Blurred Boundaries - by Ze-Han Hong (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists drove the largest refugee exodus in the modern history of China, across the sea to the southern island of Taiwan. Martial artists of many styles were among this diaspora.

In the 1940's areas of Taipei, Taiwan were terrorized by local gangsters. Supported by desperate martial artists who had to flee mainland China with no other resources but their martial skills, they robbed and extorted the population. The locals trying to rebuild a new life after the Japanese occupation, often hired their own cadre of martial artists. The Hong family was one of these merchant families.

Through hard work, honesty, and perseverance, the Hong family had come from poverty to build a successful candle making business. It's patriarch, Hong Wu-fan, not only hired martial artists but invited famous refugee masters to live and train in his family compound, thus earning their loyalty and the honor of their secrets. One of the most outstanding students was Hong's fourth son, Hong Yi-xiang.

The author Hong Ze-han tells the true story of his father Hong Yi-xiang, and the cultural story of Taiwan in the 50-year period between the 1940s and the 1990s. Hong Yi-xiang was the founder of the Yizong Tangshoudao school of martial arts. He earned his renowned reputation by using the philosophy of the internal arts to outwit his opponents, relying on strategy as much as superior physical skills.

Blessed with access to his father's life and teachings, the author Hong Ze-han conjures intimate conversations with the master and weaves a tale of success out of the struggle to survive. We, dear readers, are allowed in-to become outside students to these teachings and the cultural times in which the master's art developed. We become part of an art and a country made stronger by the character and strength of its immigrants.

Review Quotes

AWARDS

Bronze, Autobiography/Memoir, Independent Publisher Book Awards (2024)

"The distinction in writing about martial arts luminaries is often-as the title here perhaps unconsciously indicates--"blurred" indeed. Is it biography or a hagiographic adulation? Further, such writing often posits the subject in an equally blurry history, one without much cultural or social context.

This book addresses both weaknesses in a marvelous presentation of a man who was both legend and very human, who lived in one of the richest eras of Chinese history, and who was profoundly influenced by the society and politics of that age.

Blurred Boundaries is not only an enormous pleasure to read, it also affords insights into a unique character, and as important, his time. This is an essential volume for understanding the nature of a martial art and the personalities it can produce. [Blurred Boundaries] is an absolute must for the serious student."

--Dave Lowry, writer, author of Autumn Lightning, Persimmon Wind, The Connoisseur's Guide to Sushi, and Chinese Cooking for Diamond Thieves

"This fascinating blend of storytelling and documentary; of martial spirit, principles, and strategy; of folk art and history, will captivate you for weeks, while you delve into facets of postwar Taiwan's radical social and cultural change--only partly known to Westerners. Hong Ze-han opens our eyes first to the draining of martial knowledge from China to Taiwan during the tumultuous time of China's civil war, and then to martial arts' two-folded usage (as a weapon for criminals and as a weapon to ward off criminals). Out of this milieu, Hong Ze-han draws a vibrant picture of the genesis, development, and dissemination of his father's art of Tangshoudao, which--rooted in traditions preserved by Chinese masters who fled from the mainland--grew out of the struggle of Chinese fugitives trying to gain a foothold in Taiwan, all while facing resentment, corruption, and social turmoil. Retracing and detailing his father's deep understanding of martial virtues and combat efficiency, this book gives us profound insights nearly lost in our modern martial culture of watering down the old ways. Blurred Boundaries will expand your mind in unexpected ways, whatever your martial background."

--Hermann Bayer, PhD, professor and academic dean (emeritus). Black belt ranks in Doshinkan Karatedo, Shorin Ryu Shorinkan, and Okinawan Kobudo Kokusairengokai. Author of Analysis of Genuine Karate: Misconceptions, Origins, Developments, and True Purpose and Analysis of Genuine Karate 2: Sociocultural Development, Commercialization, and Loss of Essential Knowledge

"Never has a work been so aptly named. [This book] reads as if sitting in a tea house in twilight, with an old storyteller weaving an epic out of lives both ordinary and remarkable, all at once. It meanders from one tale to another, interspersed with recipes and small illuminations, like fireflies in fog, explaining in succinct detail, the essence of this or that martial art. Hong Ze-han has done justice to a monumental father, writing of him as he was, truly larger than life, yet he has also retained the humanity and generosity of the man, something I remember from the one time I met him."

--Ellis Amdur, master instructor Araki-ryu Torite-kogusoku, Tenshin Buko-ryu Heiho, author of Little Bird & The Tiger

"Blurred Boundaries: A Martial Arts Legacy and the Shaping of Taiwan is a martial arts masterpiece that is destined to b