{"product_id":"qigong-fever-body-science-and-utopia-in-china-9780231140669","title":"Qigong Fever: Body, Science, and Utopia in China","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): David Palmer\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Columbia University Press\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: Exercise - General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\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. \u003c\/p\u003e\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.","brand":"Columbia University Press","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46890931847319,"sku":"9780231140669","price":4091.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9780231140669.webp?v=1770271513","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/qigong-fever-body-science-and-utopia-in-china-9780231140669","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}