Laolao Hengyan — Introduction: Cao Tingdong and the Octogenarian's View of Natural Cultivation
An introduction to Cao Tingdong's 1773 masterwork: a cultivation book written at eighty-four, for people his own age — natural simplicity, stillness, and the care of digestion.
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Laolao Hengyan — Sleep First: Rest and Daily Rhythm in Later Life
The opening of volume one: sleeplessness as the great affliction of age. Why Cao Tingdong held that lying down nourishes the blood, against Sun Simiao's warning that too much sleep stagnates qi.
Laolao Hengyan — Motion and Stillness: Walking, Quiet Dwelling, and Occupation
On movement and stillness: why Cao Tingdong replaced elaborate gymnastics with walking, made quieting the mind the root of cultivation, and treated occupation as serious business.
Laolao Hengyan — The Spleen and Stomach: Warm, Soft Food in Later Life
On eating: because the aged digest weakly, food should be warm, soft, and taken in small frequent portions — and why restraint matters more than supplementation.