Kung Fu as One of the Most Celebrated Chinese Artifacts - Term Paper Example

Cultural Literacy Cultural literacy can be defined as a state in which people understand and are capable of participating actively in specific cultural activities. Many people from different places in the world identify themselves with specific cultures incorporated in most of their social-economic activities. In real sense, cultures play an important role in the community because they not only shape the norms in a society but also contribute to economic development in one way or another. Moreover, cultural activities in many countries represent part of the national heritage celebrated by citizens. However, it is important to point out that most cultural artifacts have changed their meaning over time for several reasons. In this regard, this essay will highlight major changes that have taken place in the Chinese martial art, commonly referred to as kung fu. To start with, the history of the Chinese martial art is full of vital information that indicates the reasons behind the popularity of Kung fu. According to TalkKungFu, the Kung Fu martial art is one of the oldest martial arts to have existed in the world dating to over 4000 years ago (1). This indicates that Kung Fu has been a part of the Chinese culture for a long time hence integrated in many socio-economic activities in the country. In addition, it is a common understanding that most ancient cultural activities were introduced either for specific rituals within a community or for important community events. Incidentally, this happens to be the same for the famous Chinese martial art celebrated even in other parts of the world. Initially, the Chinese soldiers were taught Kung Fu for use in combating opponent armies in their battlefield (TalkKungFu 1). Considering the fact that Kung Fu enabled the Chinese soldiers to perform excellently in the battlefield, the martial art was propagated by several Chinese dynasties for many generations. Therefore, Kung Fu became one of the core pillars used by Chinese emperors to maintain their leadership stable. For instance, the Zhou Dynasty, that existed between1122 BC – 256 AD promoted Kung Fu significantly to a point of introducing new aspects known as Jiao Li in the martial art (TalkKungFu 1). Of more importance, Kungu Fu has great importance to Chinese citizens as well as people from other parts of the world. Firstly, as a Chinese citizen, I am proud of the Chinese martial art. This is because the art not only promotes Chinese culture among the indigenous people but also promotes cultural identification of Chinese in different parts of the world. For example, more often than not, I have met people who ask me questions concerning the Chinese martial art. In addition, most of my colleagues believe that all Chinese citizens are competent about the Kung Fu. Similarly, Kung Fu has great significance to Chinese citizens when it comes to their cultural inquiry. According to the Reachout Trust Organization, Kung Fu incorporates various approaches and ideologies that represent Chinese culture (1). In reality, the Chinese martial art involves intensive training concerning how to use Chinese traditional weapons. For instance, most of the weapons adopted for use in Kung Fu, like swords, daggers and axes, originated from the mongol ethnic groups in China (American Shaolin Kung Fu 1). This indicates that practicing Kung Fu enables the Chinese citizens to connect closely to their traditional cultural practices that promoted the use of similar weapons either for self-defense or for hunting. Lastly, the Chinese martial art is given special emphasis by people in different parts of the world. This is because the activity is employed for general purposes that suite many people across different cultures. For example, Kung Fu is important for purposes of self-defense in addition to health fitness, issues that have importance to almost every person in different societies. On the other hand, it is important to point out that the meaning of Kung Fu, to people belonging to the Chinese society as well as the rest of the world, has changed over time. As indicated earlier in this essay, Kung Fu gained popularity in China after remarkable success of Chinese soldiers in combating their enemies using the Kung Fu techniques in their battlefields. In precise, in the initial years of the introduction of Chinese martial arts, the activity was a reserve of the Chinese army to protect dynasties that existed in those periods. However, practicing Kung Fu became famous among people in China after witnessing the excellent results attained by Chinese soldiers. According to Chinatravel.com, even thought Kung Fu originated in the military camps, people eventually took it up for self-defense and health reasons (1). Security concerns are basic to many people in different parts of the world. This is because people need to feel protected and safe guard their hard-earned property. Therefore, there was increased demand to learn Kung Fu among the Chinese citizens in order to protect their property. Moreover, practicing Kung Fu helps in keeping people healthy by exercising their body muscles. According to American Shaolin Kung Fu, people undertaking the practice of Kung Fu learn how to stretch different muscles in their body in a coordinated fashion in order to achieve specific targets (1). This not only increases their flexibility, but also enables them to maintain physical and physiological fitness, which are essential for health fitness. On a rather interesting note, the Chinese martial art transformed other important sectors of the Chinese economy in various ways. To begin with, Kung Fu developed into a major sporting activity among the Chinese communities. Despite the fact that the activity was introduced in the Chinese army for security reasons, other alternatives of the Chinese martial art that were categorized as ‘soft core’ were introduced and actively used for sporting activities (Reachout Trust Organization 1). Specifically, Kung Fu became one of the most famous sporting activities in China where people at different ages competed for an ultimate price. According to Reachout Trust Organization, Kung Fu, unlike other famous sporting activities like track events that are effectively practiced by people at certain ages, can be exercised at later ages in life because it involves developing of skills acquired over time. This means that even the elderly people in the community with well-developed Kung Fu skills can participate in sporting events and generate extra income to them. In addition, such talented people in the community form associations that mainly train interested people Kung Fu skills. Surprisingly, Kung Fu became one of the sensational form of entertainment to many people in different parts of the world. Media coverage on this Chinese cultural artifact popularized it among people of different ages. In this regard, media representation of Kung Fu ranged from simple video games to actual films documented by popular artists. In particular, Bruce Lee, one of the famous artists who had developed his Kung Fu skills to a greater extend, documented films that gained popularity to people in different parts of the world (Reachout Trust Organization 1). Popularity of Kung Fu in the media occurred in the resent years coinciding with technological development that led to the introduction of improved filming techniques that resulted in quality movies. Consequently, people saw an opportunity of introducing live shows of Kung Fu sporting as form of entertainment to people in various events, including non-Chinese cultural events. Therefore, Kung Fu became a source of entertainment attracting fans whom afterwards developed interest to learn the sport for leisure reasons. Further, artist began to use Kung Fu expressions to entertain readers of their literature material. According to Reachout Trust Organization, various cartoons and literatures explaining the Kung Fu sport exist (1). This indicates that Kung Fu forms a significant form of entertainment to people in different spheres of life. Finally, there are institutions that train Kung Fu skills kin different parts of the world. In nearly every country in the world, there are sports federations that promote Kung Fu as one of the recognizable sports for citizens to participate. In addition, there are several accredited sporting clubs in most parts of the world that train Kung Fu to people either for health purposes or self-defense reasons. For example, American Shaolin Kung Fu, LLC is one of the most famous Kung Fu training companies that is based Sugar Land area, Houston but has since expanded to other areas. Similarly, other regions of the world have embraced the same culture by authorizing Kung Fu training centers to operate in their countries. According to Daily Mail Reporter, there are many students all over the world training and celebrating the cultural history of China (1). This means that in addition to getting the Kung Fu skills, students training on this Chinese martial art also learn intensively about the Chinese culture associated to the sport. In conclusion, Kung Fu is one of the most celebrated Chinese artifacts that have survived for many generations. From the above discussion, it is evident that Kung Fu has transformed over a long period from being a reserve for military use to a sporting and entertainment activity. Of more significance, Kung Fu has been associated to several health benefits gained by people participating in the sport. In addition, this Chinese artifact has undeniably contributed significantly to economic development of people involved in the sport and the country at large. Moreover, the sport has led to increased appreciation of the Chinese culture in different parts of the world. Works Cited American Shaolin Kung Fu. 18 Weapons of Shaolin. n.d. Web. 5 Jul 2014. < http://www.americanshaolinkungfu.org/18weapons.php >. Chinatravel.com. Chinese Kung Fu. 2014. Web. 5 Jul 2014. < http://www.chinatravel.com/facts/chinese-kung-fu.htm >. Daily Mail Reporter. “Everybody WAS Kung Fu Fighting: Extraordinary Moment 10,000 Students Put On a Perfectly-Synchronised Show” Daily Mail, 12 June 2012. Web. 5 Jul 2014. < http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2158133/China-10-000-students-perform-incredible-display-kung-fu-choreography-celebrate-countrys-rich-history.html >. Reachout Trust Organization. Kung Fu by Jon Taylor. n.d. Web. 5 Jul 2014. < http://reachouttrust.org/martial-arts/kung-fu-by-jon-taylor/ >. TalkKungFu. History of Kung-Fu. n.d. Web. 5 Jul 2014. < http://www.talkkungfu.co.uk/guides/history_of_kung_fu.html >. Read More