Chinese Martial Art: Kung Fu
Kung Fu is a martial art that originated from China, where they call it Wushu, a general term for martial arts.
Chinese martial arts developed in three different periods. The initial stage is the primitive society, the Qin period. The second period, known as the developing stage, spanned from the Han dynasty to the Three Kingdoms, The Sui, and the Tang and Five dynasties. The final period, known as the mature stage, lasted from the Song to the Qing dynasties.
In the first period, the living environment was harsh on the humans and thus had to fight for survival. They gained skills that allowed them to fight barehanded. Protecting themselves from enemies and wild beasts, their society learned attacking and defending poses, establishing a basis for kung fu. Many rulers actually supported people to practice martial arts due to the continuous war. School and military education was no longer only provided to the ruling classes; therefore, they saw an increase in the number of warriors climbing within the ranks of civilians. Because of this growth, there were many styles of martial arts coming to life and the theories of the arts started to shape through the civilians Wushu and military Wushu.
During the second stage, people didn’t need kung fu for basic survival anymore. It started to become a method of self-defense and enjoyment. The Han dynasty allowed a variety of martial arts to develop. Bare-handed fighting, sword fighting, and wrestling are a few examples.
The Tang dynasty set up a martial arts system, in which they selected individuals that were talented for government positions. It was established during the rule of the Empress Wu Zetian, the first and only emperor to be female. The exam tested skills in riding, archery, weightlifting and so on; for the people who passed the exam were given official positions and awarded titles depending on their achievements. This system was set in place until the end of the Qing dynasty, arousing people’s interest for the arts, and added to the development of Wushu.
Kung Fu shined during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. The peak of the arts was reached during the Song dynasty, because there was conflict between the Han and minority nationalities. This made the military and martial arts grow. To prevent invasion from neighboring states, clubs, such as the Bow and Arrow Club were formed. The clubs emphasized the entertainment and fitness aspect of kung fu.
The martial arts are for everyone, and is measured by four aspects: strength, force, fist and psychology. These categories embody the arts at the highest level. A kung fu master must be able to have a mind that is prepared to fight, but cannot act in anger; their strength must be able to hit people by their will; their force must have the quality of hardness and pliability; and their fist position must be nimble but with a clumsy outward appearance. These aspects are the pillars that underpin Wushu.
Kung Fu movies have made Chinese martial arts popular outside China. Wushu was first brought to the United States during the California Gold Rush in the 1850s and 1860s. It was kept secret within the Chinese community until in the 1960s, when the community gradually opened it up to non-Chinese. In the 1970s, Bruce Lee brought kung fu onto the big screen, and to mainstream American and international audiences, and in fact, that period was called The Kung Fu craze. In the 1980s and 1990s, martial arts developed vigorously in the United States with the arrival of more martial artists from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Many of them opened martial arts schools.
Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan came to Hollywood and made audiences love them with their amazing martial art performances. Chan continued his success in Hollywood with Shanghai Noon in 2000 and a number of other hit movies. Before going into movies, Lee was a national kung fu champion in China. The 1982 film, Shaolin Temple, swiftly turned him into a hot movie star. He further proved his acting talent with the Once Upon a Time in China series. He later starred in popular kung fu movies such as Romeo Must Die in 2000 and The Forbidden Kingdom in 2008. Kung Fu movies have increased foreign audiences’ understanding of Chinese martial arts, and kindled their interest in practicing kung fu.
A program called the International Wushu Federation or the IWUF, has further promoted the spread of king fu worldwide. They host world and regional wushu competitions. Currently, the IWUF has member federations in 135 countries and regions, with 30 in Africa, 21 in America, 38 in Asia, 42 in Europe and four in Oceania. In 1994, it was accepted as an official member of GAISF, the predecessor of Sport Accord.
The IWUF’s member federation in the United States has created a national network of martial artists, schools, coaches and athletes dedicated to supporting kung fu. This network provides information, training and promotion for members and others interested in martial arts. On its website, there is a list of nearly 200 kung fu schools in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Although wushu has become more popular overseas, it has not yet been included in the Olympic Games. During the past decade, the IWUF has been working to achieve this goal. Wushu became a competitive medal event at the Asian Games in 1990 when Beijing was the host, yet when Beijing hosted the Olympic Games in 2008, wushu made no appearance at the games. Instead, Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008 was held on the sideline of the Beijing Olympic Games. The wushu tournament was participated in by a total of 128 athletes from 43 countries and regions. Wang Xiaolin, Secretary General of IWUF, said for wushu to be popular internationally, it should not be too complicated so that foreigners could easily understand it. He said the event design and competition rules should be reformed.
