The Chinese Martial Arts - Essay Example

THE CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS 2nd December Introduction The Chinese martial arts are generationally adopted fighting styles and techniques that have remained in use in either their original or altered forms. They form part of the popular Chinese culture, and they are presently some of the cultural exports from China. Many are influenced by the traditional settings within which they were first practiced. For instance, some appear to mimic certain animals that were in existence in the particular parts of China that they were first applied. Many others are influenced by the natives’ philosophies, their legends, and religion. Conclusively, these arts have a significant role in the lives of those who practice them. Understanding these important roles has seen the Chinese martial arts become more popular among people of other cultures, which has ultimately led to their adoption across the world and integration into the cultural settings of non-Chinese populations. In particular, they are seemingly centered upon improving the physical strength and adaptability of the individual, enhancing muscular formation and keeping the body fit and flexible. As the influence of the Chinese spreads around the world, Chinese martial arts have found new homes across the many places where the Chinese have settled either temporarily or permanently. The beauty of the martial arts coupled with their health benefits has seen them penetrate the Western culture, where some of the acts are changed to suit the local cultures. However, many more of the martial arts practices have remained in their original form. Relationship between Martial Arts and Contemporary Chinese Society Several aspects of the Chinese culture and traditions are reflected through martial arts, largely taken loosely in the outside world to be Kung Fu, but which is indeed a misconception of Chinese terms by foreigners. Such attempts to try and interpret the traditional Chinese cultural aspects to more understandable standards for the outside world indicate their growing influence and popularity globally. However, they have remained distinctively unique to the inventors and partly vague to the outside world. As noted by Theeboom and Vertoghen, more cultural aspects of the Chinese are captured by their exercising the martial arts than any onlooker from a non-Chinese community would notice.1 This highlights the fact that understanding the cultural values embedded in Kung Fu requires a vast understanding of the Chinese culture. From here we mark our journey of investigating what martial arts stand for in contemporary China. Translated into its component words, the phrase martial arts in Chinese sums up some of the cultural values that bind society together. The terms “skill”, “discipline” and “methods” all form the fabric of Chinese integration and culture/ traditions, and they are boldly ingrained into the martial arts, right from the definition. Martial arts tell a history of conquest, love, pain, everything that characterizes the Chinese journey to their present state.2 The conservativeness of Chinese has been remarkable in ensuring that their culture remains minimally affected by intruding cultures from their global partners. This is captured in the way in which their culture has successfully dominated other popular cultures, including finding its way into the Western lifestyle. The Place of Martial Arts in the History of Chinese (Uniqueness to the Community) Martial arts have a long history among the countries of East Asia. A scan through contemporary literature on martial arts reveals that each of the countries in the region boast of some type of martial art that they have been used to for generations. For instance, the Koreans and the Japanese are some of the other communities with outstanding martial arts practices. So we can conclude that, indeed, these practices have grown as a consequence of inter-community interaction, from where each community domesticated their own version of martial arts and blended it with their cultural aspects to the unique form we know today. In China alone, regional communities/ tribes have their own blends of the martial arts that make them stand out as a distinctive group from the rest. Ho noted that in contemporary China, and even in the historical times, distinct practices would help identify different Chinese sub-groups.3 This remains the case today. Martial arts remain a tool of communal identification, albeit the heavy inter-regional borrowing resulting from growing interaction among the communities. Martial arts have been a symbol of unity and the will to move forward as a community.4 In its search for unifying factors, the Chinese community has grown to appreciate the diversity presented by their diverse traditional martial arts and hence engrained them into their modern day livelihoods. The impact has been the growing importance of the culture and its marketing to the international community. The Chinese are, like many other communities in other settings, adapting to an urbanized way of life. In equal measure, they are carrying along their traditional and cultures with them. The new migrations have presented new ways of practicing the martial arts. For instance, it is common to notice traditional dances inspired by the martial arts among Chinese urban musicians. Besides, traditional arts have been ingrained in the way people school, interact, and respond to crises. The urban Chinese setup comprises some of the most populated martial arts training centers.5 This shows that the community still endeavors to retain its place as a martial arts hub, as well as upholding the continuity that has brought the arts to their present state of recognition. The martial arts have also influenced the dressing code of the contemporary Chinese. As Wai noted, the present-day Chinese are more used to free dresses, which enhance flexibility and promote an exercising culture among them. This is part of what makes the Chinese distinct in their regard by other communities.6 Notably, many Chinese gyms are also equipped with distinctively traditional regalia. They promote their usage of traditional martial arts practices alongside the modern gyms. Other places where martial arts have been notably integrated into the contemporary Chinese way of living include sporting and places of worship. Apparently, the martial arts influence the way people are organized in the places of worship, and more so the way their style of worship is conducted. The world over, Chinese martial arts have come to be regarded as an important sporting affair. Martial Arts Reflection of Influence from Globalization Despite the high persistence shown by Chinese culture in resisting the sweeping influence of international cultures, their main symbol of traditionalism (martial arts) has not escaped without some influence. The Chinese martial arts have undergone partial to full transformations in some cases. They are referred to as the hybrid Kung Fu styles, and they have been conceived exported through collaborative movie shooting with people from other communities. Bibliography Ho, Wai-Chung. 2006. “Popular Culture in Mainland Chinese Education.” International Education Journal. Vol. 7, Issue 3, pp. 348-363. Theeboom, Marc, Zhu Dong and Jikkemien Vertoghen. 2012. “Traditional Asian Martial Arts and Youth: Experiences of Young Chinese Wushu Athletes.” Science and Martial Arts. Vol. 8, Issue 1, pp. 27-35. Wai, Helena Yuen. 2012. “A Journey across Rivers and Lakes: A Look at the Jianghu in Chinese Culture and Literature.” Electronic Journal of Theory of Literature and Comparative Literature. Vol. 7, pp. 58-71. Read More