The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-13
CHINESE STAGE FIcHrs
They Indulge IN All Dangerous Sorts
OF Feats at Arms.
Non the Netg York Advertiser.

- @@AA ~4ne OOA y
OF Feats at Arms.
FFor the Netr York advertiser.
Some time ago / furnished my readers
with an account OF the manner the Chiness
fight, by poking their rigid fingers into
each otherseyes and faces. Il was sent me
BY my old friend DR.. Bedloe, United States
consul at Annoy. Last week I rsceiv ed
from him the following account Of The
style OF combats now prevalent.
wonder IL the Romans took q hint OF
this style OF warfare from the Chings
China Is the last place in the world, =" ssys
the doctor, I'm which you'd expect to find
gladiators, and get we have them here, and
very clever ones. too. They form a separate
profession, or guild, to themselves. They
are included under the head Of actors by
the Celestial lawmakers, but look down
upon the average Thespian as a pariah Of
the poorest type The tricks o. the trade
are taught by father to son, and 10 is Inn
possible 70 attain q high proficiency unless
one has been practiced and trained from In
fancy up.
THEIR PERFORMANCE
Is two hours long, and consists Of all sorts
OF feats OF arms with swords, daggers, war
axes. shields. spears and tridents. The
weapons have no edges and points, OF
course, as In the heat of action the glad
iators at times inflict pretty heavy blows.
In some cases the spears and tridents have
the points tipped with leather covers that
resemble miniature gloves.
The SWORDS ARE LIGHTER
and shorter than ours. weighing scarcely
more than dusliRg rapiers. They have no
guards TO the hilt. The spears and tridents
have thin bamboo handles, the llghtest and
strongest wood there is. The shields are
H. - -
but little, but will successfully resist a
heavy spear thrust or a powerful sword
blow. Much OF the fighting is like Italian
fencing or the zouave sword against bayo-
net drill. But even into these are thrown
30 many barbarian tricks and muscular
feats that the remembrance Is very slight.
The most interesting to me was trident
against sword and shield.
THE CONTESTANTS
were understood men, but so siuewy and
fine-drawn from years OF professional work
that they seemed q mass of muscles. Their
costume was single garment that would
have passed muster as bathing trunks.
When time was called they approached
within ten feet of each other, salutsd and
entered into action. Each touch, by trident
on the one side or sword on the other. counts
point. A round lasted ten minutes, when
well-earned recess Is taken for three or
four minutes. until the fighters have
COOLED OFF SUFFICIENTLY.
The 'tridenter' was as agile as a cat, and
ran around his adversary, never stopping.
He would feint and thrust rapidly, now al
the head, then chest, now the loins aud
then the shinS Usually the swordsman
would stop the blow with his shield, held
obliquely, so as to make the trident glance
OF and let Its holder be carried forward
by the impetus Of the blow. When he
succeeded in this, and 1t was very rare
he would get In rousing blow with the
fiat of the sword. In some cases he
would spring sideways, aud parry the
trident with bis sword, and with circular
sweep of the wrist or q return lupge, en-
deavor to strike his antagonist. To my
eyes the honors were about even, but some
Chinese friends said that the tridenter had
won, aud In real battle would have killed
the swordsmaa.
QUICK, NOVEL AND EXCITING
was tho crossword contest To zach
gladiator was given a sword In a scabbard
They saluted. drew swords and dropped the
sheaths. To my surprise, the sword wal
douhle-the same as II a hilt were split IL
half and TO each half a blade affixed Tn,
| weapons were double-edged, though o.
course dull and pointess. The fencing wa
extraordinary. 1t had In IL some of tn
features OF our sdDer practice, Dut was q
| quick and nervous as a French foilinI
assault. The men were here, there ant
| everywhere The four muscular arms anC
the four steels seemed whirling In every
direction. Now and then
| a STORM OF APPLAUSE
would follow the heavy thwaok given by
the fat of the sword when one Of The mer
got an opening, but the work was too rapid
| for my barbarian eye to appreciate Its ar
tistic value But 1t was wonderful as @
mere matter Of acrobaticS These martha
feats, I am told, are very common In the
interior of China, where there are regi
ments to-day armed as In the dead years o.
Timour, the Tartar, 10 whom the revolver
rife and cannon are unknown. In the
coast provinces the armies are European IN
equipment and drill, and have been for fifty
years The gladiator 10 these districts i
no longer o soldier, as In Ho Nan and SIZE
Chuep, but juggler and q strolline