“Organized by the Kenya Martial Arts Association, the event saw more than sixty young people come together to face off in the country’s Kiambu County on June 13, 2021.” –  CGTN News Africa

In recent years martial arts like Kung-Fu have gained tremendous popularity in the country.  In the latest event competitors ranged from 4-20 years old and donned traditional Chinese wardrobe.  Over 60 Kenyans competed in the competition.

“Zhou Meifen, cultural counselor at the Chinese embassy in Kenya said that martial arts are a very important part of Chinese traditional culture and are getting popular among Kenyans. She said China hoped to hold more such activities in the future to promote the friendship between China and Kenya.”

(Photos and video: Liao Liang / CGTN Africa)

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Jackie Chan in a still from Drunken Master

In this regular feature series on the best of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars, and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved genre.

When it was released in 1978, Drunken Master started a new trend for kung fu comedies and made

Jackie Chan a star across all of Asia. The movie was the second collaboration between Chan and director Yuen Woo-ping, and expanded on the comedic aspects of their previous film, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (also 1978).

Chan portrayed Cantonese hero Wong Fei-hung as a naughty student who learns a style of kung fu that can only be performed while drinking. The film paired him with Yuen’s father Yuen Siu-tien, a veteran actor and martial arts instructor who had often appeared in the classic Wong Fei-hung films featuring Kwan Tak-hing.

Before these two films, Chan had been directed by Lo Wei (the director of Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss and

Fist of Fury), who had been trying to turn him into a clone of Lee. Drunken Master established the cheeky image that stuck with Chan for most of his career.

Drunken kung fu does really exist – moves using lurching movements and falling have been incorporated into Shaolin kung fu, for instance – although it is not a style in its own right, and does not actually involve alcohol. But the drunken kung fu in Drunken Master was invented by Chan and Yuen.

In a 1998 interview, Chan told this writer how Drunken Master came about.

Jackie Chan (right) in Drunken Master.

What prompted your move into comedy kung fu?

I was contracted to Lo Wei, but he wanted to turn me into another

Bruce Lee. I had a different style to Bruce, my own style, so that wasn’t working, and I was looking to make a change.

Lo Wei lent me out to Ng See-yuen’s Seasonal Films to make a film with Yuen Woo-ping, and I suggested that we make a comedy. We all agreed that we should do something different. When Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow came out, it was a big success.

You’d never done comedy before – how did you deal with the comedy elements?

The script helped me a lot. Also, Yuen Woo-ping and me were the same age, so it was different to working with an old director, as I could offer suggestions. We communicated well – it was not like talking to Lo Wei, who would just tell me what to do and not allow me to talk.

One day I held my breath for too long and fell over. I had to do it for more than one take, remember – the fighting scenes need 20 takes or 30 takesJackie Chan

Drunken Master was a massive success …

It was an even bigger success than Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow because we knew what the audience would like. They liked the combination of me and Yuen Siu-tien, so we did it again.

Audiences also liked the way I portrayed Wong Fei-hung as a disrespectful student. My personality is not like that of Wong Fei-hung [as portrayed in the films starring Kwan Tak-hing], so I didn’t want to do him the way he had been done before.

Jackie Chan (right) in Drunken Master.

Drunken kung fu is real, but I heard you invented your own version for the film.

Yes, that’s right. When everyone was sleeping after shooting, I would go home and try things out in front of the mirror. I just did drunken things, and thought about how I could make use of them. I kept thinking, how can I fight properly and look like I am drunk? It is difficult to do that.

What solution did you come up with?

I held my breath when I was punching – that made me feel very dizzy, like I was drunk. I did it over and over. If you do that, it looks like you are fighting when you are drunk. That was tough to do, and I did it every day for three months.

One day I held my breath for too long and fell over. I had to do it for more than one take, remember – the fighting scenes need 20 takes or 30 takes.

Original Article:

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3046220/hong-kong-martial-arts-cinema-jackie-chan-inventing-his

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In this regular feature series on the best of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars, and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved genre.

Although Bruce Lee’s personal philosophy emphasized humility, he was adept at promoting himself, his films, and kung fu – especially if it gave him a chance to criticize karate, which was then the most well-known martial arts form in the West.

Below is a selection of Lee’s notable quotes, sourced from John Little’s book Words of the Dragon and other interviews.

“Kung Fu was used by Taoist priests and Chinese monks as a philosophy or way of thinking, in which the idea of giving with adversity, to bend slightly and then spring up stronger than before, [is] practiced. Kung fu is not preoccupied with breaking bricks and smashing boards, such as karate. We’re more concerned with having it affect our whole way of thinking and behaving.” Seattle Times, early 1960s.

Bruce Lee demonstrates his famous one-inch punch at the Long Beach International Karate Championships in 1964.

“It’s not like karate, where they grunt and yip and, and where they miss, and chop the table in two with their hand. Kung fu is simplicity.” Newspaper interview, 1966. To prove his point, Lee defeats an entire karate school in his second martial arts film, 1972’s Fist of Fury.

“I’d probably break my hand and foot.” Lee in a television interview in 1971, replying to the question, Could you break five or six pieces of wood with your hand or your foot?

“I say that if you want to do something beautiful, do modern dancing. What good would it do a boxer to learn to meditate? He’s a fighter, not a monk. It’s all too ritualistic, what with all that bowing and posturing.

“That sort of oriental self-defense is like swimming on land. You can learn all the swimming strokes, but if you’re never in the water, it’s nonsense.

“These guys never fight. They all want to break three-inch boards or two bricks or something. Why? That doesn’t make them fighters.” A not-so-veiled attack on karate in The St Paul Dispatch, 1968.

“What I am trying to do is start a whole trend of martial arts films in the US. To me, they are much more interesting than the gunslinging sagas of the West. In the Westerns, you are dealing solely with guns. Here we deal with everything. It is an expression of the human body.” The Hong Kong Star, 1971.

Around this time, Lee had an idea for a US television show called The Warrior, which featured a kung fu master in the Old West. The project did not get off the ground, but a similar series, called Kung Fu, was made with David Carradine as the kung fu master, and aired in 1972. It’s rumoured that the producers of Kung Fu stole Lee’s idea.

“What I long for is to make a real good movie. But, unfortunately, few local producers can live up to my expectations. In fact, I would be happy to sit down for a long talk with anyone who takes filming seriously. I would be quite satisfied if it is just talk.” The China Mail, 1972.

After a negative experience with veteran director Lo Wei on The Big Boss, Lee did not regard local directors highly. He choreographed his own fight scenes in Fist of Fury, and directed his third martial arts film, Way of the Dragon.

Bruce Lee in 1971 was talking about doing US martial arts films. Photo: SCMP

Original Article:

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3047560/hong-kong-martial-arts-cinema-bruce-lees-quotes-karate

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Natalie Lucas, a third-year in neuroscience, performing a martial arts demonstration. Credit: Aaron Lien| Lantern Reporter

An Ohio State kung fu club proved that “Avatar: The Last Airbender” continues to draw crowds, finding its largest audience yet with a themed panel showcasing traditional martial arts at Ohayocon.

Students from the Dragon Phoenix Wushu team performed in front of roughly 1,000 people in the Hyatt Regency Ballroom during the 20th-annual Ohayocon anime convention Saturday. The performance featured live demonstrations of martial arts styles and techniques that inspired the Nickelodeon series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

“Directly translated, ‘wushu’ just means the Chinese martial arts, but you probably know it as kung fu,” Natalie Lucas, a third-year in neuroscience and wushu club vice president, said during the panel.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” is an American-made animated series that draws heavily from Chinese martial arts and imagery, with an art style similar to Japanese anime. The show follows the titular Avatar, Aang, the only person capable of controlling water, earth, fire and air, as he tries to bring peace across the four nations of the world. Each of the elements is controlled using a different form of kung fu, which were each demonstrated in the performance.

The panel began with a performance set to the show’s opening theme song. Then, club members took turns demonstrating their wushu and weapon skills while educating the audience on the traditional martial art. Featured weapons included spears, fans and straight swords.

Lucas said this was her first time organizing and hosting a panel for the con, but she has been attending Ohayocon since age 12. She said watching “Avatar: The Last Airbender” when she was 13 initially inspired her to pursue martial arts, and the idea for the panel came from wanting to merge two of her interests.

After spending three years learning Northern Shaolin kung fu before coming to Ohio State, Lucas said she found that the wushu club was the only kung fu club the university offered. She said she has been in the club since her first year.

“We were all really nervous when people started filing in, but in the end, this is a performative martial art, and we’re here because we love putting on a show for people,” Lucas said. After the panel, Lucas walked the con floor cosplaying Suki, a fan-wielding character from the show.

Thomas Bozzi, a third-year in aerospace engineering and the club’s president, said that compared with other performances, nearly every club member was able to participate in some way at Ohayocon. He added that he was happy to see so many members getting involved.

“This is definitely the largest crowd we’ve had, by far,” Bozzi said. “Hopefully we can come back next year.”

Bozzi said that when coming to Ohio State and looking for clubs to join, he wanted to try a new martial art that is performance-based instead of ones that are more practical.

“I have a lot of fun. I really enjoy going on stage, I really enjoy performing, and then I also just enjoy martial arts,” Bozzi said.

Lucas said wushu has kept her sane as she faces stress from her STEM major. She said many of her closest friends at the university are on the team, and she always has the club to center herself and exercise both her body and mind.

“Wushu, to me, it means community. It means activity, exercise, family,” Lucas said. “It’s comfort.”

Dragon Phoenix Wushu meets from 7 to 9 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the RPAC Multipurpose Room 3.

Original article by: Aaron Lien

Wushu club in its element with TV-inspired demo

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An amendment to a law that was already on the books makes no mention of key points raised on junk-news sites.

In late November 2019, conspiracy sites started posting an article originally published by Natural News, that falsely reported the state of Virginia will consider legislation outlawing martial arts and firearms instruction.

Under the headline, “PROPOSED VIRGINIA LAW WOULD OUTLAW KRAV MAGA, BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU, KICKBOXING, TAI CHI, FIREARMS INSTRUCTION AND SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING,” the story reads:

The law would instantly transform all martial arts instructors into criminal felons. This includes instructors who teach kickboxing, BJJ, Krav Maga, boxing and even Capoeira.

It would also criminalize all firearms training classes, including concealed carry classes.

It would even criminalize a father teaching his own son how to use a hunting rifle.

None of this is true, and oddly enough, the story in question includes not only a link to the bill but copy-and-pasted bill language, so readers can see for themselves that the proposed legislation does not say what Natural News claimed it said.

Virginia, like nearly all other U.S. states, already had a law on the books restricting unlawful private military-type activity. The current Virginia law renders it a felony if a person:

1. Teaches or demonstrates to any other person the use, application, or making of any firearm, explosive or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, knowing or having reason to know or intending that such training will be employed for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder; or

2. Assembles with one or more persons for the purpose of training with, practicing with, or being instructed in the use of any firearm, explosive or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, intending to employ such training for use in, or in furtherance of, a civil disorder.

Senate Bill 64 would amend the current law by also making it illegal to, “[Assemble] with one or more persons with the intent of intimidating any person or group of persons by drilling, parading, or marching with any firearm, any explosive or incendiary device, or any components or combination thereof.” The amendment makes no mention of martial arts or firearms classes.

As the Georgetown Law Institute for Constitutional Law and Protection noted, Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 was the site of deadly violence resulting from a white supremacist rally at which:

Several white nationalist groups arrived outfitted in helmets and matching uniforms and deployed shields, batons, clubs, and flagpoles as weapons in skirmishes with counter-protestors that the instigating groups coordinated under centralized command structures. Meanwhile, private militia groups—many dressed in camouflage fatigues, tactical vests, helmets, and combat boots, and most bearing assault rifles—stood guard as self-designated protectors of the protestors and counter protestors. The heavily armed presence and coordinated paramilitary activities of all of these groups not only increased the prevalence of violence at the rally, but also made it more dangerous for state and local law enforcement to maintain public safety. Moreover, the attire and behavior of some of the self professed militia led to confusion as to who was authorized to lawfully keep the peace.

Although Natural News chalked this amendment up to the fact that voters in November 2019 handed Virginia’s state government over to a Democratic majority for the first time in a generation, that characterization is misleading.

The bill’s sponsor, Louise Lucas, is a Democrat, but Lucas is not part of the new Democratic legislative majority; she assumed her Virginia Senate seat in 1992. Furthermore, as we earlier noted, almost all states in the U.S., with both Democratic and Republican leadership, have some type of law outlawing certain paramilitary activities or at least restricting unauthorized private militias. Virginia’s law predates its new Democratic state majority.

Finally, the laws don’t make it illegal for martial arts or shooting-range instructors to teach students disciplines like “krav maga, Brazilian jiu jitsu, kickboxing, tai chi” or “firearms instruction.” The laws restrict people from various military-like activities that result in violence and civil disorder. The amendment to the Virginia law, specifically, prohibits marching with weapons or explosives for the purpose of intimidation. We therefore rate this claim “False.”

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Some legends say that an Indian Buddhist priest named Bodhidharma (Tamo in Chinese), was the founder of Kung fu. Bodhidharma traveled to China to see the Emperor Wu of Liang (Xiāo Yǎn) sometime in the 527 CE. The Emperor had started a large project of having local Buddhist monks translate Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese. The Emperor’s intent was to allow the general populace the ability to practice Buddhism freely without the need of a scholar’s mind.

This was a noble project, but when the Emperor believed this to be his path to Nirvana, Bodhidharma disagreed. Bodhidharma’s view on Buddhism was that you could not achieve your goal just through good actions performed by others in your name. At this point the Emperor and the Monk parted ways and Bodhidharma then traveled to the nearby Buddhist temple to meet with the monks who were translating these Buddhist texts.

The temple had been built years before in the remains of a forest that had been cleared or burned down. At the time of the building of the temple, the emperor’s gardeners had also planted new trees. Thus, the temple was named “young (or new) forest”, (Shaolin in Mandarin, Sil Lum in Cantonese).

When Bodhidharma arrived at the temple, he was refused admittance, probably being thought of as an upstart or foreign meddler by the head abbot Fang Chang. Rejected by the monks, Bodhidharma went to a nearby cave and meditated until the monks recognized his religious prowess and admitted him. Legend has it that he bored a hole through one side of the cave with his constant gaze.

When Bodhidharma joined the monks, he observed that they were not in good physical condition. Most of their routine revolved around spending hours each day hunched over tables where they transcribed handwritten texts. Consequently, the Shaolin monks lacked the physical and mental stamina needed to perform even the most basic of Buddhist meditation practices. Bodhidharma countered this weakness by teaching them moving exercises, designed to both enhance chi flow and build strength. These sets, modified from Indian yoga (mainly hatha, and raja) were based on the movements of the 18 main animals in Indo-Chinese iconography (e.g., tiger, deer, leopard, cobra, snake, dragon, etc.) This is thought by some to be the beginnings of Shaolin Kung Fu.

It is hard to say exactly when these exercises evolved to become “martial arts”. Some say that because the Shaolin temple was in a secluded area where bandits and wild animals were an occasional problem for the wandering monks, that the martial side of the temple probably started out to fulfill their self-defense needs. After a while, these movements were codified into a system of self-defense. Often military officers and soldiers would retire to monasteries where they too would share their considerable martial knowledge as they worked to conquer the battlefield within. Martial arts is ever evolving, no matter its’ source, it belongs to the people of each subsequent generation to add or remove what is needed to meet the needs of their time.

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Zhang recalled that she once fought a bully when she was young. The bully was beating his wife when Zhang saw him. To uphold justice, Zhang grabbed his collar, ripped his shirt off and urged him to behave well.

She wakes up very early and does physical exercises every morning. She usually runs around the village for morning exercise.

Zhang is a warm-hearted woman willing to help others, which is one of the secrets to her longevity.

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