiji Boxing’s Characteristics
太極拳術班暫定規則 Provisional Rules for the Taiji Boxing Club
太極拳術班委員會規則 Rules for the Taiji Boxing Club Committee