About the Book
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.
About the Author :
Hong Ze-han born in 1955 is the second son of Hong Yi-xiang. Director and screenwriter for the three major TV networks TTV-Taiwan Television Enterprise, CTV-China Television Corporation and CTS-China Television System. Many of his works have won awards.
After getting married, he turned to advertising, working in sales and creative direction until he caught the eye of client Tera Electronics, which brought him into consumer electronics marketing and business management.
After successfully serving as Deputy General Manager at the Sheraton Taipei Hotel, he joined Jihsun Financial Holding Group as Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer leadership until his retirement in 2014.
Zehan has a wife and two sons. In his spare time, he enjoys Chinese calligraphy, reading, writing, hiking, food, and Yi Zong Tangshou martial arts training. Blurred Boundaries is his first full-length narrative work. Hong, Ze-han resides in Taipei, Taiwan.
Review :
"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 become a classic.
Divided into one-hundred and fourteen often brief chapters, the book is instantly engaging. From page one the author, Hong Ze-han, paints a vivid world from personal memory and anecdotes gleaned throughout his childhood and later years. Supported by many rare photographs, the translation remains sympathetic to the original Chinese text, delivering a banquet of interesting information, tales of great sadness, as well as stories of derring-do. Being the son of a famous father, particularly in the world of martial arts, can prove too burdensome for some. This author, however, has continued to maintain the legacy left to him with great dignity.
Blurred Boundaries is at times an intimate look at how world events are experienced at ground level by people far removed from the politicians who start wars and the generals who prosecute them on their behalf. The book covers a lot of ground, but the landscape is always worth the view, always worth the pause to ponder the information. Translated from the original Chinese into English by Christopher Bates, the enormous value of this book is not limited to readers interested in the Chinese martial arts alone. Indeed, historians of Japanese karate will discover many previously undisclosed episodes in that country’s historical links with the Okinawan fighting art.
Without hesitation, I recommend Blurred Boundaries: A Martial Arts Legacy and the Shaping of Taiwan and congratulate Hong Ze-han and Christopher Bates for delivering to the English-speaking world a book so well written and executed as to set the bar extremely high for all who would follow."
—Michael Clarke, kyoshi 8th dan Okinawan Goju-ryu, author of The Art of Hojo-Undo: Power Training for Traditional Karate, Shin Gi Tai: Karate Training for Body, Mind, and Spirit, and Redemption: A Street Fighter’s Path to Peace
"Not only a glorious deep dive into the world of Chinese kung fu, this biography is also a rich and revealing look at the post-WWII decades in Taiwan. We see traditional family life and folk culture, the colorful temple parades, and run-ins with gangsters. We experience the sometimes-violent tensions between the local Taiwanese and the newly arrived mainlanders, a crucible of modern Taiwan from which rose the truly impressive Hong Yi-xiang.
I believe Blurred Boundaries is one of the very best books written about Taiwan this century. It’s a three-generation martial arts saga with a fascinating protagonist, interesting secondary characters, and momentous background historical events. To all of this, we get a front-row seat, courtesy of author Hong Ze-han’s viewpoint as Master Hong’s son. The book has been expertly translated by Christopher Bates, the perfect translator for the project thanks to his four-decade-long association with the Hong family, his knowledge of martial arts and Taiwan, and his writing/translating skills. His Blurred Boundaries translation shows admirable precision and fidelity to the original text, giving the prose an intimate Chinese flavor."
—John Grant Ross, author of Taiwan in 100 Books and co-host of the Formosa Files, a history podcast
"Blurred Boundaries is simultaneously a deeply philosophical and yet practical book. This work should take its place among the martial arts classics in the centuries to come. I wish there were already works like this one among the classics. The text is very quotable, and the translation is even poetic at times.
Hong Yi-xiang stands now in my mind among the greats who have changed the martial arts world. The stories and anecdotes in this book contain wisdom to be applied to any martial arts system or style.
Both Hong Yi-xiang and his son, the author, Hong Ze-han have a timeless vision and wisdom that is sure to enrich your practice and deepen your understanding of how the challenges of the past can inform our practices today."
—Matthew Krueger, host of the Walking with the Tengu podcast. He practices BJJ, Shuai Jiao, and Iaido.
"Blurred Boundaries: A Martial Arts Legacy and the Shaping of Taiwan by Hong Ze-han and translated by Christopher Bates hit all the right buttons for me as a reader. First, anything relating to martial arts history is immensely interesting, not only to me but to many people in the martial arts. The fact that the author is relating the story of his family’s involvement with martial arts as it relates to the history of China and Taiwan makes for a story that is both personal and historical, resulting in a fascinating book. While my primary interest is judo, with its rich history of development in Japan, the author drew me into his family’s story of how the Chinese boxing arts molded who they were, and who they are now.
Blurred Boundaries is a worthy addition to the library of every martial arts enthusiast."
—Steve Scott, 8th dan Hachidan Judo, 7th dan Shingitai Jujitsu, author of The Judo Advantage: Controlling Movement with Modern Kinesiology and over twenty other books on judo, coaching, and martial arts
"We often romanticize how martial arts might have been in days of old, but here is a gripping account of how brutal and unforgiving it really was. Blurred Boundaries is the first English translation of Master Hong, Tse-han’s story of his father, Hong Yi-xiang, as he struggled to found Yizong Tangshoudao against the background of the civil war between the Tawain's Kuomingtang and the mainland communists. It vividly captures the turmoil of the times, as well as the inspirational real-life story of a historic martial arts master overcoming tremendous obstacles to further the art."
—Gene Ching, 32nd generation disciple of the Shaolin Temple, publisher of Kung Fu Magazine
