Iron and Silk: A Memoir (Vintage Departures)

If you traveled, or would like to travel to China and be immersed with its culture, then this book will enhance that travel experience. If your interest for the martial arts is because you appreciate the performing arts, then this book will contribute to that appreciation. And if you ever taught ESL or learned English as a second language, then you will easily relate to the students' struggles and the sometimes amusing irregularities of English grammar, pronunciation and idioms. Iron and Silk is on my list of ten books I would take on a desert island. Salzman's writing style sparkles with enthusiasm and the energy of youth; a feeling of discovery for whatever is newly learned; and a view of everyday life experiences with a feel for adventure, a conversion of the mundane into the extraordinary. Salzman not only mastered wu-shu, but he also mastered the written language that emits sparks on every page. Even his daily meditations reverberate with intensity. This is an ideal book for a young adult who lacks motivation or skills to move onward.

Mark Salzman's quiet sketches of his time teaching in China slowly gather force and carry you away with their subtle and sensitive power. We meet obstinate bureaucrats, fellow teachers and students, artists, common fisherman, martial arts practitioners, calligraphers, elders, and children. Salzman's quite good at capturing character with a few deft strokes (it's almost like a "literary calligraphy") and has a special talent for finding the "just right" quote to end an anecdote or vignette. Though written in the 80s, cultures don't change overnight and this memoir is as accurate now as it was then. If you're interested in Chinese culture, this concise anecdotal wonder is a must. And if you're not interested in Chinese culture, you will be after reading it. Recommended.

To be a well-rounded Sensei, I must continually grow in knowledge as well as technique. To that end, I've been reading a number of books about the martial arts. One part of that genre are the autobiographical accounts of Budo practitioners. I want to gain deeper insight through what others have experienced, learned, and how they changed as a result of martial arts training. "Iron and Silk" is one such tale, written by a man who studied Kung Fu in the USA during the 70s and Wushu in China during the 80s. At a young age, Mark Salzman developed a deep appreciation for Chinese culture, martial arts included (as documented in his other fine non-fiction book "Lost in Place"). "Iron and Silk" chronicles Mr. Salzman's adventures during a two-year stint as an English teacher in China. This book is an easy and fun read, a testament to Mr. Salzman's excellent, flowing writing style and storytelling ability. Mark Salzman is probably one of the most unique and resourceful contemporary individuals I've had the pleasure to read about. He's always ready to try something new, or step out and build relationships with total strangers. Even during adolescence, his passion for learning, combined with a good work ethic, created many possibilities. His youthful fascination with Chinese culture led to acceptance at Yale, where he majored in Chinese literature. While there, he mastered Mandarin Chinese, which opened a unique door. Despite his obsession with all things Chinese, he had no desire to see China. But in his words, he "did need a job," so he applied for and got a position teaching English at Hunan Medical College in Changsha. Funny how great experiences can come from such pragmatic decisions. I should state that Mr. Salzman has a somewhat different perspective on the martial arts compared to, say, C.W. Nicol or Robert Twigger. Yes, he shares their fascination with the Budo. But instead of being an all-consuming focus, the fighting arts are just one part of Mr. Salzman's multifaceted life. I wouldn't call him a dilettante, but he didn't seem to have the same level of passion towards the martial Way that the other two men possessed. For example, Mr. Salzman obtains Wushu tutelage from some talented (and even famous) Chinese instructors. However, he isn't on a quest to tame his inner rage (Sensei Nicol), prove himself as a man (Mr. Twigger), or even earn a black belt. Mr. Salzman appears to already possess a solid sense of self, so Wushu is merely another interest. Instead of being a high-stakes means to an urgently desired end, Wushu is one of many activities he enjoys and learns from, like playing the cello, learning Chinese calligraphy, and simply getting to know the Chinese themselves. If I had any issue with "Iron and Silk," it was the absence of any overt character flaws on the part of Mr. Salzman, along with his ability to do just about everything well. Indeed, the Chinese nicknamed him "Huoshenxian" - an immortal in human form - because he was so "different," and made people happy all of the time. I guess I wish I was more like him, or at least knew more people created in his mold. At any rate, the implied benefit of being centered and having an eclectic approach to life is a running theme in "Iron and Silk." Along those lines, it's more Chinese travelogue than serious immersion into martial arts study. Travel gets me out of my normal introverted shell, and Mr. Salzman's adventures remind me how much I enjoy that practice. He built many interesting relationships just by being open to possibility and respectful towards the various Chinese he encountered. Of course, the Communist government during that period was somewhat of an obstacle, but in most cases he was able to get around them quite nicely, often in a humorous and good-natured manner. I read "Iron and Silk" in conjunction with "Angry White Pyjamas" by Robert Twigger and "Moving Zen" by C.W. Nicol to get multiple perspectives on martial arts training. It's interesting to compare and contrast Mr. Salzman's 70s and 80s presuppositions and experiences with those of Sensei Nicol in the early 60s and Mr Twigger in the 90s. Each book is a fascinating snapshot of a particular era, culture, and martial art style (Wushu, Aikido, and Karate). But despite their different philosophies, motivations, and levels of immersion, all of these men achieved personal growth and maturation through persevering within the martial arts. I found that to be inspiring, and so I recommend all three books (along with "Lost in Place" for insight into Mr. Salzman's formative years).

This book is the stuff of legends! 'Iron and Silk' one of a triad of books by Americans teaching in China. As a group, these books together clearly illustrate the blind men and the elephant that is China. The other two books are 'River Town' by Peter Hessler and 'Pretty Woman Spitting' by Leana Adams. During eight years managing foreign teachers in China, the concept of a "Karmic Magnet" was my only way to account for the wide range of experiences that each teacher encountered. On that basis, Mark Salzman has proven himself to be an extraordinary individual. I can only envy him his enlightenment and his experiences. My only caution would be that the China that Salzman experienced may well be vanishing.

This book is a fascinating study of a westerner's introduction to kung-fu and Chinese culture in the 1980s.

This is a fantastic first person account of a American going to China and learning kungfu (amongst other things). I loved the insights into the people and culture of China and was thrilled by his kungfu experience!

Mark Salzburg operates through a serious of vignettes to detail the culture, customs, and friendship he learns through his travels throughout China. In a format like this, it might have been easy to drift into a serious of one sided generalizations contrasting American experience with Chinese experiences. Instead Salzmen opens himself up to the Chinese experiences and how they clash with the Chinese experiences. With equal parts of light-hearted humor and serious soul searching with patches of sorrow, this American offers the reader this glimpse into a previously unopened window to China. Above all, its' a personal narrative written about piano teachers, fisherman, and martial arts teachers because these are the people of China that exist underneath the surface of the iron man Communist party. It also reads quite quickly, I finished in six or eight hours, so its' ideal for the all day car ride.

'Iron and Silk' is not only a good book, it is also a good investment for anyone! It is a story of the many divisions and differences between West and East (on this occasion, between America and China)and of how, by Force (Iron)man can live, but by Gentleness (Silk) man will survive. Material things become more and more unimportant as Mark, being the author as well as the main character, learns, over two years in China, how much we all have to learn. Great Book. Brian Bain.

A must for all martial arts fans and visitors to China.