In the process of human civilization, Eastern culture, with its unique charm, has built a lush tree of wisdom and produced fruitful achievements that have attracted the attention of the world. The Chinese nation relies on this ancient and vast fertile soil with its unique The perspective and thinking have created a splendid culture. With the successive decline and loss of ancient Indian, Egyptian, and Babylonian cultures, Chinese culture has become the only cultural system in the world that has lasted for thousands of years and has never been interrupted. It is the pride of every descendant of Yan and Huang, and it is also the pride of the world. A shameful treasure of culture!
Rooted in the soil of China, the highly original Chinese martial arts has been protected and nourished by traditional culture from the moment of its birth. When we look past the appearance of martial arts killings and battles, what we see is a complex and delicate theoretical framework and a vicissitudes and enterprising historical process.
It should be said that the germination of martial arts has appeared with the emergence of human society, and it is precisely because of the rise of martial arts that the history of human civilization has begun. The escalating group wars among tribes led to the eventual establishment of the state. The formation of political power provided a space for martial arts to be displayed and developed. A large number of documents such as "Book of Rites", "国语", and "Wuyue Spring and Autumn Annals" in my country record that the fighting technique of "exercising skills and discussing strength" already existed in the Xia, Shang and Spring and Autumn Periods, and Qi State took the lead. It pioneered the practice of "using force to win soldiers". At that time, in addition to its national defense function, martial arts also provided fun and entertainment.
During the Qin and Han Dynasties, martial arts had become popular and competitions became increasingly institutionalized. In the Qin tomb unearthed in 1975 in Jiangling County, Husong County, there is a painted scene of a "hand fighting" competition printed on the back of a wooden grate. During the Tang and Song dynasties, martial arts entered a period of rapid development, and folk martial arts organizations flourished. Although the martial arts competitions at that time were not yet classified according to weight and there was no guarantee of protective gear, the system had been formed and it had a broad mass base. According to "Zi Zhi Tong Jian", after Wu Zetian came to power, she formally established the military examination system, which opened up a shortcut for military personnel to enter the official career. However, in the Yuan Dynasty, the ancestor Kublai Khan led the Mongolian army to seize the Central Plains and implemented alien rule. The ethnic conflicts were extremely acute. The Yuan government confiscated civilian weapons many times and strictly prohibited the practice of martial arts. However, how can the inheritance of thousands of years of fire be hindered by a ban? Martial arts has transformed from a surging river into a hidden undercurrent.
With the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the ban on martial arts practice was lifted, and martial arts developed rapidly. By the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, it had reached an unprecedented peak, with numerous famous masters and various skills emerging. Martial arts has gradually achieved its own perfection in the process of development. The distinction between internal and external martial arts and the definition of many sects have now taken shape. What is noteworthy is that the organization and improvement of its theory have reached a new height. Qi Jiguang's "New Book of Jixiao", Wang Zongyue's "Tai Chi Theory", Wu Shu's "Arm Record" and many other classics have been published one after another.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, due to political corruption and foreign invasion, the vicissitudes of the Chinese nation suffered unprecedented humiliation and disaster. Facing the suffering people and broken mountains and rivers, martial arts people once hesitated, were confused, were heartbroken, and raised their arms and shouted. Zhu Guofu, Han Muxia, Wang Ziping and other martial artists have successively defeated the powerful foreign men who came to provoke them and promoted our country's prestige. During the same period, Huo Yuanjia went to Shanghai, Zhang Zhankui was in Tianjin, and Shang Yunxiang was in Beijing to teach apprentices. Many talented people in the martial arts world dream of using martial arts to rejuvenate their country and revive the national spirit.
A history of martial arts condenses the progress of a country from ancient times to modern times. Looking at the development of martial arts can give us a glimpse of the steps of the Chinese nation's civilization for thousands of years. When we pay attention to the history of martial arts in modern times, what we see are countless people with lofty ideals and benevolent people. Awakening and struggle in humiliation and hardship!
In the long process of development and evolution, martial arts have inevitably been influenced and penetrated by Chinese regional culture, making martial arts a specific body language of traditional culture, thus forming a martial arts culture with Chinese characteristics.
In the Chinese cultural system, "Buddhism, Taoism, medicine, Confucianism, and martial arts" have always been regarded as advanced methods for enlightenment and self-cultivation. This shows that martial arts occupies a pivotal position in traditional culture.Martial arts are inextricably linked to Buddhist thought, Taoist spirit , Confucian philosophy, medical culture and even the art of war, ethical education, and classical aesthetics.
First of all, the practice of martial arts reflects the ancients' simple epistemology and development view of the entire world and even the universe. Mathematical concepts such as "Yin and Yang", "Five Elements" and "Nine Palaces" in classical philosophy are all vividly demonstrated in martial arts exercises. Tai Chi combines hardness with softness, and follows the principle of yin and yang; Baguazhang is a middle-level boxing, seeking straightness in the curve, which coincides with the Bagua Yili; The endless cycle of endless mysteries of the great road...the list goes on and on. It seems that every move in martial arts is deeply imprinted with classical philosophy and has rules and sources to follow.
Secondly, classical philosophy and traditional health care both advocate that people must relax into tranquility and have a still mind, in order to achieve harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Taoism advocates that "the ordinary mind is the Tao" and "the Tao follows nature." Buddhism points out that "wisdom arises from concentration", and Zen Buddhism further proposes that "knowing the mind is nature, seeing nature and becoming a Buddha". It is believed that as long as people put aside inner interferences such as discrimination, persistence, delusion and hatred, they can stimulate their own potential and gain insight into the universe. The truth, thus reaching the state of Nirvana that is as unmoving as it is. Although martial arts is as dynamic on the outside as surging waves, it requires calmness on the inside like a mountain. Only when people maintain a calm and peaceful mentality can they not be confused by the illusions of the outside world and make accurate and clear judgments and decisions. Otherwise, when people are in a nervous, frightened, or anxious mood, they will inevitably behave abnormally, and their movements will be stiff and far below the level they should be. Martial arts always attaches great importance to the coordination and unity of form and spirit, advocating "the three combinations of internal and external" and "the connection of form and intention". Only after clearing away the blindness of the mind can we awaken the primitive instincts given by nature to human beings. In a sense, the way of martial arts is the way of life that allows people to achieve the best fit with nature when they are in a state of tranquility and relaxation! This runs through the profound humanistic spirit of traditional culture and the principles and mysteries of Buddhism and Taoism.
Furthermore, martial arts and traditional Chinese medicine are like twin brothers. They have been dependent on each other for many years. The philosophical basis that martial arts relies on, such as yin and yang and the five elements, is the same as that of traditional Chinese medicine. The health-preserving ideas pursued by martial arts and the meridians The identification of acupoints is no different from traditional Chinese medicine. It can be said that the magnificent theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine has laid a complete physiological foundation for martial arts. In history, many doctors themselves were well versed in martial arts, and quite a few martial artists also practiced martial arts and set foot in the medical field to help the world. In this sense, it is no exaggeration to say that martial arts and medicine have the same origin.
It is worth mentioning that if you analyze the spiritual aspect of martial arts, you will find that in addition to requiring practitioners to have self-improvement and perseverance, tenacity and perseverance, what is more important is the adherence to martial arts ethics, and martial ethics The core connotation is traditional Confucian culture , and the spiritual essence of Confucian culture is ethical culture. Contemporary philosopher Mr. Feng Youlan pointed out: "The spiritual foundation of Chinese culture is ethics." Traditional martial arts rooted in Chinese soil demonstrate this ethical code at all times and everywhere. The contents promoted by martial arts such as respecting teachers and moral principles, helping those in danger and those in need, being tolerant and modest, etc., seem to be a comprehensive reflection of the ideas of "benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom and trust" and "loyalty, filial piety and ethics" in Confucian culture. Confucianism provides a strong theoretical basis for the behavior of every martial arts practitioner.
Traditional martial arts and traditional culture are inseparable from each other. It is difficult to fully describe the cultural attributes and spiritual connotations of martial arts. Through traditional martial arts, we can glimpse the process of history, explore the enlightenment of culture, and ponder the mysteries of the universe. In addition to the offensive and defensive fights and the light and shadow of swords, the martial arts we see seems more like a Confucian scholar with a beautiful appearance and wisdom. His torch-like eyes embody tolerance and wisdom, and his solid chest contains civilization and Zen wisdom. He seems to be aloof from the outside world, but also seems to be connected with our blood; he seems to be exposed to violence and killing, but he always follows the footsteps of civilization!
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