Chinese martial arts are a divinely imparted culture. Genuine practitioners of internal cultivation understand that Chinese classical dance and Chinese martial arts have a common origin—they were imparted to people by deities.
In the Chinese language, dance and martial arts have the same sound, but they are written with different characters. They are of the same origin but have different characteristics.
The ancient book of I Ching differentiates martial arts and dance. Martial arts is defined as a physical form through which one displays power and strength while dance is a form that engenders kindness, joy, and respect.
Divinely imparted cultures have a long history. Dance was taught as early as the time of the Yellow Emperor (24th century B.C.). The Emperor also taught people how to use weapons. According to the book Historic Records (written in the first century B.C.), medicine, music, dance, and martial arts were all present in China 5,000 years ago.
Swords were very popular in ancient times. During the Warring States period (476–221 B.C.), the art of sword-making was highly advanced.
The stories of swords such as Ganjiang, Moxie, Zhanlu, Longquan, and Tai'e are still well known today. An article "On Swords" by Zhuang Zi (4th century B.C.) described scenes of sword practices at that time. Zhuang Zi also described “swords” or “manners of governance” that were forged with integrity and courage. Such were the “swords” of the emperor and the nobility.
Such moral values were the source and inspiration for traditional Chinese culture. These also were imparted by the divine. In Chinese culture, martial arts and literature are connected at the root. Dance and martial arts were different forms of the same principle.
During the Han (206 B.C.–220 A.D.) and Tang (618–907 A.D.) dynasties, martial arts were even more widely practiced. Xiang Yu (232–202 B.C.) was an expert in 18 different kinds of martial arts. Li Bai (701–762 A.D.) was famous for both his poetry and his skill in wielding a sword.
During the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 A.D.), Yang Yanzhao advanced the Yang-Family Spear Forms. During the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 A.D.), General Yue Fei's teacher, Zhou Tong, was known for his superior martial arts. Besides Yue Fei, he also taught famous heroes such as Lu Junyi and Lin Chong.
Martial arts practitioners understand that Zhou Tong came to the world following celestial signs to be a great teacher. There are many mystical stories about him. General Yue Fei's Yue-Family Spear Forms are still well known today.
Tai-chi was developed by Taoist practitioner Zhang Sanfeng during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 A.D.). It was a part of the Tao School for internal cultivation. However, as time went by, the cultivation component was lost as the practice became more secular.
Today's Tai-chi is in decline and no longer looks like the Tai-chi from the Ming Dynasty. It is now useful only for fitness purposes.
Many other forms of martial arts that came from cultivation ways have also been altered significantly. In recent years, NTDTV has worked to advance classical Chinese culture and martial arts as well as traditional moral values.
NTDTV is hosting the 2009 International Chinese Traditional Martial Arts Competition to restore the authentic culture of martial arts. Information about the Competition can be found at http://martialarts.ntdtv.com/en.
