TAOISM.

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Weisheng tiyao ("Essentials of Health and Hygiene"). A Qing dynasty anonymously brushed manuscript demonstrating famous Taoist meditation and qigong techniques for regulating the practitioner's life force (qi), strengthening the body, and achieving higher states of mindfulness. Devised in the first millennium CE, these healing practices became popular from the 16th century and remain widely used today.The manuscript is divided into two sections. The first describes and illustrates the eight exercises from the Baduanjin (Eight Brocades) tradition, believed to have been created by the Taoist wizard Zhongli Quan during the Tang dynasty. The second is devoted to the teachings of Chen Tuan (d. 989), a Taoist priest who devised a 24-position series of meditation practices known as the Ershisi qi daoyin zuogong (Twenty-Four Nodes Daoyin). For both sets of exercises, each position is accompanied by a description of its meaning and benefits. The scribe is given as one Guiling Shanren ("Recluse of Guiling") and likely lived in either Hunan or Guangdong provinces.Provenance: Ekky Chung collection, Indonesia and Beverly Hills, California - acquired by the London bookseller Sam Fogg in May 1998 - Martin Schøyen (b. 1940), the Norwegian collector of rare books and manuscripts, with his pressmark on the title label and his annotated book label on the first blank verso.

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