Jingwu Martial Arts

Shanghai
🎧  Listen to Introduction

Jingwu martial arts is a traditional sport, recreation and acrobatics that was approved by the State Council to be included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage list in 2014. In the early 20th century, China was in a precarious situation, poor and weak, and suffered humiliation. An accidental incident stirred up an uproar among the Chinese people to defend their national dignity. In the spring of 1909, the British strongman Opium performed weightlifting on stage at the Apollo Theater at No. 52 North Sichuan Road (formerly known as North Sichuan Road) in Shanghai, and provoked the Chinese to wrestle with him. In his conversation, he had a contemptuous tone, and the Shanghainese were in an uproar. Shanghai gentlemen and celebrities such as Chen Qimei, Nong Jinsun, and Chen Gongzhe came up with the idea of inviting famous athletes to compete with Aopiyin on stage. "They all wanted to invite famous martial arts masters to compete on stage to show their skills." Huo Yuanjia received the invitation and rushed to Shanghai in March 1909 to find Aopiyin to discuss the competition. The two sides finally agreed to use wrestling to decide the winner by falling to the ground. A ring was built on Jing'an Temple Road (now Nanjing West Road) in Shanghai. However, the appointment was not held as scheduled, and the British strongman Aopiyin finally broke the appointment. The appointment to compete on the same stage but left without saying goodbye, the news that Huo Yuanjia "defeated the enemy without fighting" spread like wildfire, which was good news for the Chinese people to be proud of. Huo Yuanjia became famous in Shanghai because of this. The relevant people took advantage of the situation and planned the "Jingwu Gymnastics School" headed by Huo Yuanjia, which was the predecessor of the Jingwu Athletic Association. It was this classic story that opened a magnificent page for China's Jingwu martial arts. In the process of promoting Chinese martial arts, Shanghai Jingwu Sports Association has always implemented the principles of "integrating the southern and northern schools" and "melting all schools into one furnace". As early as the 1920s, it gathered the boxing skills of martial arts masters from various schools in the Yellow River, Yangtze River and Pearl River basins across the country and compiled them into the "Jingwu Basic Ten Sets", which became the basic teaching materials of Jingwu martial arts. The "Jingwu Ten Sets" were assigned with commands and performed at the Jingwu Association's martial arts conference in the early years, becoming an effective form to promote Jingwu martial arts. The Jingwu Basic Ten Sets are well-known in the martial arts world, namely: Tan Leg, Gongli Fist, Jie Fist, Jie Tan Leg, Da Zhan Fist, Bagua Knife, Wuhu Spear, Qun Yang Stick, Single Knife and Gun, and Set Fist Duel. Jingwu members must be familiar with these ten sets before they can learn other skills when learning martial arts. Through the practice of martial arts, they gradually understand the way of nature and the meaning of life. In this way, they can develop wisdom, improve their cultivation, gain right knowledge and right awakening, achieve the unity of man and nature, and conform to nature. In terms of concrete actions, we should be: quiet and inaction, optimistic and open-minded; be kind to relatives and be good to others; be happy to help others without asking for anything in return; be proactive and make contributions to society, etc. I am happy in learning Jingwu martial arts. Why am I happy? Because I am happy because I share the joy of doing it, and because I am happy because I share the same ideals. Anyone who is willing to practice martial arts has a happy and healthy heart, and they do it for their own pleasure. The above is the voice of the master of Jingwu. Chinese martial arts are one family. Here I would like to borrow a passage from Mr. Xiu Jianchi's Five Elements Tongbei Fist Manual to send to the teachers in the industry today for reference: "Although the art of fighting is a small path, it should not be taken lightly. If you want to surpass the realm of deification, you need to find the origin and explore its track." It can be seen from the lines that practicing boxing requires serious treatment and seeking its roots. If you only practice the appearance of the boxing you have learned and copy it, if you want to be able to deal with others freely, it is really deifying martial arts. Jingwu martial arts is not a magic, the traditional martial arts fighting skills should be scientific and practical. If a teacher does not know the correct training method, he should not teach for the purpose of fighting, so as to avoid misunderstanding from generation to generation, so that traditional martial arts that can fight with others will become fancy boxing and useless. There is a saying in Mr. Wang Zongyue's Tai Chi Boxing Theory: "A slight difference will lead to a thousand miles of error." This saying of the martial arts predecessor is the most appropriate interpretation of the consequences of using incorrect methods to practice martial arts. In 2014, Jingwu martial arts was approved by the State Council to be included in the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage list as a traditional sports, entertainment, and acrobatics. (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)

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