I believe this submit could also be slightly half shaped, however I wish to proceed writing my final lesson with Bear, so I’m going to publish it as is. Let the items fall the place they will…
An attention-grabbing new video has been launched by Shall (a current visitor on my Tai Chi Notebook podcast) about his current go to to Taiwan the place he spoke with a number of Taiwanese martial arts masters. It’s the beginning of a sequence and it appears like it may be superior – Will will get to stroll the smoky again alleys of Taiwan to search out the martial artists and martial arts colleges in Taiwan you want. What’s to not like? Watch it right here:
The blurb reads: “In the first episode, I meet my friend John Eusebio @longfistmantis to visit Liu Kang Yi’s bookstore. Mr. Liu’s bookstore, Wuxue Shuguan, has a huge collection of martial arts books, both in Chinese and English, and he has also collected decades-old and rare manuscripts. In this video, he shares his insights on the evolution of martial arts from a military martial art to an integrated system of both combat and health practices, as we see it today. He also shows us a copy of the Bubishi, the fundamental manual of Okinawan Karate.”
Mr. Liu talks about inner coaching, and the way it pertains to strengthening the physique’s tendons and fascia in order that it could toughen up and that may result in extra energy “qi” within the physique. This all appears fairly correct to me. (There is debate about whether or not these strategies had been all the time part of Chinese marriage arts, or added later from a distinct custom, however that apart). Then he talks concerning the 3 phases of Chinese martial arts improvement, which is the half I wished to select up.
To paraphrase it, he says, the primary is just martial coaching and never cultivation: it’s pure fight. No concentrate on well being. This is the navy interval. The second is as soon as it is the civil inhabitants. They prepare each combating and cultivating well being, however individually, growing issues like Yijinjing and Baduanjing) The third evolution was to mix fight and well being, to deliver each elements collectively. Taijiquan is an effective instance of this.
This is not a nasty means to have a look at the evolution of Chinese martial arts, however I believe it’s kind of reductive, and crucially, it lacks quite a lot of different influences.
It’s an opinion not a lot completely different from that of Peter Lorge within the e book Chinese Martial Arts: From Ancient Times to the Twenty-First Century that’s that marriage arts had been initially all navy arts and over time they merely unfold from the navy to civilian life.
Lorge’s place is clearly specified by the introduction to his e book and begins with this:

I actually loved Peter’s lecture on the historical past of Chinese martial arts on the 2017 Martial Arts Studies convention however it appears that evidently each Mr. Lorge and Mr. Liu each see Chinese martial arts as form of an offshoot of navy coaching, and see extra, and in each instances it does subject that does not even appear to be up for dialogue, it is simply introduced as self-evident. The parallel between the 2 of them is that they rely solely on written sources for his or her investigation of the case. While lots of the cultural traditions of the ‘widespread folks’ weren’t recorded as a result of writing belonged to the higher lessons.
Now, I admit, there could be little question that the intermingling of civilian life and navy life, particularly when the Ming dynasty military was disbanded and returned to civilian life after its defeat by the invading Manchus from the north who took management of Beijing in 1644. Xing Yi, specifically, is among the martial arts that originated in that occasion, in navy strategies perpetuated by ex-soldiers who had been now civilians and had been stripped of their weapons. An overview of Xing Yi’s present strategies and strategies reveals a transparent desire for strategies that contain a spear, which might have been the dominant weapon within the navy for troopers, in addition to a priority for confronting an attacker standing in entrance of you , not on the facet, which is one other military-focused concern. However, most different Chinese marital arts focus extra on bare-handed actions than weapons, typically embody elaborate sequences that appear extra at house on a stage than in a avenue battle, or contain making particular hand gestures or actions that reference a ritual. high quality, that it’s at the very least clear to me that there’s extra to this than simply navy strategies being translated into self-defense strategies.
In China, there’s a lengthy historical past of martial arts being utilized in spiritual rituals, competition tradition, spirit possession, avenue leisure, Xiqu (Chinese theatre), and Wuxia (actually which means “war heroes”, a style of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists within the historical China). I believe these traditions affect the martial arts handed all the way down to us as a lot because the navy, and in lots of instances extra. But while you say this to proponents of the “pure pugilism” model of martial artist, they often attempt to clarify to you that each one this stuff got here from marital arts. ie martial arts got here first and dance/efficiency/theatre/ritual and so forth. got here second. In reality, Lorge argues simply this at 43:00 in his lecture (which I nonetheless loved!), regardless of cataloging age-old struggles as pure leisure for the Royal Court. It jogs my memory of when folks current funky martial functions to type actions that clearly do not appear to be conjugal actions. There are downright ridiculous martial functions from well-known lecturers who, as a substitute of simply admitting that there is no such thing as a actual martial utility of this motion that’s martial, give you one thing that appears foolish.
I’ve talked to many martial artists on my podcast (20 episodes to date!) or have lived there for some time, often don’t have any downside with the concept of Chinese martial arts being a broad church or strategies derived from completely different traditions. It’s often the folks outdoors of that tradition who’ve a tough time accepting that what they’re studying is not a super-lethal assassination artwork made for one objective solely: to be the very best fighter! I believe it is as a result of there are such a lot of of those cultural traditions alive and nicely in Asia in the present day that it is laborious to disclaim their existence. Just go searching you. Martial arts coaching halls often have shrines the place incense is burned as a part of a non secular ritual. Or the martial arts faculty participates in native spiritual festivals by performing lion and dragon dances or giving a martial arts demonstration. Or there’s a semi-religious ceremony concerned in turning into an indoor disciple, and so forth.
I believe two issues are happening right here. First, there’s a response towards the trendy Chinese pattern of turning marriage arts into gymnastic demonstrations as a substitute of martial arts, and second, there’s a response towards the trendy pattern of creating Chinese martial arts seem religious and mystical in the identical means as yoga.
As Charles Holcomb wrote in 1990: “All over China, martial arts are disguised as simple exercises or shrouded in arcane religious mysteries. Western enthusiasts often feel compelled to strip away these religious trappings and construct a version of the martial arts that is neither simple gymnastics nor religion, but emphasizes real hand-to-hand combat skills. The question remains, is this an authentic understanding of the martial arts?” [1]
I believe the method of attempting to current the martial arts as actual hand-to-hand fight abilities is alive and nicely today, I imply, it is in all probability what most individuals are on the lookout for once they begin Kung Fu. But I believe it is also form of a response to the introduction of Chinese martial arts to the West, which grew out of the Kung Fu TV sequence (which portrayed martial arts because the mysticism of Shaolin monks) and adopted on the backs of mystics like Alan Watts which introduced a really counter-culture-like view of Eastern faith.
While there’s nothing fallacious with that, I really feel prefer it misses the broader historic context and the humanities we follow in the present day. They are a wealthy combine of various traditions and we should always deal with them as such.
[1] Theater of battle: a essential take a look at the Chinese martial arts by Charles Holcombe, historian. Full. 52 No. 3 May 1990. Pp. 411-431 Copyright by Michigan State University Press
[2] photograph by Kevin Jackson on Unsplash
