Introduction to Gems in the Satchet 《锦囊妙手》
This book was published at the turn of the century by a publisher in Inner Mongolia. It was supposed to be an ancient manual written by a monk called Juan He (倦鹤和尚 juàn hè hé shang) whom the Webmaster has never heard off. The monk was listed to have lived during the Ming Dynasty on the cover page.
However, to the Webmaster's knowledge, this 'ancient manual' was not listed in the Encyclopedia of Chinese Xiangqi Manuals (《中国象棋谱大全》) which the Webmaster considers to be the authority on the topic. It was also NOT listed in Xie Xiaxun's Encyclopedia of Xiangqi Manuals (《象棋谱大全》). There was also no mention or discussion of the games in the book on the internet or periodicals to the Webmaster's knoweledge. Usually, the discovery of a new ancient manual would have caused an uproar in the Xiangqi community.
However, to give the publishers the benefit of the doubt, the Webmaster has decided to share the manual. The contents of the book include about 250 puzzles of acceptable skill level. They should benefit the beginner hoping to polish their skills in viewing the board.
There will be ten boards that will be uploaded per page unless specified.
Have fun!