An examination of Bruce Lee’s kung fu from the perspective of Japanese martial arts: the Chinese culture of chivalrous heroes and Western science

2017 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Peng Guo ◽  
Sheng Ma ◽  
Wei Li
Keyword(s):  
Martial Arts ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Western Science ◽  
Kung Fu

Cultural Interpretation of the Central Plains Martial Arts

2014 ◽  
Vol 1044-1045 ◽  
pp. 1596-1599
Author(s):  
Hong Bo Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Martial Arts ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Cultural Development ◽  
Cultural Characteristics ◽  
Central Plains ◽  
Kung Fu ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Economic Zone

World of Chinese martial arts, Chinese martial arts to see the Central Plains. The quality of the development of the Central Plains martial arts, a great impact on Chinese martial arts culture and the whole development of Chinese culture will be. Taking cultural studies as a starting point, with the Central Plains geographical advantage and cultural advantages, take the Central Plains Economic Zone in the east, from the cultural characteristics of the Central Plains martial arts, kung fu cultural characteristics of the Central Plains, Central Plains martial arts and other aspects of cultural development strategy for the Central Plains martial arts culture conducted a systematic and comprehensive, in-depth study of combing with. Implications of the cultural implications of the Central Plains martial arts culture rediscovered in the new situation, renewed, and give it new content, so at a higher level to develop and conversion, and provide a powerful spiritual motivation for the construction of the Central Plains Economic Zone intellectual support.

scholarly journals Blending Myth and Modernity in the Global Chinese Cinema: The Hong Kong Action Hero in Zhang Yimou-Directed Hero

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-56
Author(s):  
Dhruba Karki
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Martial Arts ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Body Art ◽  
Modern China ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Chinese Cinema ◽  
Chinese Empire ◽  
Action Hero

 Zhang Yimou’s Hero presents an action hero, yet in a slightly different cinematic mode than that of Stephen Chow-directed Shaolin Soccer to blend myth and modernity. In Yimou’s martial arts cinema, Jet Li-starred Nameless hero uses martial arts to combat the king’s adversaries, including Donnie Yen-starred Long Sky, Maggie Cheung-starred Flying Snow and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai-starred Broken Sword in the service to the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 207 BC). The warrior hero’s indigenous body art helps the Qin Dynasty transform the smaller warring kingdoms into a powerful Chinese Empire, a strong foundation of modern China with economic and military superpower. Like their western counterparts, including T1000 and Neo, the Hong Kong action heroes, such as the warrior hero and the Qin King have been refashioned in the Hollywood controlled twentieth-century popular culture. Different from their Hollywood counterparts in actions, the Hong Kong action heroes in Hero primarily use their trained bodies and martial skills to promote the Chinese civilization, an adaptation of the Hollywood tradition of technologized machine body. Reworking of myth and archetype in Nameless’s service to the Qin Dynasty and the emperor’s mission to incept the Chinese Empire, the Hong Kong action heroes appear on screen, a blend of tradition and modernity. The film industry’s projection of the Chinese history with the legendary action heroes, including Nameless soldier and the Qin King globalizes the indigenous Chinese culture by using modern electronic digital technology, a resonance of the western technological advancement.

scholarly journals First International Conference between West and East—Leonardo and Lao-Tze. Western Science Meets Eastern Wisdom. Experiences of Scientists and Intellectuals for the Creation of a New Paradigm of Modern Science

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-54
Author(s):  
Flavio Daniele
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Martial Arts ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Western Science ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Eastern Culture ◽  
International Conference ◽  
European School ◽  
E Mail

TheConferencewas organized and supported by:Nei Dan School(European School of Internal Martial Arts),NIB(Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Bioengineering, National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Institute of Cardiology, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna),WACIMA(Worldwide Association Chinese Internal Martial Arts),Arti D’Oriente(Magazine of Eastern culture and traditions),Nuovo Orizzonte(Taiji Quan School in Florence),Samurai(Journal on Martial Arts), andPinus(First National Institute for the Unification of Medical Strategies). Nei Dan School (www.taichineidan.com, [email protected]) was in charge of the organization. Future meetings of the Centro studi ‘Tao and Science’ will take place in spring 2007 in Firenze and in October 2007 in Bologna. For information: E-mail: [email protected]; web site: www.taichineidan.com, www.taoandscience.com.

Force, Reaction Time, and Precision of Kung Fu Strikes

2009 ◽  
Vol 109 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osmar Pinto Neto ◽  
Marcos Tadeu Tavares Pacheco ◽  
Richard Bolander ◽  
Cynthia Bir
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Pressure Sensor ◽  
Martial Arts ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Load Cell ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Kung Fu ◽  
Force Reaction ◽  
Force Data

The goal was to compare values of force, precision, and reaction time of several martial arts punches and palm strikes performed by advanced and intermediate Kung Fu practitioners, both men and women. 13 Kung Fu practitioners, 10 men and three women, participated. Only the men, three advanced and seven intermediate, were considered for comparisons between levels. Reaction time values were obtained using two high speed cameras that recorded each strike at 2500 Hz. Force of impact was measured by a load cell. For comparisons of groups, force data were normalized by participant's body mass and height. Precision of the strikes was determined by a high speed pressure sensor. The results show that palm strikes were stronger than punches. Women in the study presented, on average, lower values of reaction time and force but higher values of precision than men. Advanced participants presented higher forces than intermediate participants. Significant negative correlations between the values of force and precision and the values of force and reaction time were also found.

scholarly journals Estudio bibliométrico sobre las monografías de artes marciales publicadas en España (1906-2006)

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikel Pérez Gutiérrez ◽  
Carlos Gutiérrez García
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Martial Arts ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Spanish Society ◽  
Kung Fu ◽  
Sporting Performance

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;" lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This paper examines the martial arts monographs published in Spain between 1906 and 2006 from a bibliometric point of view. Starting from Pérez and Gutiérrez’s previous bibliography (2008), the total number of published monographs following the criteria of subject, decade and the combination of both was analyzed. The results showed a total of 2.036 books (1.285 original editions) with a prevalence of Japanese and Chinese martial arts. A group of eight subjects exceeded a hundred volumes (karate, judo/jujutsu, taijiquan, wu-shu/kung fu, classics, qigong, philosophy, history and education, and aikido), with two patterns of bibliographic evolution appearing. The first, represented by Japanese martial arts considered as a group and martial arts focused on the utilitarian and/or sporting performance aspects (judo/jujutsu, karate and wu-shu/kung fu), developed increasingly until the 80’s when it followed a steady-state and/or drop. The second model, which characterises the Chinese martial arts group and martial arts mainly focused on healthy and/or spiritual aspects of training (taijiquan, qigong, aikido), has increased significantly from the 90’s until the present moment. The interpretation of these patterns and the evolution of the martial arts bibliographic production in Spain highlights some aspects such as the development of the Spanish society and sports practice, bibliographic production, reading habits, or the cultural influences of eastern countries on Spain.</span></span></span></p>

scholarly journals Conditioning Weapons: Ethnography of the Practice of Martial Arts Training

Societies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Domaneschi
Keyword(s):  
Martial Arts ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Kung Fu ◽  
Affective Component ◽  
Cognitive Components ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Drawing on the inspiring work by Wacquant about apprenticeship in boxing, I present data generated from a five-year ethnographic study of one Wushu Kung Fu Association in Italy. Drawing on a Bourdieusian version of theories of social practice, the aim is to investigate in depth the relationship between habitus and materials, as it seems an underestimated issue both in Wacquant’s presentation and in most martial arts studies developed from his work. The aim is to explore the relationship between the practitioner and the set of weapons—a chief part of the martial art training—as an endless work of conditioning. To this aim, according to what Wacquant calls “enactive ethnography”, I completely immersed myself inside the fieldwork in order to be able to explore the phenomenon and to personally test its operative mechanism. The challenge here is to enter the theatre of action and, to the highest degree possible, train in the ways of the people studied so as to gain a visceral apprehension of their universe as materials and springboard for its analytic reconstruction. Drawing on the difference between the cognitive, conative, and emotive components of habitus through which, according to Bourdieu, social agents navigate social space and animate their lived world, I show how conditioning works not only on the conative or cognitive components (learning techniques and incorporating kinetic schemes), but how a deeper psychological form of conditioning also comes into play, which aims to neutralize the shock due to the fear generated by the threat of a contusion. It is at this point, therefore, that the affective component of the habitus becomes crucial in constructing a sort of intimacy bond with the tool. The detectable transformation in the habitus of the practitioner, eventually, can be deciphered, starting from the characteristics of the tool that produces, in the ways and limits given by its material features, such a transformation. In the end, I stress the relevance of recognizing the active role of objects in transforming the habitus and I briefly discuss the potentiality of enactive ethnography in analyzing social practices.

The Invention of Martial Arts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Martial Arts ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Cultural Construction ◽  
Media History ◽  
Power Politics ◽  
Kung Fu ◽  
Financial Gain ◽  
Real Material ◽  
The Status ◽  
History Of

The Invention of Martial Arts examines the media history of what we now call ‘martial arts’ and argues that martial arts is a cultural construction that was born in film, TV, and other media. It argues that ‘martial arts’ exploded into popular consciousness entirely thanks to the work of media. Of course, the book does not deny the existence of real, material histories and non-media dimensions in martial arts practices. But it thoroughly recasts the status of such histories, combining recent myth-busting findings in historical martial arts research with important insights into the discontinuous character of history, the widespread ‘invention of tradition’, the orientalism and imagined geographies that animate many ideas about history, and the frequent manipulation of history for reasons of status, cultural capital, private or public power, politics, and/or financial gain. In doing so, the book argues for the primacy of media representation as key player in the emergence and spread of martial arts, and overturns the dominant belief that ‘real practices’ are primary while representations are secondary. The book makes its case via historical analysis of the British media history of such Eastern and Western martial arts as Bartitsu, jujutsu, judo, karate, taiji, and mixed martial arts (MMA) across a range of media, from newspapers, comics, and books to cartoons, films, and TV series, as well as television adverts and music videos, focusing on often overlooked texts such as adverts for ‘Hai Karate’, the 1970s hit ‘Kung Fu Fighting’, and other mainstream and marginal media texts.

Chinese Engagement with the Australian Colonial Charity Model

2020 ◽  
pp. 138-153
Author(s):  
Pauline Rule
Keyword(s):  
Martial Arts ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Fund Raising ◽  
Host Society ◽  
Public Events ◽  
The People ◽  
Australian Colonial ◽  
Cantonese Opera ◽  
Support Fund

This chapter examines the Chinese response to the need of the people of Victoria, in the southeastern corner of Australia, to continually raise funds to support their charitable institutions. Resolved to avoid the taxes associated with a state based system of caring for the sick, elderly and poor, the settlers of Victoria established institutions that required public support. Fund raising was a constant concern resulting in frequent public events for charities, such as processions, fairs and grand bazaars. Chinese communities generously participated in these events and proved to be great assets for fundraising committees. They fashioned a means to utilize western fascination with the splendor of aspects of Chinese culture, to serve Victoria’s need to support its charitable institutions. The costumes, and acrobatic and martial arts traditions of Cantonese opera were publicly displayed and demonstrated to extensive gatherings. Eventually the processing of a Chinese dragon was also used to attract crowds to charity events. Despite the restrictions that the host society placed on Chinese immigration the Chinese in Melbourne and various Victorian country towns readily expended considerable energy and money in responding to frequent calls for their involvement in charity events.

scholarly journals Nothingness in motion: Theorizing Bruce Lee’s action aesthetics

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-380
Author(s):  
Wayne Wong
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Kung Fu ◽  
Bruce Lee ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Chinese Aesthetics ◽  
Global Action ◽  
The Aesthetic ◽  
Action Cinema ◽  
Shed Light

This article argues that Bruce Lee revolutionized kung fu cinema not only by increasing its authenticity and combativity but also by revealing its inherent connection to wuyi (武意), or martial ideation. Martial ideation refers to a specific negotiation of action and stasis in martial arts performance which contains a powerful overflow of emotion in tranquility. Since the early 1970s, Bruce Lee’s kung fu films have been labeled “chop-socky,” offering only fleeting visual and visceral pleasures. Subsequently, several studies explored the cultural significance and political implications of Lee’s films. However, not much attention has been paid to their aesthetic composition—in particular, how cinematic kung fu manifests Chinese aesthetics and philosophy on choreographic, cinematographic, and narrative levels. In Lee’s films, the concept of martial ideation is embodied in the Daoist notion of wu (nothingness), a metaphysical void that is invisible, nameless, and formless. Through a close reading of Laozi’s Daodejing (道德經), it is possible to discover two traits of nothingness—namely, reversal and return—which are characteristics of Lee’s representation of martial ideation. The former refers to a paradigmatic shift from concreteness to emptiness, while the latter makes such a shift reversible and perennial via the motif of circularity. The discussion focuses on films in which Lee’s creative influence is clearly discernible, such as Fist of Fury (1972), The Way of the Dragon (1972), and the surviving footage intended for The Game of Death featured in Bruce Lee: A Warrior’s Journey (2000). These films shed light on the complicated relationship between the cinematic (action and stasis), the martial (Jeet Kune Do), the aesthetic (ideation), and the philosophical (Daoism). The goal is to stimulate a more balanced discussion of Lee’s films both from the perspective of global action cinema and Chinese culture.

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