{"product_id":"qigong-fever-david-palmer-9780231140669","title":"Qigong Fever: Body, Science, and Utopia in China","description":"\u003ci\u003eQigong\u003c\/i\u003e--a regimen of body, breath, and mental training exercises--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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this absorbing and revealing book, David A. Palmer relies on a combination of historical, anthropological, and sociological perspectives to describe the spread of the \u003ci\u003eqigong\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003ci\u003eQigong\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eqigong\u003c\/i\u003e came under attack, its leaders were denounced as charlatans, and its networks of followers, notably Falungong, were suppressed as \"evil cults.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAccording 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 \u003ci\u003eqigong\u003c\/i\u003e, 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 \u003ci\u003eqigong\u003c\/i\u003e movement is key to understanding the politics and culture of post-Mao society.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e David Palmer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0231140665\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780231140669\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/27\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.32lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.69h x 5.81w x 1.08d","brand":"David Palmer","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43990115942655,"sku":"9780231140669","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_08f5ad07-02e5-4348-b5b4-af6552589686.jpg?v=1683303085","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/qigong-fever-david-palmer-9780231140669","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}