Chinese martial arts

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Demonstration of a form of Shaolin martial arts at Daxiangguo Monastery in Kaifeng , Henan , PRC

As a Chinese martial arts are all martial arts and combat sports called that from China come. For many styles, the term Kung Fu ( Chinese  功夫 , Pinyin gongfu  - "hard-won skill") is used, which actually carries a wider meaning in Chinese, but now is the dominant term for Chinese martial arts in China. Other names are Wǔshù ( Chinese  武術  /  武术  - "art of war") or Gúoshù ( Chinese  國 術  /  国 术  - "national art"), earlier the word Quánfǎ ( Chinese  拳法 , Cantonese  Kuen Fat  - "method of fist (-fighting technique)) “) In use.

Styles

The tradition of martial arts in China goes back many hundreds of years, so today several hundred traditional and modern Chinese martial arts styles and systems are known (see list of martial arts ).

Chinese martial arts styles and the main styles

Similarities

The martial arts of the Buddhist monks of the Shaolin monastery ( Shaolin Quanfa ) or the martial arts of the Daoist monks from the Wudang mountains are often considered to be the origin of most styles .

In general, many styles serve or served not only for self-defense or applicability in combat, but also for meditation , fitness, or health care. Especially nowadays, the aspect of showmanship is increasingly being added.

Many martial arts styles include both unarmed and armed techniques, with a wide variety of weapons in use.

Inner and outer styles

To distinguish between the styles, the respective approach to the training and the combative confrontation is examined. If the style primarily promotes the attainment of dexterity, toughness and speed ( Wai Gong - external work ) and if its techniques are geared towards the attack, it is called an external or hard style ( Chinese  外家 拳 , Pinyin wàijiāquán ). Many of these outer styles are traced back to Shaolin boxing (Shaolinquan, 少林 拳). Inner or soft styles (Chinese 內 家 拳, Pinyin nèijiāquán), on the other hand, place the focus of their work on the development of inner calm and 'immobility', which should not be shaken by the attacks of the opponent. The opponent should be defeated by controlling his weak points and using the inner strength Qi ( Nei Gong - inner work ). "Movement, relaxation, balance and wholeness are the great concepts of inner art." According to one of many legends, a Daoist monk named Zhang Sanfeng ( Chinese  張三豐  /  张三丰 , Pinyin Zhāng Sānfēng ) from Wudang Shan ( Chinese  武當山  /  武当山 , Pinyin Wǔdāng Shān ) to be the founder of the inner styles.

Northern and Southern styles

In China, the styles are also often divided into northern and southern styles. The main characteristics according to this subdivision are:

  • North: wide positions, expansive, very powerful techniques, variety of throws and kicks
  • South: tighter positions, short techniques, fewer kicks, few throws

The reason for the development of the styles is justified with different climatic conditions as well as the physical constitution.

equipment

dress

Light, non-constricting trousers and a jacket are common. Light canvas shoes are common as shoes.

In some schools, the color of clothing can say something about the ranking. So the master is usually reserved the color black, the student, however, wears white, the master student red or yellow.

weapons

Numerous weapons are used in the Chinese martial arts. The following are used particularly frequently:

Some of the rarer weapons include:

education

In China, children under the age of five get started with kung fu training.

It usually takes a few decades to achieve mastery in a martial art. For most styles, the learning process follows roughly the following pattern, whereby the individual levels can follow one another at very different speeds from style to style.

Basics

At first, a student mainly learns the basics of the martial arts style. These serve on the one hand to learn basic techniques such as postures and movement principles and the development of the martial art's own body awareness, on the other hand to increase overall mobility and endurance, to strengthen and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons.

shape

Then a student learns a so-called form ( Chinese  套路 , Pinyin Tàolù ). This serves to internalize the basic techniques of the style as precisely as possible without being distracted from the application in combat. Therefore, forms are sometimes practiced slowly.

Usually one starts with an unarmed form and continues with an advanced student with weapon forms. In addition to the solo forms, which are practiced by one student alone, there are also partner forms in which rehearsed combat choreographies are practiced by two or more fighters.

application

Only later will the application of the techniques come to the fore. These are typically initially partner forms or predefined attacks and reactions to them. The free fight is the last stage of learning.

The Chinese Martial Arts in China

history

Early days

Towards the end of the Zhou dynasty at the time of the " Warring States " (475–221 BC), war was stylized as an art. An "artist" of those days who is still known today was General Sunzi , who set a monument for himself with his book "The Art of War". Sunzi's work set a milestone in the consideration of the art of war . His writing is evidence of wise observation with which he was able to recognize human weaknesses and use them for himself. Of course, the respect for the art of war in the Warring States period and later was not limited to "philosophical" backgrounds; What was important was the development of a powerful martial art that served as - often the only - equipment for soldiers. The Wushu known today in its current form was created by Daoist priests in the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BC). Originally, the exercises served to maintain “balance with heaven”; as a "fight against demons".

Influence of Buddhism

In the period that followed, a change in the spiritual background became more and more noticeable in the development of Wushu: while the Daoist philosophy was the strongest force at first, the Buddhist influence grew ever greater. During the Tang Dynasty , the point was reached when the two currents were in equilibrium. An important milestone in the development of Kung Fu was the arrival of Bodhidharma in China. This Indian monk came to the Shaolin Monastery, which is still famous today, in 527 . The monastery was founded in 495 under the rule of Emperor Toba Hongyan of the Northern Wei Dynasty and is located 13 km northwest of Dengfeng county town. Here Bodhidharma ( Ch. Damo) founded his school of Chan Buddhism , better known under the Japanese name Zen . Bodhidharma did not limit his teaching activity to spiritual teaching, but also devised those techniques for physical training that were later developed into Shaolin martial arts . The Shaolin monks first made a name for themselves when an elite unit they formed served as a bodyguard for the second Tang Emperor Li Shimin (598–649). The learning of martial arts in Shaolin was ultimately based on five principles that formed the foundation of all schools of Chinese martial arts:

  1. Gradual increases in load, do not allow sudden changes and injuries.
  2. Practice intensely, persistently and without interruption throughout your life.
  3. Maintain moderation in eating and do not eat meat, do not consume alcohol or debauchery.
  4. In all circumstances, keep calm and serenity by remembering the unity of life and death.
  5. Adhere to the strict ritual and always follow the established traditions.

The exercise systems were refined more and more and their effectiveness increased. This development culminated in the Tang Dynasty (618–907). During this cultural heyday, many martial arts and medicine schools were founded. The management of these schools, which were open to everyone, was not only in private hands, but was also funded by the state and organized in the form of military schools. Difficult times followed for Buddhism at the end of the Tang Dynasty. In the year 851 there was a revolt of peasants and soldiers, in 852 another followed in Hunan. These were harbingers of a great peasant war from 874 to 901. In suppressing these uprisings, the government also struck a blow against the Buddhist clergy, which they believed to be one of the sources of the uproar. Over the following years 4,500 large Buddhist monasteries and around 40,000 temples were destroyed. Shaolin with all its “branches” did not escape this fate either. The monks were expelled from their monasteries and dispersed across the country. Liberated from the monastery walls, the Shaolin martial arts could open up to the masses.

Revival in the 19th century

In the late 19th century, traditional Chinese martial arts were rediscovered in China as a folk treasure, cultural heritage, and method of self-defense. The military weakness of the empire and the increasing influence of major European powers, Japan and the USA (see also gunboat policy ) prompted many Chinese to use traditional martial arts to counter Western colonization and Chinese Christians, for example during the Boxer Rebellion . During this humiliating time for many Chinese, martial artists like Huo Yuanjia and Wong Fei Hung were revered like folk heroes and were considered a symbol of Chinese self-assertion in times of unequal contracts .

Situation in the People's Republic of China

In the 1950s, the government of the People's Republic of China established a sports association in which many Wushu masters were to participate in order to develop a canon of standard forms and categories of martial arts. Modern wushu was officially recognized by the Chinese government in 1959. At the same time, the previous separation of traditional martial arts according to styles and systems was officially abolished. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) in particular , the traditional martial arts were suppressed and teachers and students were persecuted by the state. Only the practice and transmission of the standardized forms of “modern wushu” under the control of the state wushu association was desired.

As a result, numerous masters of traditional martial arts passed on the martial arts underground or left China and fled to Taiwan , Hong Kong or other countries, and in this way traditional wushu spread around the world.

Since the end of the Cultural Revolution, the situation for traditional martial arts has eased again. In the meantime, traditional martial arts are being promoted again by the Chinese government.

Legends

Martial arts play a central role in traditional Chinese wuxia narratives (武侠 wǔxiá "knight, chivalry"). Wuxia are fairy tale tales in which martial artists have mythical skills. These include levitation, sorcery, healing powers and superhumanly strong fighting skills. Films like A Chinese Ghost Story and Tiger and Dragon took up this myth and are therefore also referred to as wuxia films.

A Chinese national hero was z. B. the famous doctor Wong Fei Hung , who lived at the time of the Boxer Rebellion and became famous for his mediating attitude, his sense of justice and his commitment to the poor population after his death.

Another legendary martial artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was Huo Yuanjia , who advocated Chinese self-determination and the Chinese martial arts in times of Western hegemony.

Literary reception

Wushu plays a major role in the Chinese wuxia novels. Three classical Chinese novels can be considered the forerunners of Wuxia literature:

The Chinese Martial Arts in the West

In the West, Chinese martial arts did not become popular until the second half of the 20th century . The television series Kung Fu from the 1970s is probably one of the first cinematic presentations of Kung Fu in the West, even if David Carradine's rather moderate skills as a martial artist were not particularly representative of the martial arts. The martial arts first became famous with the so-called Eastern and with Hollywood productions about Asian martial arts, such as the Karate Kid and Karate Tiger . The best-known leading actor of the genre is still Bruce Lee , but various other actors such as Jackie Chan , Jet Li , Mark Dacascos and Michelle Yeoh also base their fame on films of the genre. Many actors received their training in traditional Chinese opera schools (Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung) or were recognized martial arts masters with no previous acting experience (Jet Li, Chuck Norris ).

In the course of the popularity of the Eastern, more and more martial arts schools were formed in the West, reinforced by the restrictive policies of the Cultural Revolution , which forced many Chinese martial artists to flee to the West. Another reason for the spread of the martial arts was that in the decades after the Xinhai Revolution, Chinese traditions were broken that strictly forbade the instruction of strangers or even foreigners, especially the " western devils " (see Boxer Rebellion ) hated by traditional martial artists would have.

Ironically, some Chinese martial arts schools in the West have a reputation for preserving ancient traditions. Therefore, the providers often advertise to offer a particularly old, "authentic", traditional or "original" martial arts style. As a rule, however, the fantastic history of most styles is due to legends and translation problems, or the more recent history of the style is withheld. In fact, the majority of martial arts styles in the form taught today are only a few hundred years old at most.

The Shaolin martial arts , Wing Chun (Wing Tsun, Ving Tsun), Taijiquan (commonly known by the abbreviation Tai Chi ), Tang Lang Quan and Hung Gar Kuen are particularly well-known in Germany .

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Master's thesis: Fact and Fiction in Chinese Martial Arts (p. 39 f.). (PDF; 1.3 MB) Retrieved November 17, 2013 .
  2. ↑ Exterior and interior styles. Retrieved November 17, 2013 .
  3. ↑ Dsu Yao Chang: Shaolin Kung Fu, basics of Chinese martial arts. Falken-Verlag, 1993, ISBN 3-8068-1363-9 , pp. 18, 27
  4. ↑ http://www.profifight.com/de/kung-fu/
  5. ↑ Dang - Die Sitzbank ( Memento of the original from November 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Dang - Excellent tool for fighting on kungfuwebmag.de @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kungfuwebmag.de