Kung Fu in the Real World

There are many facets to the Martial Arts that go from self-defense, to health, passing through sports, performance, self awareness and even into the cinema; these facets embody multiple complicated social and cultural phenomena and frequently make them accessible for the public at large.

This ample range of knowledge is so rich and vast it is almost impossible to embrace it completely or to create a framework for summing up and arranging it all. Vincent Lyn, as heir to a well-known style of Martial Arts with deep roots in the history of Kung Fu, posesses the ability to navigate this passage. This exceptional perspective has enabled him to contemplate in a global manner what others perceive in only two dimensions. In addition, as a modern man, a mix of cultures and races, he has had the insight to expand his knowledge and experiences, which in turn have come to enrich even the rigorous centuries of tradition of Chinese Martial Arts.

Lyn is a man of great talents: and exceptional musician, athlete, actor, and expert maestro of the Martial Arts and of eastern medicine. There are sides to him one rarely finds in others: namely a sensibility as crystal clear and pure as that of a child, mixed with a force and determination of one who has lived a lot. All of this is reflected in a charming personality that nevertheless has within it unique seriousness and unfathomable depths. I have known him well and dealt with him intensely in recent years, in both professional and personal matters and each encounter only serves to increase my respect and feel ins of friendship for him.

His movie star side has served to reinforce the sense that he fits very well into all that is understood about the world of Martial Arts; though the cinema is an artistic expression, it also creates images that build the collective subconscious and it has played an essential role in how the world perceives the Martial Arts today.

Lyn is a bridge across human cultures, half Chinese, half British, a spiritual man and a movie star; he is a mix of uncommon elements that transform him into an exceptional guide for all those that want to go deep into mysteries of the Martial Way. In this book Vincent Lyn provides the ample quantity of materials covering the other important aspects that comprise the world of Martial Arts.

Lyn has observed the ancient principal of “Shuhari, “ a term for Japanese Martial tradition and the ceremonial world of tea: “Shu” means honoring excellent teachings left behind by ancestors; “Ha” signifies learning these instructions well; and the final part of the term “Ri” point out that when all is said and done, one ought not to hold on too strongly to the past so that one can create something newer and even better.

Therefore, I highly recommend this his first book, which will allow the reader to make the most of the author's ample experience and perfect ability to synthesize the mix of centuries of Chinese Martial tradition with the sharper, more pragmatic sense of the West. It is almost like ordering Chop Suey, then eating it with a knife and fork: the better of the two worlds in one single order, this is Vincent Lyn And thus his book; do not miss out on it.