Nov 18 2008
Inida National Museum
Archive for the 'Culture' Category
Oct 28 2008
History of Chinese Kung Fu
Chinese Kung Fu combines both of theory and practice and combines the techniques of self-defense and obtaining good health.
It is thought that the origins of Chinese Kung Fu can be traced to primeval society. At that time people use cudgels to fight wild beasts and they slowly accumulated experience in self defense. During the Shang Dynasty, hunting was considered as an important part of Kung Fu training.
During Shang and Zhou Dynasties, martial arts evolved into a kind of dancing. Usually the dancing movements in martial arts were utilized to train soldiers and increase morale. During Zhou Dynasty, martial-arts dancing were designated as a component of education. The application of wrestling techniques at the battlefield received much attention from various states during the period of Spring and Autumn. The emperor held twice yearly wrestling contests spring and autumn to select the best exponents of martial arts. At the same time, the skill and technology in sword forging was increasing and the sword ceremony developed rapidly. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, wrestling, swordplay, and martial arts dancing were very popular. A well known instance was Xiang Zhuang’s Sword Dancing in Hongmen Banquet of the same period. The style of his performance was very close to today’s martial arts. Spear play reached its summit in Han Dynasty when many techniques for spear usage were practiced. The Five-animal-style exercise was another innovation of Hua Tuo in the development of Chinese martial arts.
Kung Fu examinations were proposed and implemented during the Tang Dynasty. The best combatants would receive titles and awards through the examination thereby propelling the development of martial arts. By this time martial arts had evolved to be an artistic form and an independent genre and were gradually introduced to many countries in Southeast Asia. Today Kung Fu is honored as the ancestor of kickboxing, karate, aikido, and judo.
The Song and Yuan Dynasties was one highpoint Kung Fu’s development and the practice of Kung Fu by civil organizations became more and more popular. Some organizations or clubs centered on the use of spear play and cudgel, and they were called Yinglue Organizations; while others majored in the practice of arching and therefore called Arching Origination. Performer called Luqi People made a living by performing martial arts all over the country. Usually the performances were carried out by a one or two people.
Chinese Kung Fu thrived during the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty saw many genres came into being and numerous books on martial arts were published. The Emperors of the Qing Dynasty banned the practice of martial arts, and the folk had to set up clubs or societies to pass down the secrets of the art. Many schools sprang up with example being taiji, xingyi shadowboxing, eight–diagram shadowboxing. The Qing Dynasty also saw the integration among genre. Wrestling techniques were introduced into martial arts, facilitating its improvement and maturing. This period was a watershed shed between genres for appreciation and those for actual combat.
In 1927 the Central National Martial Arts Society was established and in August, 1936, Chinese Martial Arts Team went to Berlin to participate the Olympics Games. The Chinese Martial Arts Association was established and in 1985 the International Marital Arts Invitational Tournament was held in Xi’an with the establishment of International Martial Arts League.
The first Asian Martial Arts Tournament was held in Hengbin in 1987 and in 1990, martial arts were for the first time listed as a competition event in the 11th Asian Games. In 1999, The International Martial Arts League was invited to join the International Individual Events Federation by International Olympic Committee. That was the sign of Chinese Martial Arts global acceptance & appeal.
Oct 28 2008
Chinese Kungfu
Kung fu, (also known as wushu or martial arts) is one of the most well known examples of traditional Chinese culture. It is probably one of the earliest and longest lasting sports which utilize both brawn and brain. The theory of Kung Fu is based upon classical Chinese philosophy. Over its long history it has developed as a unique combination of exercise, practical self-defense, self-discipline and art. In sports like track and field, ball sports, weightlifting, and boxing, an athlete typically has to retire from full participation in his 30s. Injuries sustained during years of active sport participation at a young age can that affect our health in later life. In Chinese Kung fu, however, a distinction is made between “external” and “internal” kung fu. It is said that “In external kung fu, you exercise your tendons, bones, and skin; in internal kung fu, you train your spirit your qi, and your mind.”
Oct 07 2008
Double Ninth Festival
The 9th day of the 9th lunar month is the traditional Chongyang Festival, or Double Ninth Festival. It usually falls in October in the Gregorian calendar. In an ancient and mysterious book Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, number “6″ was thought to be of Yin character, meaning feminine or negative, while number “9″ was thought to be Yang, meaning masculine or positive. So the number nine in both month and day create the Double Ninth Festival, or Chongyang Festival. Chong in Chinese means “double.” Also, as double ninth was pronounced the same as the word to signify “forever”, both are “Jiu Jiu,” the Chinese ancestors considered it an auspicious day worth celebration. That’s why ancient Chinese began to celebrate this festival long time ago.
The custom of ascending a height to avoid epidemics was passed down from long time ago. Therefore, the Double Ninth Festival is also called “Height Ascending Festival”. The height people will reach is usually a mountain or a tower. Ancient literary figures have left many poems depicting the activity. Even today, people still swarm to famous or little known mountains on this day.
On this day, people will eat Double Ninth Gao (or Cake). In Chinese, gao (cake) has the same pronunciation with gao (height). People do so just to hope progress in everything they are engaged in. There is no fixed ways for the Double Ninth Cake, but super cakes will have as many as nine layers, looking like a tower.
The Double Ninth Festival is also a time when chrysanthemum blooms. China boasts diversified species of chrysanthemum and people have loved them since ancient times. So enjoying the flourishing chrysanthemum also becomes a key activity on this festival. Also, people will drink chrysanthemum wine. Women used to stick such a flower into their hair or hang its branches on windows or doors to avoid evilness.
In 1989, the Chinese government decided the Double Ninth Festival as Seniors’ Day. Since then, all government units, organizations and streets communities will organize an autumn trip each year for those who have retired from their posts. At the waterside or on the mountains, the seniors will find themselves merged into nature. Younger generations will bring elder ones to suburban areas or send gifts to them on this day.
Sep 13 2008
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival
Today, Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival with dances, feasting and moon gazing. Not to mention mooncakes. While baked goods are a common feature at most Chinese celebrations, mooncakes are inextricably linked with the Moon festival. One type of traditional mooncake is filled with lotus seed paste (see side photo). Roughly the size of a human palm, these mooncakes are quite filling, meant to be cut diagonally in quarters and passed around. This explains their rather steep price (around $5.00 in Canada). A word of caution: the salty yolk in the middle, representing the full moon, is an acquired taste.
More elaborate versions of mooncakes contain four egg yolks (representing the four phases of the moon). Besides lotus seed paste, other traditional fillings include red bean paste and black bean paste. Unfortunately for dieters, mooncakes are rather high in calories.
While in the past mooncakes took up to four weeks to make, automation has speeded up the process considerably. Today, mooncakes may be filled with everything from dates, nuts, and fruit to Chinese sausages. More exotic creations include green tea mooncakes, and ping pei or snowskin mooncakes, a Southeast Asian variation made with cooked glutinous rice flour. Haagen-Daz has even gotten into the act by introducing a line of ice cream mooncakes in Asian markets.
Sep 13 2008
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
It is the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, this year it is on Sep14, 2008 in Gregorian calender.
The festival has a long history. In ancient China, empers followed the rite for offering sacrifices to the sun in spring and to the moon in autumn. Historical books of the Zhou Dynasy had had the word“Mid-Autumn”. Later aristocrats and lierary figures helped expand the ceremony to common people. They enjoyed the full, bright moon on that day, warshiped it and expressed their thouhgts and feelings under it. By the Tang Dynasy, the Mid-Autumn Festival had been fixed, which became even grander in the Song Dynasy. In the Qing and Qing dynasties, it grew to be a major festival of China.
People in different places follow various customs, but all show their love and longing for a better life. Today people will enjoy the full moon and eat moon cakes on that day. The moon looks extremely round, big and bright on the 15th day of each lunar month. People selected the August 15th to celebrate because it is a season when crops and fruits are all ripe and weather pleasant. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, all famliy members or friends meet outside, putting food on tables and looking up at the sky while talking about life. How splendid a moment it is!
Jun 07 2008
Eating Zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival
Zongzi is an essential food of the Dragon boat festival.
Jun 06 2008
The Dragon Boat racing
Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. As the fun is fired, people will see racers in dragon shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniously and hurriedly, accompanied bu rapid drums, speeding toward their destination. Folk tales say the game originates from the activities of seeking Qu Yuan’s body, but experts, after painstaking and meticulous research, conclude that dargon boat racing is a semi-religious, semi-entertaing program from the Warring States Period. In the following thousands of years, the game spread to Japan, Vietnam and Britan as well as China’s Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Now dragon boat racing has developed into an aquatic sports item which features both Chinese tradition and modern sport spirit. In 1980, it was listed into the state sports competion programs and has since been held every year. The award is called Qu Yuan Cup.