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Post by GM-Neal on Jun 24, 2006 10:41:50 GMT 8
I will Post this Hear all so, so Members of this forum can see it.. Dear Kung Fu / Tai Chi Masters and Officials of Kung Fu Organizations, We greet you and would like to draw your attention to a deeply distressing news. DECLARATION of the Masters Board of International Kung Fu Federation (IKF) Dear friends, Today so-called International Wushu Federation benefits from Kung Fu and Tai Chi styles as well as works straightaway for elimination of all the traditional styles of Kung Fu and Tai Chi. This organization (International Wushu Federation) acts upon the orders of the communist leaders diplomatically to eliminate Kung Fu in China as well as to destroy the Shaolin Temple. We address to all the Kung Fu and Tai Chi masters, the officials of Kung Fu and Tai Chi organizations, Kung Fu actors and international Kung Fu and Tai Chi organizations to assist us to prevent this big tragedy. Today we welcome all the Kung Fu and Tai Chi organizations to a unity. We request the officials of all the international Kung Fu and Tai Chi organizations to support us to distribute this decleration to the other Kung Fu and Tai Chi organizations. The Shaolin Temple has never bowed to the communist leaders firmly and is not going to do it either. IKF Masters Board www.internationalkungfu.com
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Post by GM-Neal on Dec 4, 2006 14:09:15 GMT 8
OK, I am Back. Got Tied up with all kinds of Stuff , so for give me Guys working on a few things Like the Boxer Rebellion i plan on posting soon, i hope all will like. Hope every one is do well
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Post by Colin Wee on Dec 5, 2006 9:25:06 GMT 8
Welcome back GM Neal, good to see you here again.
How would you like to do me a favour and start off some discussion based off of your approach to kata and pressure point training?
Re: Boxer Rebellion? That was quite a few years ago wasn't it? :-)
Colin
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Post by GM-Neal on Dec 5, 2006 12:37:29 GMT 8
;D Yep it was, long before my time. But here it is hope you all like.
The Boxer Rebelion And It’s Influence On The Shaolin
Influence
Throughout the nineteenth century, China's emperors had watched as foreigners encroached further and further upon their land. Time and again, foreigners forced China to make humiliating concessions. Foreign regiments, armed with modern weapons, consistently defeated entire imperial armies. Now, as a new century was about to begin, Tsu Hsi, empress dowager of the Ch'ing Dynasty, searched for a way to rid her empire of foreign parasites. Austria, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and Russia all claimed exclusive trading rights to certain parts of China. They were dividing China into "spheres of influence." Some even claimed to own the territory within their spheres. By acquiring the Philippines, the United States became an Asian power too. Now, with a strong base of operations just 400 miles from China, American businesses hoped to take advantage of China's vast resources. The foreign spheres of influence, however, threatened their ambitions. So while the empress was hoping to close China to foreigners, Americans were looking for a way in. John Hay, now Secretary of State, had an idea. Since public opinion, strained by the Philippines war, would never support the use of force, he decided to negotiate. He sent letters to all the foreign powers and suggested an "Open Door" policy in China. This policy would guarantee equal trading rights for all and prevent one nation from discriminating against another within its sphere. The nations replied that they liked the concept of the Open Door, but that they could not support or enforce it. Hay's plan had been politely rejected. Nevertheless Hay announced that since all of the powers had accepted the Open Door in principle, the United States considered their agreement "final and definitive."
Harmony
While the outside powers bickered over who would control China, Tsu Hsi issued an imperial message to all the Chinese provinces. The present situation is becoming daily more difficult. The various Powers cast upon us looks of tiger-like voracity, hustling each other to be first to seize our innermost territories. . . . Should the strong enemies become aggressive and press us to consent to things we can never accept, we have no alternative but to rely upon the justice of our cause. If our hundreds of millions of inhabitants would prove their loyalty to their emperor and love of their country, what is there to fear from any invader? Let us not think about making peace. In northern Shandong province, a devastating drought was pushing people to the edge of starvation. Few people there were thinking about making peace. A secret society, known as the Fists of Righteous Harmony, attracted thousands of followers. Foreigners called members of this society "Boxers" because they practiced martial arts. The Boxers also believed that they had a magical power, and that foreign bullets could not harm them. Millions of "spirit soldiers," they said, would soon rise from the dead and join their cause Their cause, at first, was to overthrow the imperial Ch'ing government and expel all "foreign devils" from China. The crafty empress, however, saw a way to use the Boxers. Through her ministers, she began to encourage the Boxers. Soon a new slogan -- "Support the Ch'ing; destroy the foreigner!" -- appeared upon the Boxers' banner. In the early months of 1900, thousands of Boxers roamed the countryside. They attacked Christian missions, slaughtering foreign missionaries and Chinese converts. Then they moved toward the cities, attracting more and more followers as they came. Nervous foreign ministers insisted that the Chinese government stop the Boxers. From inside the Forbidden City, the empress told the diplomats that her troops would soon crush the "rebellion." Meanwhile, she did nothing as the Boxers entered the capital. Foreign diplomats, their families, and staff lived in a compound just outside the Forbidden City's walls in the heart of Beijing. Working together, they threw up hasty defenses, and with a small force of military personnel, they faced the Boxer onslaught. One American described the scene as 20,000 Boxers advanced in a solid mass and carried standards of red and white cloth. Their yells were deafening, while the roar of gongs, drums and horns sounded like thunder, They waved their swords and stamped on the ground with their feet. They wore red turbans, sashes, and garters over blue cloth. When they were only twenty yards from our gate, . . . three volleys from the rifles of our sailors left more than fifty dead upon the ground. The Boxers fell back but soon returned. Surrounded, the foreigners could neither escape nor send for help. For almost two months, they withstood fierce attacks and bombardment. Things began to look hopeless. Seventy-six defenders lay dead, and many more were wounded. Ammunition, food, and medical supplies were almost gone. Then, shortly before dawn, loud explosions rocked the city. Weary defenders staggered to the barricades, expecting a final, overpowering Boxer attack. But as a column of armed men approached them, they began to cheer. Help had arrived at last. After a month of no news from their diplomats, the foreign powers had grown worried. They assembled an international relief force of soldiers and sailors from eight countries. The United States, eager to rescue its ministers and to assert its presence in China, sent a contingent of 2,500 sailors and marines. After rescuing another besieged delegation in Tientsin, the international force marched to Beijing, fighting Boxers and imperial soldiers along the way. The international troops looted the capital and even ransacked the Forbidden City. Disguised as a peasant, the empress dowager escaped the city in a cart. She returned to the Forbidden City a year later, but the power of the Ch'ing dynasty was destroyed forever. Because it had participated in the campaign, the United States participated in the settlement that followed. Hay called for an expanded "Open Door," not only within the spheres of influence, but in all parts of China. He also recommended that the powers preserve China's territory and its government. Other powers agreed, and the Open Door policy allowed foreign access to China's market until World War II closed it once again.
SHAOLIN
Several terms for the Chinese martial arts became popular in China. Guoji (National Skill) has been used in the past, as have Guoshu (National Art), Zhongguoquan (China Fist), Quanfa (the Way of the Fist), and Quanshu (Fist Art). The term kung fu does not refer specifically to the martial arts. It is more a slang usage found in the United States and in some parts of southern China. Wushu (War Art) is perhaps the more proper term for Chinese martial arts. The term Wushu has been officially adopted by the People's Republic of China. The terms Wushu and kung fu (in their reference to classical martial arts) are both generic terms encompassing all the different styles, weapons, routines and other aspects of the Chinese martial arts in general. It must be noted that today there are hundreds of styles and sub-styles within the Chinese martial arts. The different styles often mold their techniques around a central theme, such as Taoist gods, animals, antics, etc. The styles of Tanglang (Praying Mantis), Baihe (White Crane) or yingzhao (Eagle Claw), for instance, model their techniques after the respective animal characteristics comprising their names.
In China today, the term Wushu refers to a sport based on the movements of classical martial arts. It is the Western countries, Hong Kong and Taiwan that are keeping the traditional martial arts alive. Over 2000 years ago, classical martial arts emerged to serve the needs of the war in China, and war was plentiful. The martial arts became a way of life for many, evolving into a highly structured institution. Records of exercises known as "hit and thrust" were practiced as far back as the Shang Dynasty (17th 16th century B.C.), while the Western world birthed Stonehenge and the Trojan War. Individual and group exercises with weapons extended back as far as the Zhou Dynasty (1066 - 256 B.C.), near the time Homer penned his Iliad and Odyssey. Bronze swords similar in shape and size to those seen today turned up in the Spring & Autumn as well as Warring States periods (722 - 211 B.C.), a time spanning the founding of Rome and the conquests of Alexander the Great. The Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 B.C.) saw a form of combat known as Jiaoti introduced to the military as a major form of combat and athletic pursuit, while a combat form with bare hands called shoupo, and formal swordplay emerged during the Han and Jin periods (206 B.C. - 420 A.D.). In the Sui and Tang dynasties (581 - 907 A.D.), the sword was used as a theatrical prop when dancing. The upper classes began adopting the weapon as a symbolic emblem for the nobility. The poet Li-bai for instance, excelled in the art of Jianshu ( Sword Art) during the Tang period. The Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368 A.D.), arose as a result of Genghis Khan invasion from the north. The Khan unified scores of individual tribes which were routinely attacking the northern borders of China. He successfully pushed through the "Middle Kingdom” (China) defenses and set in motion the master plan for Chinese subjugation, later revived in a dynasty ruled by their close neighbors, the Manchus. The Mongolian dynasty eventually faded near the early part of the 4th century with the ousting of its "foreign" (non-Han) rulers. A period of relative productivity and peace among the Chinese followed during the Ming dynasty. This was short lived. China was again overrun by "foreign" powers, this time from the northeastern borders.
The Manchurians pushed through China's northern borders capturing the city of Beijing, which later became their capital. Here they constructed the walled-in city no Chinese could enter - the Forbidden City. In the gallery you'll find a painting of the Pavillion of Cheerful Melodies in the eastern section of the Forbidden City. The three story stage is equipped with trap doors for actors to present scenes in heaven, in the human world and in the nether regions. Much of the classical martial arts that the Western world has come to know is reminiscent of the styles and attitudes forged during the Manchurian rule. The Qing dynasty, the last great dynasty of China, produced scores of revolutionary sects formed to overthrow the government. Secret societies knitted themselves around classical martial artists. The most widespread grew in southern China. Canton, then known as the "City of Revolution," became a focal point for this activity, partitioning it from any kind of potential affinity toward the Manchurian rule in the north. Although the martial arts had been practiced by people of all levels of social classes, they were primarily practiced by the upper classes who had the time and money to pursue them. Slowly, however, the arts (or, at least, many styles comprising the arts), began losing their distinction as toys of the upper classes during this period. Political turmoil gave the lower classes the motivation they needed to organize for revolution. The year 1840 proved turbulent for China. The secret societies provided a continual thorn in the side of the existing government (still under Manchurian rule). The Bagua, Hong White Feather, and (*)White Lotus, sects represented only a few underground organizations centered around a martial art theme. Chief among the secret societies of this era was the Triad (Heaven), Earth, & Man societies, reputedly formed by the five Shaolin monks who survived the government-destroyed temple that was located in the Songshan mountains in Honan province. This partially preserved temple still exists today. Though many secret societies were formed in China for political reasons, some were formed for a variety of other reasons. The Elder Brothers Society for example, based its organization upon a concept of friendship modeled after that of General Guan Ye and his two brothers (legendary figures in Chinese history). The (**) Red Eyebrows came into existence around the beginning of the Christian era and were originally a body of rebels who painted their eyebrows red. The Boxers, who became highly visible during the anti-foreigner Boxer Rebellion around the turn of the century, practiced a strain of classical martial arts steeped in magic and witchcraft called Xiangong (The Power of the Gods). Though the Boxers gained a wide following during their war against foreign involvement in Chinese affairs, many participants in the revolution were convinced that the incantations they recited would render them impervious to their enemies' bullets. Religious sects felt the brunt of Qing dynasty's wrath . In the 17th century, when the Manchus (a Mongolian race from Manchuria which conquered China in 1644) established their rule, the Chinese (specifically the Han people) were ordered to wear their hair in a pigtail as a sign of submission. Many scholars, artisans and martial arts masters turned their backs on this practice. To avoid wearing the pigtail, they withdrew from public life and entered monasteries such as Shaolin, where their heads were shaved. Adding to the growing internal strife, another threat loomed from outside as foreign powers moved to establish trade routes with China. The year 1840 marked the beginning of the (+) Opium Wars the first lasting a full two years, which ended with Great Britain forcibly opening China to foreign trade, granting territorial concessions and the rights of inland navigation, supporting missionary intervention and taking over the island of Hong Kong. Other foreign powers found China somewhat easier. The country was technologically backwards. Confucian cultural and political systems concentrated heavily upon education for the upper classes but viewed technology as gadgetry unworthy of the dignity of a scholar. The martial arts in some forms had developed into an acceptable, quasi-scholarly pursuit as well as a method for personal defense. During this time the Chinese economy was collapsing, adding to the internal pressures. This culminated in the Taiping Rebellion Of 1850 The Taiping Rebellion was one of the more significant events in 19th century China. Social unrest brought into conflict the basic elements of traditional Chinese society: the Confucian way of life. Taiping "troupes" were schooled in the martial arts handed down from one family or another - or from the oral traditions surviving from the Shaolin temples. By 1864 the rebellion was squashed, however, with the enlisted help of the very foreign powers which caused much of the problem in the first place. Millions of people died during the battles that followed. Those members of the rebellion not killed in battle were marked for execution by the government. For many of these dissidents, the only alternative was to flee the country.
Between 1848 and 1900 over 200,000 Chinese emigrated to America from Guangdong province. Some stayed in San Francisco's Chinatown, This is where Grandmaster Hsiang Settled and was a member of the (***) Peking opera for a time and later went back to China, where he passed away in 1925.the second largest community of Chinese outside Hong Kong and China today was in San Francisco . while others joined the gold rush or worked their way east on the railroad. In San Francisco's Chinatown the secret societies took root again. They became the infamous Tong Brothers With these expatriate revolutionaries grew the first western vestiges of classical Chinese martial arts, forming a large part of the philosophical base of many of the secret societies. During the mid-1800's Chinese martial arts were cloaked in secrecy, as they had been in China. Outsiders knew nothing of them. Not until much later were they available for the non-Chinese. When the martial arts did come within grasping range of a non-Chinese, they were viewed as a mysterious, secretive, magical practice used strictly for fighting, because that was the image projected by the secret societies.
The lineage of Shaolin martial arts has been continued directly into present day through Grandmaster Han Tai-Hsiang (1853-1925) {5th Generation} and Grandmaster Chuan Lo Li (1880-1970) {6th Generation} and Grandmaster Liang Hsing Mingchuan (1920-1995) {7th Generation} And today by Grandmaster Michael Neal {8th Generation}. Around 520 AD, a Buddhist monk from India named Bodhidharma (Da Mo) came to the Shaolin monastery at the foot of the Songshan mountains in north-central China. To help the monks withstand the long periods of meditation he introduced from his Chan (Zen) school of Buddhism, Bodhidharma taught the monks special breathing techniques and exercises to develop both their inner strength and their ability to defend themselves in the remote and often dangerous mountainous area in which they lived. Bodhidharma himself was said to have sat meditating facing a cave wall near the temple for nine years "listening to the ants scream." Based on these exercises introduced by Bodhidharma, the Shaolin monks gradually developed a sophisticated fighting system known as Shaolin Martial Arts. Two related concepts separate Shaolin arts from most other styles. One is the use of "internal" abilities derrived from the meditative based training and the other is how its fighting techniques are largely based on the movements of animals. Related to the Taoist backgrounds of many of the monks at the time, observing nature and living in harmony with the world was an important concept to go hand-in-hand with the Zen Buddhist concepts introduced by Bodhidharma. The combination of internal exercises with philosophies based on the forces at work in the natural world are the basis for the development of Shaolin martial arts. In our Shaolin style, we practice Nei Kung (internal work) (Chinese) {Kung-Fu), training incorporated with the more physical Wei Kung (external work)(Japanese)(Karate), to create a more complete martial artist. We practice a variety of animal based forms and systems such as the Bird, Tiger, Dragon. Da Mo’s Ie Ching (Bodhidharma), And Physical forms such as San Njie Chien / Three unity “Iron Man” Form, Tie Ku Chang / Iron Bone Palm, Se meng tao lie “The way to break the four doors” (Facing the four doors). Some of our weapons Reflect the Japanese Styles such as the Tonfa, Sai, Kamas, Nunchaku. The Japanese Ranking System and Gi (Uniform or Tunic) were adopted due to the Popular Japanese (Karate) systems, and due to the fact that the Chinese were Discriminated against and in order to cotune on with the art of Shaolin it had to take on a more Japanese appearance. This was done during the Boxer Rebellion around 1900 by Grandmaster Han Tai-Hsiang. The Kyu Ranks (Below Black Belt & The Dan (Black Belt) Grading System was developed as a means to Grade the Many Levels Of Teaching as well as Learning. We pay Respect and Honor to the Rich History of China as well as The Shaolin Arts, which is so vast that no one Person Could hope to contain it all.
============================================================= Foot Notes:
(*)= Bailian jiao (White Lotus Society). This was a popular religious group derived from Pure Land Buddhism, a Chinese sect that had gained popularity for its promise of salvation for all. In 1799 the non-Chinese Miao aboriginal group revolted in the provinces of Hunan and Guizhou. Pirates made raids along the southeastern coast. The military campaigns waged by the government against these rebellions were costly and further drained imperial resources.
(**)= Chinese peasant band that formed in response to the unrest and civil war following the floods and famines that accompanied disastrous changes in the course of the Huang He, (Yellow River) between AD 2 and 11.They painted their faces to look like demons, and their leader spoke through mediums. In AD 23 their forces were involved in the overthrow of Wang Mang, the usurper whose reign had interrupted the Han Dynasty.
(***)= Peking opera is the best-known genre of Chinese dance-drama. Developed in the mid-19th century from earlier varieties of Chinese opera, it includes spectacular acrobatics as an important part of the action. In the 1950s the Chinese government began promoting productions based on European ballet and emphasizing themes relevant to China's contemporary political and social environment. The Peking Opera of China is a blend of dance, theater, and acrobatics, and The Martial Arts. The costumes and makeup are elaborate, in contrast to the stage, which is usually bare. Essentially an amalgamation of various regional theater styles, the Peking Opera became popular in the late 18th century and is still a vital part of the city’s cultural life….
(+)= Opium Wars (1839-1842, 1856-1860), two conflicts between Britain and China over trading rights. In the Second Opium War, also known as the Arrow War or the Anglo-French War in China, French forces joined the British. The wars are so named because they centered on the trade of opium, a powerful narcotic that British merchants were smuggling into China in vast quantities. The Chinese lost both wars. As a result, they found themselves forced into the emerging world of global trade and diplomacy, while Western nations gained significant commercial privileges and territory in China.
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Post by GM-Neal on Dec 5, 2006 12:39:36 GMT 8
I would be Glad to Colin, it is getting late now but i will try and get to it to morrow, I am getting two Teeth Pulled out, so as long as i do not have to Talk, i will be OK i guess ;D
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Post by sifuwhite on Dec 6, 2006 21:07:36 GMT 8
GM Neal, Nice history lesson, however, what resource did you get your information on the 1848 time frame for immigration.
Sifu White
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Post by GM-Neal on Dec 13, 2006 5:35:51 GMT 8
I just wanted to wish every one a Great and Safe Christmas and a Happy New Year. Have a Great one, and may the up coming year bring even better things. Wishing every one the Best in Life and in the Martial Arts. Your Friend
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