Newsgroup: it.sport.arti-marziali
Titolo: Arti Marziali cinesi

Per acuni versi, un articolo interessante.
Spero che i caratteri cinesi si leggano...
Origin and Development of Chinese Martial Arts
Origin of the skills of fighting
China has a history of over 5,000 years. Ever since the appearance of the
first tribe of Chinese people, the country had undergone much warfare,
caused both by incessant power struggles internally and repeated invasions
by foreign tribes. The development of the skills of fighting, or martial
arts, as it was generically known, was therefore a natural happening. As a
matter of fact, the Chinese word “wu” (?) (literally means “martial”), is
formed by the combination of the two characters “zhi” (?) (meaning “stop”)
and “ge” (?) (meaning “spear”), which signifies “stopping the battle”, or
“keeping peace”, naturally with military power where necessary. Records of
the systematic deploy of combat forces could be traced back to the period of
Huangdi (The Yellow Emperor) in the 26th century B.C. It was believed the
use of metal in making tools and weapons dated back also to the same period.
However, the first antique metal dagger unearthed was verified to be a
product only of the Hsia Dynasty (2205-1766 B.C.).
Most of the copper and bronze weapons, as halberds, axes, swords and spears,
found to date are proved to be products between the Shang (1766-1122 B.C.)
and Western Zhou Dynasties (1122-771 B.C.), which were also known as the
bronze age of weaponry in China. Archaeologists have proved that these
bronze weapons, together with other bronze tools, were manufactures of very
high technology. The earliest iron swords were made in late Western Zhou
Dynasty, and then around the middle of the Warring State Period (403-221
B.C.), steel swords came into being. The technique the Chinese managed to
master in the refining and tempering of steel was exceeding advanced, and
some of the sharpest swords in legend were produced during that period. A
number of these swords have been discovered and are now kept in museums in
China. It is amazing that some of them are still sharp enough to cut through
a thick pile of paper easily.
Period of Military Philosophies
The periods of the Spring and Autumn (770-476 B.C.) and the Warring States
(475-221 B.C.) were a turbulent era which gave rise to a lot of politicians,
counselors and scholars selling their philosophic doctrines to different war
lords and emperors at that time, and assisting them in the government of
their states and contention for power. Amongst these there was a sect of
philosophers who concerned themselves especially with military science.
These people are referred to by historians as the sect of Military
Strategists. Records passed down from the early Han Dynasty showed that
there were hundreds of books written by these philosophers during those
periods. The two works which had come out with the greatest prominence and
influence, both during that time and afterwards, are the “Sunzi’s Art of
 War” and “Wuzi’s Art of War”. They were later combined into one book called
the “Sun-Wu Art of War”. This book contained some of the most comprehensive
theories on battling strategies and tactics, as well as the methods of the
regulating and training of battling forces. It is said that many great
generals, war lords, politicians and businessmen in China, as well as in
other parts of the world, have viewed it as a valuable and practical
reference, and actually applied some of the theories in wars, politics and
business. All these go to prove that the Chinese have already applied a
highly intelligible approach to the skills of combat for a long time.
Weaponry – from Halberd to Swords
The “ge” (?), a kind of dagger-axe shaped halberd was once the main battle
weapon employed in battles by the early Chinese. This however was, in the
course of time, retained solely as an ornamental exhibit in ceremonies. In
the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Chinese armies began to use lances, spears,
long double-edged swords, axes and maces to fight in the battle field, and
the “ge” had become obsolete. Also in use was another type of halberd
(apparently a modified form of the original halberd) that looked like a
spade with three or more protruding blades, known as “ji” (?) in Chinese.
(Photos of:
Unearthed bronze head of a “ge” of the Zhou Dynasty
Unearthed bronze head of a “ji”, also from the Zhou Dynasty)
During this period, nobles and scholars used to wear double-edged swords as
ornaments, the first type of swords ever used in China. It was not until the
end of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.) that the broadsword came into
existence. Since then, both the double-edged sword and the broadsword had
become the most popular weapons amongst Chinese martial artists. A great
number of combat techniques were developed on the use of these two kinds of
swords, which had profound influence not only on martial arts practitioners
at that time, but also in ages afterwards and up to these days.
Fist fighting
The physical training of the limbs and the body was obviously just as
important as the use of the weapons, as only a strong warrior could
overpower his enemy in a fight. The first mention of fighting with the fists
was found in an ancient political classic written in the Spring and Autumn
Period, which asked “countrymen to recommend to the ruler anyone who is
powerful and strong and can fight well with their fists”. The first formal
record of fighting with fists and the limbs, however, did not appear until
the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 24 A.D.), when the techniques of “Bai
 Da” (meaning fighting with bare hands), Shou Bo (meaning hand combat) and
“Jiao Di” (meaning wrestling) was referred to intermittently in a number of
written classics.
The evolution of fist fighting techniques as defined systems and schools,
however, was a slow process. For a very long time, the practice of martial
arts was the privilege of the nobles. Slaves or lower social classes were
not allowed to take part in such activities. The nobles, for the purpose of
protecting their manors or battling against other feudal lords, kept their
own armies and took priority in training their skills in the use of fatal
weapons, both on foot and on horseback. Bare hand fighting was practiced
more as a supplementary exercise in the training of physical strength and
agility. As a matter of fact, the full development of comprehensive
fist-fighting techniques and systems did not take place until the Qing
Dynasty.
Legends of Ta Mo and Shaolin
During the reign of the Liang Dynasty (503-557 A.D.) an Indian monk in the
name of Bodhidharma came to China. This was the well-known Ta Mo who came
with the purpose to propagate his principles of Zen Buddhism. In 520 A.D.,
Ta Mo traveled by sea from India and landed in South China, the territories
of the Liang Dynasty. He tried to convince the then Emperor, Liang Wu-di, to
follow his religious beliefs but was turned down. Ta Mo then traveled to the
north and eventually settled down in the Shaolin Monastery at the Mountain
of Song in Honan Province and began his preaching. The Shaolin Monastery was
built sometime around 495 A.D., some 25 years prior to Ta Mo’s arrival.
(Huge stature of Ta Mo built at the peak of Mt Shao Shi where Shaolin
Monastery is located)
Ta Mo soon attracted a great number of followers. Besides his religious
doctrines, it was said that Ta Mo also taught the followers his martial arts
skills. In legend Ta Mo was almost a supernatural martial artist. He was
described as being able to cross a stream on a floating reed, sit facing a
wall for nine years in meditation and exercise great internal power. He was
also said to be the author of the “Book of Changing the Tendons” and the
“Book of Washing the Marrows”, the two most prized classics on the practice
of chi kung, or internal kung fu. As a matter of fact, Ta Mo was revered by
many as the founder of Chinese martial arts, and Shaolin as the origin of
most of the Chinese martial arts techniques. There has been considerable
disagreement on this statement. Most of the stories about Ta Mo were nothing
but hearsays on which no documentary evidence could be traced. It would be
quite naïve to believe that Ta Mo could have performed all the miraculous
feats described and that he could be the person who had created most of the
martial arts practiced by the Chinese afterwards. However, we could probably
assume that Ta Mo, besides being a sage of Buddhism, happened also a
practitioner of martial arts skills, and that when he delivered his sermon
to his followers at Shaolin, he had also passed on some of his skills to
them, primarily as a form of physical exercises to strengthen their health
and improve their physique. Apparently, such training had taken effect, and
in time the practice of martial arts was incorporated into the regular
cultivation lessons of the Shaolin monks.
It occurred that after the time of Ta Mo, Shaolin did turn out a number of
disciples with superior martial arts skills and the Monastery was gradually
regarded by martial arts practitioners as a training institution of high
status. In the early Tang Dynasty, Shaolin Monastery received the highest
honour from the emperor. History has it that before Li Shi-min (626-649)
became emperor, he was once hunted down by the troops of a hostile warlord.
At the critical moment of danger, Li by chance ran near the Shaolin
Monastery and was saved by a group of monks. Later, after Li succeeded to
the throne as Tang Tai-zhong (one of the greatest emperors in Chinese
history), he bestowed Shaolin with the honourable name of the “Monastery of
the Fighting Monks”.
(An ancient painting depicting the story about “the 13 Shaolin monks
protecting the young Li Shi-min”. This was painted on one of the walls of
the Shaolin Monastery.)
By this time training at Shaolin had become the common aim of martial arts
enthusiasts. So far, the martial arts techniques of Shaolin were imparted
only to monks at the monastery. In the wake of the strong interest, the
monastery eventually opened its doors and accepted laymen students, and
Shaolin techniques began to spread far and wide.
It was mentioned in legends that there were two outstanding laymen disciples
of Shaolin, who had produced the greatest influence on the spread and
development of Shaolin techniques: Zhao Kuang-yin and Yue Fei.
Zhao Kuang-yin (960-976) was the emperor that founded the Song Dynasty. It
was said that having attained the highest proficiency in Shaolin fist
fighting techniques, he went further in refining and modifying them and
created the famous “Tai-Zhu Long Fist” techniques, which were widely
practiced by practitioners in North China. This style of techniques was
named after Zhao’s royal title “Tai Zhu”, meaning “the Great Grand Founder
of the State”.
Yue Fei (1103-1141) was one of China’s greatest generals and national
heroes. Around the year of 1126, the territories of the Song Dynasty in
North China were overrun by a barbaric tribe Jin. Two emperors of the Song
state, father and son, were captured. Another son of the father led the
government and retreated to South China and re-established the state, known
thenceforth in history as the Southern Song Dynasty. Yue Fei was assigned
with the command of the Southern Song forces, with which he managed to
prevent the advance of the Jin armies. He then fought back to the north and
recovered much of the lost territories. Yue Fei was very close to success in
driving the Jin tribe completely out of North China. Unfortunately, the top
official in power, Qin Kuei, the minister of the Song government, was very
envious of Yue, and sought to make peace with Jin instead. Qin succeeded in
persuading the Song emperor. Yue was recalled from the frontier, imprisoned
and later executed. Yue Fei was a formidable military scientist as well as a
Shaolin disciple of extraordinary accomplishments. He was a mighty and
peerless commander of fighting forces, was himself a deadly accurate archer
and a warrior of versatile skills. He was well versed in all kinds of
weapons, in particular the spear, on which he earned great fame through
founding his own style of techniques called the “Yue’s Spear Techniques”. He
excelled in hand combat, and based on what he had mastered, created a unique
system to train his army. It was said that the Yue’s training system
consisted of series of movements grouped under different categories as
grabbing, locking, suppleness and dexterity, dodging, jumping, shifting,
twisting the muscles, dislocating the bones, hitting the acupuncture points
(nerve center points), chained punching, pressing and thrusting, dashing,
rolling, etc. Under the superb training of Yue Fei, the troops led by him
were known as some of the strongest and most skilled fighting forces in
history.
Fighting monks and priests
Apart from Shaolin, there were a number of the religious establishments
(Buddhist temples, monasteries and Taoiest abbeys alike) in Chinese history,
which had nurtured some outstanding martial artists. The fact is that,
whenever a government changed hands for any reason, there were always quite
a few warriors of the replaced regime seeking refuge in Buddhist temples,
monasteries or Taoist abbeys in order to avoid capture by the new rulers. In
ancient Chinese, for such people who had given up the “Mundane, or Mortal,
World” and become a Buddhist monk or a Taoist priest, the new government
would usually be more lenient, as long as they did not rise again in
rebellion. In the old days, such “fighting” monks or priests were scattered
everywhere in China, especially in the deep forests or high mountains in the
remote regions. Most of them did become genuine monks or priests for the
rest of their life, but none of them, as could be imagined, would relinquish
the martial arts techniques that they had practiced for so many years in
their lifetime. As a matter of fact, now that their new lives gave them
plenty of leisure moments, their interest in practicing and refining their
skills naturally grew stronger than ever. Not only did many of these people
eventually become renowned masters themselves, but they also did the job as
great propagators, passing their learning to member monks or priests as well
as laymen disciples who came to study from them. In the course of time, some
of these monasteries and abbeys were look upon as supreme martial arts
training institutes, much in the same manner as Shaolin Monastery. Some of
the more prominent include a few of the monasteries at Mount Wu-tai at
Shanxi Province, Mount E-mei in Sichuan Province and the Taoist abbeys at
Mount Wu-dang in Hupei Province. Wu-dang was said to be the source of the
famous “Tai Chi Chuan” and the “Eight Diagrams Palming” techniques.
Story of Fujian Shaolin
Yet Shaolin is by far the mainstream and most influential of Chinese martial
arts. Evidences show that there had once been six to seven monasteries
bearing the name of Shaolin, but the one at Honan Province is the only still
in existence (though partly ruined). All the others were damaged or
destroyed. It is believed that the lost ones could be offspring of the Honan
Shaolin, each established by Shaolin monks that wandered and settled in the
respective areas.
The one which had generated the most interest was the Shaolin monastery that
was said to be located at Putin County in Fujian Province but was finally
destroyed by fire. This was known as the South Shaolin monastery (as against
the North Shaolin monastery at Honan) and was depicted as the birthplace of
a good number of masters who founded most of the Chinese martial arts styles
that prevailed in the South, including the famous Hung Kuen, said to be
created by the legendary Hung Hei-kwoon. The story of the Fujian Shaolin was
featured in a few widely read novels, which described that the monastery,
during the time at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, had sheltered and
trained a number of supporters of the overthrown Ming Dynasty that plotted
to revolt against the Qing government. A rebellious monk, however, reported
the secret activities to the Qing government and led the army to attack the
monastery. After a great fight, the monastery was burnt down and many of the
monks and disciples were killed. Only five elder members of the monastery
and a small number of their disciples managed to escape, which included a
monk named Gee Sin (said to be the originator of the Six and a Half Point
long pole techniques), a nun named Ng Mui (the legendary creator of Wing
Tsun), Hung Hei-kwoon (founder of Hung Kuen), Luk Ah-choy, Fong Sai-yu and a
few others. These survivors then scattered around in South China, and formed
themselves into secret societies to continue with their plot to depose the
Qing Dynasty.
Recently, historians had queried the truth of these stories. Archaeologists
also were unable to track down the original site of the destroyed monastery.
Hence, the controversy whether a Shaolin monastery had ever existed in
Fujian. The only part of the stories which undeniably holds true is what
relates to the activities of secret societies. There were actually quite a
few of such organizations during the reign of the Qing Dynasty. These
included the Hung Hua Hui (The Red Flower Society), the Ke Lao Hui (Old
Brothers’ Society), the Bai Lian Jiao (White Lotus Sect), the Tian Di Hui
(Heaven and Earth Society) and others. Of these, the two largest societies
were the Ching Bang (Green Gang), active in Northern/Central China, and the
Hung Moon (The Hung’s Sect) in the South. Yung Moon is also known as the Sam
Hup Wui (Cantonese pronunciation), or the Triad Society, which was extremely
powerful in Southern China (monk Chi Sin, nun Ng Mui and Hung Hei-kwoon were
said to be all members of Hung Moon). The activities of these societies were
indeed scattered over China, and were particular vehement in Southern China,
led principally by Hung Moon. Most of the Hung Moon leaders represented
themselves as Shaolin disciples. The majority of the members of the society
came from the lower end of the society and comprised martial arts
practitioners, workers from opera troupes, barbers, street performers,
peasants, coolies and even vagabonds. In the absence any solid proof of the
existence of a Shaolin monastery at Fujian, the general beliefs to-day are
that many of the original organizers of Hung Moon and other secret societies
might well be disciples of Shaolin or having certain ties with Shaolin. With
the mission of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, they were always eager to sign
up new recruits. As training in martial arts was offered as an essential
activity for the members, the organizers laid strong emphasis on the
identity of Shaolin, the most revered school of martial arts in China, as a
branding attraction and a solemn bond. Somehow the story of Fujian Shaolin
and its destruction by the Qing rulers came up and was widely told, painting
a heroic touch to the prime goal of the societies. Did the Shaolin monastery
in Fujian really exist? Were the secret societies really formed by survivors
that had escaped the destruction of the monastery? Did Chi Sin, Ng Mui or
Hung Hei-kwoon have any involvement with the forming of Hung Moon? No one
knows. No doubt, novelists often choose to depict real persons, places and
times in their stories together with their rich imagination. What was a true
story could eventually become part truth and part imagination.
Styles and systems
It is believed that the activities of the secret societies during the Qing
Dynasty had a lot to do with the rapid spread of Chinese martial arts to
every class of the society. Especially during the latter part of the
Dynasty, which saw the emergence of a large number of martial arts styles,
schools and clans. Some claims to be offspring of mainstreams as Shaolin and
Wu-dang, while others established themselves as original creators or
founders of their styles. A conservative estimate indicated that there were
over two hundred of different styles or clans at that time, and half of them
had been passed down to these days. Many of these styles were named after
places or families, some after certain characteristics of the techniques,
and others took their names from legends, historical characters or objects.
Some styles had the same origin, but had since split into different
branches, handed down by different people with different comprehension and
different levels of abilities. In some cases, even the name of the original
style had been changed. There were also some martial arts masters who had
learnt the techniques of several styles, incorporated them into one and gave
it a new name, thereby founding their own style.
In the Chinese martial arts circles, styles are broadly divided according to
the area of origin into two categories: the northern styles and the southern
styles. These are subdivided into two groups: the “rigid” group and the
“flexible” group. Generally speaking, the “rigid” styles emphasize the use
of “long bridges” (i.e. bridge arms) and “wide stances”, which are applied
in the southern styles as strong bridge-arms and powerful upper trunk, and
in the northern styles as stable stances of power kicks. The “flexible”
styles lay stress on “close body combat techniques and narrow stances” which
are found with both northern and southern styles.
Kung Fu, Wu Shu and Kuo Shu
“Kung Fu” (??) is a Cantonese colloquial term, literally meaning attainment
in a certain technique, whether it be martial arts, painting, calligraphy or
gardening. It has now actually become the generic calling for “Chinese
Martial Arts”. An alternative but more formal term is “Guo Shu” (??),
meaning “national arts”, with “national” naturally referring to “Chinese”
and arts specifically implying martial arts.
“Wu Shu” (??) literally means “Martial Arts’. To the Chinese, all kinds of
martial arts are called “Wu Shu”. These would include western boxing,
fencing, karate, judo, taekwondo, etc., and certainly Chinese Kung Fu.
Bruce Lee, a student of the late Master Yip Man of Wing Tsun, was probably
the very first to use the term of “Kung Fu” for “Chinese Martial Arts”, and
made it popular in American and later in other parts of the western world.
From here to the future
The practice of Chinese martial arts has had a long history. From being an
activity confined to the noble, the rich and the military at the early
stage, it was finally spread to practically all walks of life. The evolution
in the quantities and diversity of techniques and the number of participants
had grown to its prime during the late Qing Dynasty around 100-150 years
ago. The development since then has taken a downturn. Over the past century,
China has undergone intermittent periods of great turbulence - the
displacement of the monarchy by the republic, the ensuing wars amongst
warlords, the invasion by Japan – which simply could not provide the stable
environment necessary for the continuous pursuit by the populace of a
culture such as martial arts. Despite the end of the second world war,
upheavals had continued within the country. It was not until the last three
decades or so that the country becomes really settled down to sustain a
reconstruction of its economy and people’s livelihood. With the influx of
western investment, technology and management, the Chinese economy has
picked up rapidly. On the other hand, people’s lifestyle has changed
accordingly. Life has since then become tense and hectic, and people could
scarcely afford the time to take part in most physical culture, let alone
Chinese martial arts, which normally require much stricter commitment and
dedication of the practitioner. The practice of kung fu has gradually been
going out of style.
The situation, however, has turned a new leaf in recent years. Through the
continuous efforts of a number of kung fu masters from Hong Kong and China,
the national skills have been successfully “exported” to the western world.
Tens of thousands of kung fu training gymnasiums have been established in
western countries, attracting a huge number of followers. Now that the
country boundary is broken, evolution is being revitalized and takes on a
new format. The strong development in other parts of the world has in turn
boosted the interest at home again, and prompted many of existing masters to
reinforce their skills and reshape their determination to propagate their
learning both locally and abroad. Let us hope this will continue and the
Chinese martial arts will regain its lustre in time to come.

 Non si leggono ;-/
....fà niente!!!
Robin


Forse, se davi il link...
(forse)
Ciao.

....fà niente!!!
????
io li leggo.
Grazie 
Ciao


uffa.....e tradurre no?
Giorgio (hung gar)
p.s.
non e' colpa mia....so' ignorante!

 (forse)
Sarebbe stato troppo semplice (forse) ;))))
Lo faccio per voi ^__^
Robin
(Praise Spring Boxing)