Tai Ji Quan

Tai Ji Quan(Tai Chi Chuan) is a major division of Chinese martial art, meaning "supreme ultimate fist." Tai means "Supreme," Ji means "Ultimate," and Quan means "Fist." There have been different stories on the origin of Tai Ji Quan. The traditional legend goes that the wise man Zhang Sanfeng of the Song Dynasty created Tai Ji Quan after he had witnessed a fight between a sparrow and a sna...

Chinese Kungfu---Tongbei Quan

Tongbei Quan or back-through Chuan, also called Tongbi Quan or arm-through Chuan, is one of the schools popular in north China. Due to its long history, it boasts of various names in different places, such as the Wuxing (five elements-metal, wood, water, fire and earth), six-combinations, five-monkey, axe-hitch and the Shaolin. Although there are different names, the different styles of Tangbe...

African students came to China to study kongfu

A young African boy came to China to look for the flying heroes he had seen in kung fu movies. He did not learn to fly, but other lessons had made him a hero in his own homeland, and an ambassador in China, where he has stayed for the last 30 years. He Na finds out the details. Children often have big dreams, to stand in the limelight in front of the cameras, the football field, or even ...

The Code of Xia

The code of xia (俠) can be likened to the Anglo-Saxon myth of Robin Hood. The hero of wuxia novels keeps his honor by upholding justice and helping the poor, just as Robin Hood is said to have robbed the rich to help the poor. A typical follower of xia would have considerable martial arts abilities that are are used not just for personal gain, but employed to achieve the greater good. However, j...

Chángquán

Chángquán (长拳) is a general term for external (as opposed to internal) Northern Wushu. It is one of the types of Wushu kung fu. A man doing cekongfan (侧空翻; "side somersault"), a common move in Changquan.The forms within the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by its appearance would be considered a long range fighting system. In some Long Fist styles t...

Jet Li Biography

Born in Beijing, Jet Li began studying wushu (the Chinese term for martial arts) at the age of 8. After three years of extensive training, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. Jet Li was selected by the government to represent the country in over 45 countries by performing martial arts at various state functions. The most famous, in terms of history, was his 1974 ...

Kung Fu Cult Master(1993)

Kung Fu Cult Master is a 1993 Hong Kong film adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Directed by Wong Jing, it featured fight choreography by Sammo Hung, and starred Jet Li, Sharla Cheung, Chingmy Yau and Gigi Lai in the lead roles. Plot Zhang Wuji and his parents return from an isolated island and travel to Mount Wudang to celebrate his grandteacher Zhang Sanfeng...

Qigong getting popular as China goes global

"Going abroad" has become a popular phrase in China as its fast growing enterprises are doing more business outside. Traditional Chinese culture is also following this trend. Qigong, one of the cultural symbols, is going abroad to show off the skills which have taken thousands of years to develop. When Chinese around the world celebrate their Lunar New Year next month, six delegations, or...

The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

The term "Xiao Ao Jiang Hu" (笑傲江湖), literally translated as Laughing Proudly in the Jianghu, means to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife. An alternative English name is State of Divinity. The book is known by both translations in English. The book has been adapted to films, in the form of The Swordsman and Swordsman II (whose Chinese titles both refer to the title of the novel). ...

Wuxia (Martial Arts) Novels

The wuxia novel is a Chinese novel genre, which features martial arts heroes, i.e. swordsmen and those related to them, with the plot dedicating to the intricate relationships of honor, loyalty, love and hatred between individuals in the world of martial arts. There's usually a thread of martial arts practice and demonstration running through the plot. In most cases, wuxia novels are se...