VANCOUVER—Skill, discipline and precision were the order of the day as over a dozen martial artists demonstrated their expertise at the 2008 North America West Coast Chinese Traditional Martial Arts Demonstration Show on August 31.
Held at the Britannia Centre in Vancouver, the show’s intention was to promote traditional Chinese martial arts. It also provided a great opportunity for masters around the world to advance in their skills.
Over two hundred spectators, some from as far away as Hong Kong, attended the show. The masters, ranging from age fourteen to eighty-four, displayed a variety of demonstrations including Chinese Broad Sword Set, Tai Chi Quan, and the famous Shaolin Quan.
“Martial arts have the effect of preventing violence; in other words, to stop war and generate peace,” said Zenghua Zhou, a martial artist who performed in the show.
“Martial arts also have the effect of nurturing health and strengthening the body as well as building the muscles. It was used in ethnic areas to heal illness and achieve physical fitness.”
Martial arts are mostly practiced as an ordinary exercise among the general public nowadays, with the result that some of its fundamental nature has been lost. It actually originated from ancient traditional Chinese culture, which has rich content and inner meaning.
