Still Point of the Turning World: The Life of Gia-Fu Feng Paperback – April 1, 2009

Gia-fu Feng's biography was recommended to me by Ken Cohen, author of  The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing . When "Still Point of the Turning World" arrived, I opened it to the middle and started reading. I was very put off by the "present tense" of writing. It seemed affected and experimental to read events that happened thirty to eighty years ago always described in "is" and "will" verb forms. However, the next day I started again, this time from the beginning of the book. I couldn't put it down! Ms. Wilson has clearly produced a labor of love which is thoroughly researched with as many first person interviews as possible, giving historical context to a life that crossed three continents and a childhood in pre-war China which was eons from what China is today. Gai-fu was raised in Shanghai, a very cosmopolitan city in the 1920's and 30's (my grandfather's home movies of the Shanghai Bund show a very modern city during that period). After obtaining a graduate degree in the U.S., Gai-fu took a renewed interest in Taoism, undoubtedly influenced by the San Francisco Beat generation, as Ms. Wilson so ably documents. He set up a community in the Santa Cruz mountains above Los Gatos (now across from a paint ball park), collaborated with Jane English on a wildly successful translation of the Tao Te Ching, and the rest is history.But in another review, Robert Breckenridge alleges Gai-fu's dark side is ignored in this book. Well, I can remember the counter-culture in California during the early `70's, and it should come as no surprise that a gifted leader of that time would have an abusive side that was enforced by a threat of excommunication to those who questioned the guru, pastor or facilitator. I personally witnessed this many times in different groups across a wide spectrum of belief systems, from Werner Erhard to the Jesus Movement. I think this was symptomatic of the times. I am not defending these practices, but the zeitgeist almost made male-ego control freaks de rigueur. These leaders could talk a good line, but there was an incredible amount of abuse which belied their altruistic platitudes. But Gai-fu had another liability: he came from a culture deeply infested by Confucianism and li (the complex set of rules which dominates every aspect of social, business and family life in traditional China). Some of the quotes in this biography show that this was glaringly so. (Also, judging from the photos, I don't think that Gai-fu's tai chi was outstanding, but apparently he never claimed to be an expert.)So we have a teacher who was deeply flawed who helped some, probably hurt others. He taught mediocre tai chi, but people gained a tremendous sense of something they had never experienced before--qi, or energy flow. He tried to implement a Taoist Gestalt, but probably unconsciously battered other people's egos with his ego. But many people interviewed for this book attest that they were able to heal and grow under his watch. Then they moved on. Wasn't that what those times were about? But I suspect that Mr. Breckenridge's criticisms have validity.In any case, this is a great read and I highly recommend Carol Ann Wilson's "Still Point of the Turning World".

I recently moved to Colorado. In the process of my move I went through every box, photo, letter, etc. I came across a cache of letters from my mother who in 1984 walked across the country with "Walk for the Earth." During that walk she stopped in at Stillpoint in Westmore, CO. After the walk was over she returned to Stillpoint for about a month in the winter of 1984-85.I was in my early 20's then, living in Alaska, and my mother's unusual wanderings were just par for the course. But the Stillpoint letters were very intense and I was actually worried about her there in that setting.I did not know anything about Gia-fu then, only that he seemed like a madman from my mother's letters.When I was settled in in Colorado I thought I should maybe go find this place as I have been writing about my mother's life. In the process of googling information, I came across this book and ordered it.I found the story of this man fascinating and it filled in a lot of the blanks for me as far as my mother's attraction to Stillpoint.And I suppose in the end he was a bit full of himself, what with a world of his own making and all. It brings to mind Frank Lloyd Wright with his minions in the hot sun, toiling away for their idol.My mother was at Stillpoint in the months before Gia-fu died. She describes the beauty of the land, the various huts people lived in, the daily rituals, the cold, the shared chores and personal altercations, Gia-fu's daily routine. She challenged his bullying and I think he liked that. I used to send her chocolate and jam as sugar was not allowed. She wrote how she would pick up her mail and gobble these goodies in front of the post office.I went to Wetmore a couple of months ago in search of Stillpoint. I apparently was on the wrong road, but I will go back. It was surreal to think this transpired more than 30 years ago.But the book is so much more than the end of Gia-fu's life. It is a slice of history and a story like no other. He is a rare human in his knowledge, travels, accomplishments, and heartfelt interpersonal relationships. I am beyond humbled by the writing of his story and how it even came to be. How lucky the world is to have this book. Thank you for all your years of research and writing Carol Wilson!!

Very good Book. The condition of the book was as Seller promised. Received book quickly. Very pleased with this purchase. Would buy from this Seller, again. Thank you!

I was drawn toward this author's personal web page after meeting her in a fiction class in Boulder, Colorado. She has a gentle, unique voice in her writing I appreciated. Because of her personal history and knowledge of the subject of this book I added it to my library. Very well written, insightful and engaging.

I stumbled upon Stillpoint in the fall of 1978, not knowing anything about Taoism, the "Tao Te Ching," or even Gia-fu. When I arrived, Gia-fu was by himself, as all the residents were down in New Mexico at a hot springs and had stayed an extra day. He called me a "godsend" and told me to "go milk the goats."He let me remain at his Taoist Hermitage for many months without paying, gave me a sense of direction, a feeling of self-worth, and enough of his teachings to fill a lifetime.I knew some of Gia-fu's history, but this book fills in the gaps brilliantly. I couldn't put it down.

In 1970, I lived for six months with Gia Fu at the original Stillpoint retreat center in the Santa Cruz mts. Gia Fu was teaching Tai Chi and leading morning Gestalt sessions for those of us that lived with him. On some weekends we had as many as 70 visitors in and around the property. This book really gathers together the life of a man who was mostly private in his teachings. I applaud the work that was undertaken to publish this book. Buy it!!

Old times of how it was in the late '70's came back in my mind, my feelings. It was an honour to be there and it was a pleasure to read that book!Patricia[...]

Loved it. So well written. Looking forward to reading it again.

I picked up this book, and just could not put it down, it spoke of a place of contrasts, from the beatnik to the 60s hippy, those on a spiritual search, and those disillusioned with their lot in this period of great change. ail centered around this very complex character, Gia Fu Feng, obviously a man that carried a lot of inner baggage that stemmed from his experience of the Japanese occupation in China, experiencing the cruelty of the Japanese toward the Chinese, and the death of his beloved mother, also the separation from his family. traveling to the US, The setting up of still point, the lows, and highs of this endeavor, traveling Europe leading workshops and eventually his declining health, and eventual death. A good read that made me think about my own personal search, as a practicing Daoist.

A well written biography of a very important Taoist and the people around him. A great insight into a different culture.

Carol Ann Wilson hat gut und sauber recherchiert. Sie hat Gia Fu Feng nie persönlich kennengelernt, sondern über ihre Schwester jenes Grundstück geerbt, auf dem sich Fengs Stillpoint Community befand. Über genau jene Zeit, in der Gia Fu dort lebte, in der ich ihn kennenlernte, über seine Reisen nach Europa, hat die Autorin leider wenig berichtet. Für mich kein Manko, ich habe es erlebt, aber für jene, für die Gia Fu Feng nur ein Mythos bleibt, fehlt eine wichtige Spanne seines Lebens.Wie es dazu kam, wie er dazu kam, der zu werden, der er letztlich war, lässt sich nachspüren. Auf jeden Fall ein wichtiges Buch für jene, die diesen Mann und sein Wirken erlebt haben und verstehen wollen. Und ein wichtiges Buch über eine Epoche des New Age.

The story of our times and how a classically trained Chinese man became an American Taoist legend.