Martial Arts Of The World - Webs
Martial Arts Of The World - Webs Martial Arts Of The World - Webs
628 Taijiquan (Tai Chi Ch’uan) mon sight for visitors to China, and one that is slowly becoming more common in the West, and not just in Chinatowns. The strikingly odd yet calming images of slow-moving groups in perfect synchrony have permeated the Western consciousness as well. Senior citizen centers, martial arts schools, and health clubs throughout North America are developing taijiquan programs. Even Madison Avenue advertising firms have recognized the power of taijiquan. Using images of taijiquan players in the background to attract our eye, they pitch their products in the foreground, even during the halftime of the heavily watched Superbowl. Yet, though we are exposed more and more, there is much confusion here in the West, and sometimes as much in the East. As taijiquan gains popularity as exercise, self-defense, and healing art, researchers in both the East and West are delving into the origins of the art, its healing nature, its martial nature, and the effects of practice. Bill Adams John Starr, M.D. See also Boxing, Chinese; External vs. Internal Chinese Martial Arts; Ki/Qi; Medicine, Traditional Chinese; Meditation; Religion and Spiritual Development: China References Adams, Bill, and John Starr. 1996. “Potential Health Benefits of T’ai Chi.” T’ai Chi Magazine 20, no. 1: 14–17. Chen Wei-Ming. 1985. T’ai Chi Ch’uan Ta Wen: Questions and Answers on T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Translated by Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo and Robert W. Smith. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books. Cheng Man-ching. 1982. Master Cheng’s Thirteen Chapters on T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Brooklyn: Sweet Chi Press. Draeger, Donn F., and Robert W. Smith. 1981. Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts. Tokyo: Kodansha International. Gilman, Michael. 108 Insights into Tai Chi Ch’uan: A String of Pearls. Jamaica Plain, MA: YMAA Publication Center. Jou Tsung Hwa. 1991. The Tao of Tai-Chi Chuan: Way to Rejuvenation. Warwick, NY: Tai Chi Foundation. Li Tianji and Du Xilian. 1991. A Guide to Chinese Martial Arts. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. Liang T. T. 1977. T’ai Chi Ch’uan: For Health and Self-Defense. New York: Vintage Books. Liao Waysun. 1995. The Essence of T’ai Chi. Boston: Shambhala Publications. Lowenthal, Wolfe. 1994. Gateway to the Miraculous: Further Explorations in the Tao of Cheng Man-Ch’ing. Berkeley: Frog. ———. 1991. There Are No Secrets: Professor Cheng Man-Ch’ing and His Tai Chi Chuan. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books. Olson, Stuart Alve. 1995. The Intrinsic Energies of T’ai Chi Ch’uan. Dragon Door Publications. Wile, Douglas. 1996. Lost T’ai-Chi Classics from the Late Ch’ing Dynasty. Albany: State University of New York Press.
———. 1983. T’ai-Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmissions. Brooklyn: Sweet Chi Press. Wu, Peter. 2001. “Peng Force.” Tai Chi Productions. www.taichiproductions. com/PengForce.htm. Yang Jwing-Ming. 1996. Advanced Yang Style Tai Chi Theory and Martial Theory. Jamaica Plain, MA: YMAA Publication Center. Zhaohua Publishing, comp. 1984. Chen Style Taijiquan. Hong Kong: Hai Feng Publishing. Thaing Thaing is a Burmese term used to classify the indigenous martial systems of ancient Burma (now Myanmar). The word thaing loosely translates as “total combat.” Moreover, as the loose translation stipulates, the label encompasses the range of combatives that have been systematized in Burmese martial tradition: bandô, banshay, lethwei, naban, and other ethnic or tribal fighting systems native to the region. Beyond the martial elements of thaing, practitioners are enjoined to incorporate ethical principles such as humility, patience, tolerance, integrity, loyalty, courage, knowledge, physical and spiritual strength, and love of family. Traditional styles of thaing are associated with specific ethnic groups. Styles that have been identified in the literature include Burmese, Chin, Chinese, Kachin (or Jinghpaw), Karen, Mon, Shan, and Talaing. Forms of thaing have been reported among hill tribes such as the Wa, but little is known of their characteristics except that they have a shared worldview with the Kachin. Traditional styles are subdivided into systems or forms named for (and adopting the mythical characteristics of) animals such as the boar or the python. Generally twelve animals are incorporated into a given style, but there are exceptions, such as the Kachin system, which uses sixteen. Records of conflict among the various ethnic groups that have resided in the area of Myanmar (Burma) abound both in oral and written accounts. Accounts of this fierce competition for territory and resources begin with the Pyu in antiquity but start becoming historic rather than legendary during the eleventh century A.D., when King Anawrahtar organized lower Burma into a sovereignty as the Pagan Empire (after its capital at Pegu, not its religious beliefs). In the Pagan Empire, martial arts were one of eighteen subjects mastered by aristocrats. Warfare was endemic, so ethnic groups also began to systematize the combat tactics appropriate to their environment and cultural heritage. Variation was introduced by differences in language, culture, geography, and religion. For example, some cultures were animists. So, after killing a living being, either human or animal, the head was removed to free the spirit and honored as a trophy. (This practice persisted at least into Thaing 629
- Page 607 and 608: there were three principal actions
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———. 1983. T’ai-Chi Touchstones: Yang Family Secret Transmissions.<br />
Brooklyn: Sweet Chi Press.<br />
Wu, Peter. 2001. “Peng Force.” Tai Chi Productions. www.taichiproductions.<br />
com/PengForce.htm.<br />
Yang Jwing-Ming. 1996. Advanced Yang Style Tai Chi <strong>The</strong>ory and <strong>Martial</strong><br />
<strong>The</strong>ory. Jamaica Plain, MA: YMAA Publication Center.<br />
Zhaohua Publishing, comp. 1984. Chen Style Taijiquan. Hong Kong: Hai<br />
Feng Publishing.<br />
Thaing<br />
Thaing is a Burmese term used to classify the indigenous martial systems of<br />
ancient Burma (now Myanmar). <strong>The</strong> word thaing loosely translates as “total<br />
combat.” Moreover, as the loose translation stipulates, the label encompasses<br />
the range of combatives that have been systematized in Burmese<br />
martial tradition: bandô, banshay, lethwei, naban, and other ethnic or<br />
tribal fighting systems native to the region. Beyond the martial elements of<br />
thaing, practitioners are enjoined to incorporate ethical principles such as<br />
humility, patience, tolerance, integrity, loyalty, courage, knowledge, physical<br />
and spiritual strength, and love of family.<br />
Traditional styles of thaing are associated with specific ethnic groups.<br />
Styles that have been identified in the literature include Burmese, Chin,<br />
Chinese, Kachin (or Jinghpaw), Karen, Mon, Shan, and Talaing. Forms of<br />
thaing have been reported among hill tribes such as the Wa, but little is<br />
known of their characteristics except that they have a shared worldview<br />
with the Kachin.<br />
Traditional styles are subdivided into systems or forms named for<br />
(and adopting the mythical characteristics of) animals such as the boar or<br />
the python. Generally twelve animals are incorporated into a given style,<br />
but there are exceptions, such as the Kachin system, which uses sixteen.<br />
Records of conflict among the various ethnic groups that have resided<br />
in the area of Myanmar (Burma) abound both in oral and written accounts.<br />
Accounts of this fierce competition for territory and resources begin with<br />
the Pyu in antiquity but start becoming historic rather than legendary during<br />
the eleventh century A.D., when King Anawrahtar organized lower<br />
Burma into a sovereignty as the Pagan Empire (after its capital at Pegu, not<br />
its religious beliefs).<br />
In the Pagan Empire, martial arts were one of eighteen subjects mastered<br />
by aristocrats. Warfare was endemic, so ethnic groups also began to<br />
systematize the combat tactics appropriate to their environment and cultural<br />
heritage. Variation was introduced by differences in language, culture,<br />
geography, and religion. For example, some cultures were animists. So, after<br />
killing a living being, either human or animal, the head was removed to<br />
free the spirit and honored as a trophy. (This practice persisted at least into<br />
Thaing 629