From: zhou@solb1.essex.ac.uk (Zhou J)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: re: Shao-lin Temple news
Keywords: ???
Date: 16 Aug 92 13:10:40 GMT
Reply-To: zhou@essex.ac.uk (Zhou J)
Organization: University of Essex, Colchester, UK

In article <1992Aug14.205655.8592@exu.ericsson.se> exudms@exu.ericsson.se writes:

Snip,snip,snip,....
........
>Now this is what bothers me. The Chinese government recognizes "Wu Shu", and not "Kung Fu" and they don't have Sifus, they have "Coaches".
>
>There may in fact be some Kung Fu left in China somewhere, but it is not publically known. "Wu Shu" is becoming wide spread including the USA.
>
>WU SHU is not KUNG FU.
>
>"Shaolin chuan Wu Ssu" is Not KUNG FU 
>
>"Wu Shu" is reminiscent and repensentational of Kung Fu. It is very athletic, acrobatic and physical. It looks good, but it is missing alot of importance. I watch some of the KF movies that C is producing. They are good and they try  to be authentic as po
>ssible nowadays, but the actors are clearly doing Wu Shu and not true Shao Lin Kung Fu techniques. Too much history is so mythical and can be twisted.
>
>I guess this whole thing doesn't matter much. My appologies if you are a Wu Shu practicioner (not putting it down) or if you are from the mainland. Don't misunderstand me, I was just wondering the authenticity of this artical among other things that I hav
>
>/New Dave
>Shao Lin Hung Gar Tiger Crane Kung Fu 


Sorry to have to divert the topic a bit here.  Just trying to point
out a common misunderstanding among non-native speakers of Chinese, in Chinese
Wu Shu is the general term for martial arts. Wu directly translates into
martial and Shu into arts. Kung Fu, on the other hand,  would mean "expertise"
or "experience" in some specific things and sometimes it could mean "a period
of time"(therefore after spending enough Kung Fu on something you become good 
at doing it,  right?!!).  You can have great "Kung Fu" in many things, eg.,
Wu Shu, caligraghy(?sp), cooking, drinking, smoking. Chi Kung is the kung fu in
things related with chi manipulation.  The mostly practiced chi kung forms
in mainland China are the "soft ones" which are supposed to be good for 
people's health.  My mum's example has convinced me that there must be
something there in Chi Kung. Through out my childhood memories,  my mum had
always been troubled by some illness, she had problems with her heart, kidneies,
legs, hips, etc. Then of course, she started some chi kung thing and she is
free of all those problems now apparently. Do not ask me about details of her
chi kung exercises because I am absolutely clueless and I am not interested
in getting to know anything about them neither.  She showed me a couple
books written in ancient chinese that she was studying( she was keen
on eventually becoming an instructor of that Chi Kung form),  when I was on 
holiday in Beijing 3 years ago.  The language in the books not only did not make
sense to me but also sounded funny. Anyway,  I guess the PRC government has
been successful in their education system to have made young people like me
what is me today. Also, I have no knowledge about Shaolin etc. or anything
about Wu Shu in China. But I do remember to have seen strange people playing
with all sorts of Wu Shu things in parks in Beijing when I was really young.
I also heard of people from differnt styles challenging each other sometimes
in those parks.  Chinese Wushu people never liked each other very much, that
is my impression anyway.  Well,  I have to stop babbling before I bore you to 
death.


Cheers! 

Joey

By the way,  I have been training kickboxing on and off for almost
5 years here in the UK and reading RMA since it was started. It has 
been great fun.


Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Re: re: Shao-lin Temple news
Summary: 
Expires: 
Reply-To: zhou@essex.ac.uk (Zhou J)
Followup-To: 
Distribution: 
Organization: University of Essex, Colchester, UK
Keywords: ???