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??6 China Review International: Vol. 4, No. 1, Spring 1997 tion to taijiquan, where the experience exists only for the performer. In so doing, however, she inadvertently makes the practice of taijiquan seem narcissistic, or at least solipsistic. It is surprising that she says little about qior about breath, though she makes meaningful and quite interesting remarks about the correct use ofthe eyes, head, and neck. Various other qualities and ideals and effects associated with taijiquan are cited, but it is not clear how any ofthese, or the combination of them, is unique to it. A sense ofharmony, multilevel perception, and so on can be experienced in many other activities that involve the use ofmind and body together —including martial arts, sports, dance, and playing musical instruments. In a short review it is not possible to list the many historical inaccuracies and distortions ofinterpretation in this book (nor the many misprints). One has the feeling that Sophia Delza is an extremely good classroom teacher ofWu-style taijiquan, and she has earned her niche in its history. Unfortunately this book will do little to further her reputation. David Waterhouse University ofToronto David Waterhouse is Professor ofEast Asian Studies; he practises and teachesjudo, and is currently writing a historical and technical study ofit. mi John Dent-Young and Alex Dent-Young, translators. The Broken Seals: Part One ofThe Marshes ofMount Liang. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1994. xiv, 434 pp. Paperback $23.00, isbn 962-201-602-2. Like other earlier Chinese novels, Shuihu ¿huan or The Marshes ofMount Liang underwent a long and complex evolution. Involving different traditions, including historical narrative, professional storytelling, and stage drama, as well as having to go through the phases ofinitial creation, expansion, revision, and editing, the full development and expansion of the novel was consummated with the appearance ofthe 120-chapter version during the early seventeenth century. It has become one ofthe most popular and acclaimed Chinese classic novels, reaching beyond its country ofbirth. Western readers can enjoy this Chinese literary gem try mversity m severaj gne translations. In English alone there are already three versions: Pearl S. Buck's All Men Are Brothers (New York, 1933), J. H. Jackson's Water Margin (Shanghai, 1937), and Sidney Shapiro's Outlaws ofthe Marsh (Beijing and Bloomington , 1981). ofHawai'i Press Reviews 117 The Broken Seals differs from previous translations in various ways. For one thing, this new version is the first and, so far, the only one that renders the Shuihu story in its most complete form, the 120-chapter version. Both AllMen Are Brothers and WaterMargin were based on the seventy-chapter version, while the translator of Outlaws oftheMarshes used a one hundred-chapter edition. Thanks to the Dent-Young effort, Western readers finally have the opportunity to relish this Chinese classic in its entirety. The Dent-Youngs have also made an effort to retain most of the numerous verses in various poetic forms that interpolate the narrative. The previous translators have all excluded the verses, perhaps deeming them trivial and an impediment to the narrative flow. In fact, the frequent interpolation ofthe narrative flow is the trade mark of Chinese vernacular fiction. Patrick Hanan calls this important narrative device the "simulated context"; that is, it employs the simulacrum ofthe oral storyteller who addresses his audience.1 The verse is an important technique that functions to describe, comment on, facilitate opening and closure of, provide interludes in, and expedite the narrative. Or sometimes it is used simply as a "virtuoso flourish" (p. xii), urging readers to pause momentarily to enjoy the feast ofnarrative or descriptive details presented before them. Retaining the verses enables the Western reader to savor the unique flavor ofthe novel and the better to appreciate Chinese vernacular fiction. Shuihu ¿huan is a fine representative of this art form, and it is presented here in its own terms, with no corners cut or frills trimmed. The Dent-Youngs vow that their translation will be readable so that it can reach the general reader with no specialized knowledge of Chinese language or Chinese vernacular fiction (p. ix). They have definitely achieved this goal. Their translation of The Broken Seals is not only highly...

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