China Arts Association

This article is a brief overview of the origins of Chinese Martial Arts, followed by a viewpoint on what place Kung Fu has in the world today. We will first see that Kung Fu evolved in a martial tradition, but that its meaning goes beyond just being a fighting skill and that therefore still has relevance in the modern world.

There are many theories concerning the origins of Chinese Wushu, including a large number of folktales attributing skills to mythical figures passing on secret techniques. However, a more sociological approach divides the basic origins into the following points:

A. Hunting

Wushu was born when the people of ancient China started their battle with nature, back in the early days of human civilization, when people were threatened by wild animals. In those day, tools were limited, levels of production were low, the lives of the hunter gatherers was under daily threat from larger and more powerful animals, and it was only by increasing their strength and methods of defense, that people could ensure a better chance of survival.
Hunting was vital to the existence of ancient peoples. A hunter was also a warrior, and the weapons they used in battle were the same as those used in the hunt. To improve their hunting techniques, people had to continually develop their physique and knowledge, in the process evolving both empty hand and weapon techniques of defense. For example, the basic techniques of punching and kicking, dodging and jumping, rolling and flipping, are the founding thechniques of Wushu. At the same time, the hunting techniques of slicing, stabbing, cutting, and blocking are the origins of long and short weapons in Wushu.

B. The Evolution of Clan Society

With the arrival of the age of clan commune society, battles between tribes became commonplace. When the resources of one tribe became the object of another tribe’s greed, martial force was an important tool in obtaining the desired resources. In the "You die, I live" battle scenario, deadly weapons were developed and improved. During the fight, if one person wanted to take no several adversaries at once, but found themselves without a weapon, then they would have to rely on empty hand techniques to fight the opponents, who might or might not have weapons. To survive, you had to have a high level of fighting technique. Through frequent fighting, people were able to develop and evolve their fighting practices, and successful techniques were copied, or passed on to other people.

C. Human Nature

1. In the times of ancient peoples, to gain a better spouse, people had to sometimes pay with their blood. We can see this in the animal world today where males do battle over a female in the group.
2. Whether or not it is modern people, or ancient peoples, all have a basic instinct to affirm the existence of their selves to other humans, which they do through ways which show off their best attributes. A theory popular with some scientists proposes that nature is governed by the need to pass on genes for replication, and this is not just achieved through natural selection, but also the action of the individual organism. Life is programmed to attract a mate to pass on its genes. A person with a high level of Kung Fu could advertise the superiority of their genes by displaying their skills. This idea then ties in with point 1 above- the vying of individuals to pass on their genes. Some scientists suggest that a wide range of human sociological activity is the result of this basic principle of nature.
3. The maintenance of the group. In order to ensure the continued existence of their community, or to make it stronger, people consciously practiced techniques of fighting, passing on techniques to other members of the group.

The main reason for the development of Chinese Wushu was for survival, and survival depended on efficient hunting techniques, and efficient techniques of defense and attack. However, individuals are now less vulnerable to the dangers of nature and society has evolved so that fewer people are involved in fighting scenarios, and when they are, it is at the other end of a barrel.

By the time of the end of the long period of history known as the “Cold Weapon Period”, (the period before the invention of gunpowder weapons) Wushu had already established itself as a skill of great importance. In today's world, however, Wushu, in terms of its importance in military fighting, has been relegated to a very minor position. However, Wushu will not disappear just because it is not so relevant on a battlefield. This is because Kung Fu is not just about fighting; to attain a high level of skill in Kung Fu, practitioners had to pass through a complex series of stages, where they discovered that the individual self, and not just muscles, was exercised and strengthened. And it is this improving of the self that means Wushu is still relevant today. And considering the strains of modern society on the individual, Wushu is as important for survival in today's world as it was on the battlefields.

Why study Wushu today?

1. Improve fitness and physique.
2. Self-defense
3. Develop self-discipline and moral character
4. Encourage communication of people around the world.

However, while I think these points are valid, they are also superficial, in the sense that they do not express the core meaning of Wushu. The point of Wushu in today’s world is its role in the perfection of human nature and its position as the transmitter of human thought and culture. At the start of the practice of Wushu it is difficult to understand this, but as techniques and the understanding of them improve, the true nature of Wushu reveals itself. For Wushu is more than a fighting art, it is part of your life, walking besides you like a shadow, inseparable from your being. This is also an important reason why Wushu will continue to exist, as it is passed down from person to person- people who understand the importance of Wushu in life- not as a fighting art, but as a way of being.

How can Wushu improve character?

Chinese Wushu improves the character because it focuses the mind and spirit. Spirit is not spirit in the religious sense, but more the 'force' which governs the self. Chinese Wushu places emphasis on the practice of ‘form’ and the nurturing of ‘mind’. You should have both form and spirit, external and internal; hands, eyes, body, step, energy, spirit, power, internal, external, are coordinated as one. Unite the body and character as one in practice, so that the body and mind are both exercised and strengthened, combining external and internal as one. The course of practicing Wushu is the course of self-improvement. Practitioners can develop their moral integrity, improve their temperament, nurture and clean the qi, extend and retract, open and close, be soft and hard, natural and graceful, with an open and lofty spirit. For example, the practice of Tai Ji Quan emphasizes that when moving the fist the body's posture should be imposing, and the energy full, so that the movement is graceful and sublime, smooth and compact. The practitioner should show a feeling that “I do not offend people, and people do not offend me, but if someone does attack me, then I will defend myself, while being neither humble nor forceful, like a general overlooking his army, showing the full might of the power of his spirit". At the same time the practitioner's mind is expanded with a full passion for life. Shaolin Kung Fu practice can sometimes be like a gliding hawk, or sometimes quiet and tranquil, while it can also sometimes be like lightning in a heavy thunderstorm or sometimes like flowing water. The spirit is natural and unflustered, while disposing of the boundaries between body and mind. The consciousness of the practitioner is then regulated, their character and moral integrity becomes more molded, while the body and mind are transformed. These are the results of the unification of Zen and movement.

The discipline of Aesthetics in ancient China significantly differs from the thinking of western culture. The most outstanding difference is the emphasis of Chinese aesthetics on the harmony of Yin and Yang, the coexistence of form and emptiness, light and dark, shape and spirit. It can be said that romantic charm in literature and art is a feature of Chinese aesthetics. When talking of beauty, the Chinese talk of the unification of the external and internal nature of beauty and the beauty of shape and the beauty of spirit. Spirit is the pulse of living things, and without spirit, shape is non-living shape. This notion of aesthetics is obvious in Chinese Wushu, and its technical movements are deeply imprinted with the Chinese theory of beauty. For example, Tai Ji Quan requires that during a movement, the body is upright and the harmonious motion has a romantic charm, the spirit is in a natural state, neither humble nor forceful, the mind calm, the movement unhurried, unflustered, calmly facing the enemy, with a fearless demeanor. Wushu is the unrestricted combination of movements, arranged with thought and purpose. Therefore, when practicing Wushu, not only do you want to grasp the specifics of the techniques, and focus on their quality, you must also place emphasis on the rhythm and melody of the movement. If traditional Chinese painting is the harmonious artistic conception formed by points and lines, then Tai Ji Quan is the harmonious structure of movements forming melodic power. Tai Ji Quan movements are both light and heavy, soft and hard, open and closed, spiraling and twisting, hidden and obvious, fast and slow, flowing like a snakelike dragon, floating like clouds and running like water; “The body is soft like it has no bones, and when it opens it is like a fist". This is the sublime embodiment of the melody of Tai Ji power. The frame of the body when practicing Tai Ji should be graceful, combing soft with hard, open with closed, form with emptiness, and slow with fast. The body should be relaxed so that it has flexible spring, while movements should be twisting with harmonious shape, and the rhythm of waves on the sea. The posture should have boundless power, while showing the calm spirit, which is tranquil and deep.

The practice of Wushu can improve the character of people in different ways, depending on the character of the individual. For example, someone with a nervous disposition will become more able to face the battles of modern life and face problems rationally, while those with a timid disposition will learn how to stand up for themselves and show themselves for who they really are, rather than shy away from difficult situations. People with angry dispositions, through practicing Tai Ji Quan, with its focus on being relaxed and solid, will become more controlled and at peace with themselves, facing life with a calmer mind. Overly proud people who like to show off, can apply themselves to Tai Ji pushing hands, or fighting hands, to perfect their selves, because pushing hands' theory states that, "extend when the opponent bends, go higher when the opponent goes high, go lower when the opponent goes low, move faster when the opponent moves fast, goes slower when the opponent goes slow.” This will encourage the practitioner to be come more aware of the activities of others and how to become more adaptable when facing situations in life.

The study of Chinese Wushu is a complicated journey, with gradual changes of the physique, development of innate abilities, focusing of the mind, expression of emotion, and the enlivening of the soul and philosophical spirit. It causes people to improve their selves, and take control of their lives. It is the path to the perfection of the self.