You know i was just wondering a while ago that the old chinese culture that they show in martial arts movies ....... did it ever exist and i was hoping someone here could help me answer this.

<font color="#cc3399">Yeah, mostly before communism...as with most of their best art, and beautiful products. But from what little I have read, the rulers way back when weren't too awful nice to the common man either...sort oflike the western cultures. [img]smile.gif[/img] but Im not really educated on it..thats just an opinion. K.T. Ong would be the one to ask I believe</font></font>[/QUOTE]

<font color="#cc3399">Yeah, mostly before communism...as with most of their best art, and beautiful products. But from what little I have read, the rulers way back when weren't too awful nice to the common man either...sort oflike the western cultures. [img]smile.gif[/img] but Im not really educated on it..thats just an opinion. K.T. Ong would be the one to ask I believe</font></font>[/QUOTE]</font>[/QUOTE]ADD: My question now includes "the martial arts" as well.

and 250

there were ppl who could perform amazing feat with a measured control of "Ki". the war-time hero, Dwan Zhixin was the master of martial art. The last time i remembered, he was 86. and he could stand up-side-down on his ONE finger.

by war-time, I mean, he did not actually participate in war, but he was one of the young chinese piorneers that assisted revolutionary movement in Shang Hai. There was even a whole TV series focused on his life.

some of the martial arts though, mainly filmed by Hong Kong industry, was all bull crap. not that they weren't amusing. however they are a few out-standing exceptions. some of Jet Li's old movies adapted realism fighting, and Jackie Cheng's Kung-Fu are all real. There was also another famous series, called "The Condor Hero" (KTOng knows this, he read Jin Yung [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) filmed back in 1984, wow, it was my all time favorite

but anyways, I am getting too far from the topic

and To Magik,

I'd like to say, I am not sure this had anything to do with Communism. They weren't nice to people, it is true. there was always people who exploit the loopholes in law, lots backstabs, violence and corruption. but this is really a seperate matter from the rise and fall of the Martial Arts.

[ 09-18-2002, 07:58 PM: Message edited by: 250 ]

I hope this is not too off topic here, but I saw an interview the other night with the guy who trained Bruce Lee - he lives in Australia now and is quite old but still has it...

He has been measured by Harvard as having the fastest fists in the world - 8.something punches a second! :eek:
And developed such techniques as the "One Inch Punch" - I want to learn that...

Fascinating...

OHHHHHHHHH, yes, Bruce Lee, HOW could I have left him out. the legend! yes, it is called "Inch Punch" in chinese, as short version of One Inch Punch.

Calgon!
Wait...that's "Ancient Chinese SECRET!"
Sorry!
;)

what u see in ancient martial art movies is a mixture of folk lore and perception in the chinese mind.
The genre is not inaccurate with good style, language and the ordinary people around are accurate. However as for the amazing feats they can be argued and i think fewere people could do if any of the feats than those shown in a film.
Certainly there were many amaxing fighters and monks but outsatinding ones are few and apart perfering to be in lonely existances.

Hmm...as far as the culture is concern, most of them are true except that some of them have been souped up to capture more audience. The same goes for Kung Fu, Wushu or Qi. In actual fact, no body really knows if ancient chinese martial practitioners are able to hop onto roofs and jump higher than an olympic champion.

Some of chinese people said that it was true that the ancient martial arts that as powerful as shown on movies but most of these powerful arts has been lost because of the human nature (selfish).

You see, from a Kung Fu master's point of view, he would tried to make sure that most of his knowledge is passed down to his students. But some of his best tricks are kept in secret because he would want to remain as the best so long as he lives. The problem is that some of masters never get to pass all of their secret tricks to the students before they pass away. Thus, this practice would continue to go on and on until the Kung Fu today is nothing more than brawing techniques as oppose to Qi mastery. Of course, this is only just a myth...

hehehe i watch that interview also.... his way of kung fu is call "yong chun quan" ...