Is Kung Fu A Dying Art?
Thanks to our forum member, Seeker, for recommending a Kung fu documentary on Hulu, Needle Through Brick. The film interviews traditional Chinese masters living in Borneo who lament that kung fu is a dying art.
What??? Kung fu is alive and kicking. Right? Look at the proliferation of Wing Chun, Hung Gar, Shaolin worldwide. Jackie and Jet still thrill on screen. And of course the growing number of kung fu schools in shopping malls to babysit the kids on weekends.
Well, this film examines how traditional systems are losing their authenticity. Why?
Our modern lifestyle. Lack of time and money. And China’s sponsorship of modern wu shu as a performance art is overshadowing the arts as a way of life. The importance of the master/disciple relationship, patience, moral character and training over time to reveal true knowledge – philosophical, spiritual and healing – has given way to a modern high tech mentality and loss of cultural identity.
Prior to the 1970’s kung fu was secret. Kung fu was difficult to learn. Training was arduous. The mindset of a practitioner was vastly different. Therefore there was a reverence towards the knowledge and the art was precious. More than that, the masters in this film represent those who fled China during the cultural revolution. Not only was the art surpressed, but its teachers were killed. These are the people who managed to stay alive themselves, and in doing so, keep their art alive.
This is an important realization. Unfortunately, today there are many practitioners who lock in on the mindless thrills and kills of pop martial arts films and combat sport, and may find this documentary slow moving — perhaps uninteresting. But for Evolving Martial Artists – who bridge old and new – this is an earnest and thoughtful examination of kung fu that reflects a rich cultural heritage diminished by our modern world.
These old masters clearly articulate the loss of the old ways.
So – is kung fu a dying art? There is a stark reality — traditional kung fu must evolve or die.
What do you think? What must be preserved so modern students are linked to the deeper spirit of the arts? What must be discarded in order to keep up with today’s world? Tell us.
Lawrence Tan
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Tags: hulu, hung gar, kung fu, Martial Arts, needle through brick, tandao, wing chun
