Savi
09-04-2003, 02:58 AM
A passing thought...
Cause and Effect...
I am currently under the impression that Shaolin kung fu was quite different before the Qing Dynasty rule. Presumably, many martial styles have been affected by the well known "9 Generation" rule, whom the ruling government enforcements killed off nine generations of your family if you were found to be considered a rebel (like practicing kung fu), right? I certainly do not have all the details about it, but I think that was the general idea. In any case, a lot of styles suffered from this new law.
Tai Chi for example, I have heard that many of its applications have disappeared along with the deaths of the many masters who trained it. Now much of what we see today does not consistently reflect what it presumably used to be like? Could I be wrong?
Words...
If this is true, then many Shaolin styles must have been different as well before the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. Wu Shu, which I believe used to mean 'military combat' has now become a performance type style of fighting. Kung Fu, which I believe used to mean anything you specialized in (like cooking or drawing) has now become the meaning for "Chinese Martial Arts". Even more so off target, people think that "Karate" means all types of fighting... no comment.
Would anyone share their thoughts or findings on this matter? I am looking forward to further discussion on this topic. Thanks!
Cause and Effect...
I am currently under the impression that Shaolin kung fu was quite different before the Qing Dynasty rule. Presumably, many martial styles have been affected by the well known "9 Generation" rule, whom the ruling government enforcements killed off nine generations of your family if you were found to be considered a rebel (like practicing kung fu), right? I certainly do not have all the details about it, but I think that was the general idea. In any case, a lot of styles suffered from this new law.
Tai Chi for example, I have heard that many of its applications have disappeared along with the deaths of the many masters who trained it. Now much of what we see today does not consistently reflect what it presumably used to be like? Could I be wrong?
Words...
If this is true, then many Shaolin styles must have been different as well before the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. Wu Shu, which I believe used to mean 'military combat' has now become a performance type style of fighting. Kung Fu, which I believe used to mean anything you specialized in (like cooking or drawing) has now become the meaning for "Chinese Martial Arts". Even more so off target, people think that "Karate" means all types of fighting... no comment.
Would anyone share their thoughts or findings on this matter? I am looking forward to further discussion on this topic. Thanks!