an odd sounding question...

[upstanding_dragon]

Hi all,

I'm building a links/bookmarks section on my website, a large categorised section. I'm finding it tough to categorise Chinese arts.

For example, Japanese arts, its somewhat straight forward

Japanese General >>

Aikido >>

Jujutsu >>

etc.

However Chinese, I'm quite lost, should I group them Northern/Southern?

But arts like Preying Mantis seem to have both north and south styles.

and then the internal arts, Hsing I, Pakua and T'ai Chi, are they northern or southern?

and also, spellings, T'ai Chi Chuan/Taijijuan, Preying Mantis/Tang Lang Chuan,

different spellings, kung fu/gung gu/chuan fa/wushu

I consider myself knowledgable on martial arts, but the chinese arts blow me away

Can anyone assist me in grouping these for my website, and also helping me in general with the structure of Chinese martial arts

Many thanks, best wishes

Stefan

http://www.networkofmartialarts.co.uk

 

[clfsean]

If you gotta do it...


Go ...

North & South

It's just easier that way. Forget about Internal/External because the majority of Chinese CMA practitioners I've met don't see external or internal. They see wu shu... martial arts.

 

[arnisador]

North/South seems like an easy way to start.

Wushu, Tai Chi, Shuai Chiao could be separate sections.

 

[7starmantis]

North/South seems like an easy way to start.

Wushu, Tai Chi, Shuai Chiao could be separate sections.

Those would be styles not really seperate sections.

The north/south is probably the easiest, although I really do hate that distinction as its pretty invalid.

7sm

 

[arnisador]

For a links/bookmarks page, I'd say that Tai Chi deserves its own heading. Shuai Chiao, less so...but I don't feel like Northern/Southern covers it well.

I agree, there isn't an easy division.

 

[clfsean]

Eh you could put Taiji in it's own "group" but it really falls in under a "Northern" heading.

7*'s right also... the line between North & South really faded as people went South & took their MA's with them, either by assignment to the South to just moving. 5 Tigers Who Went South are a prime example. Luo Guang Yu is another. There are tons of examples of the "blending" of sides, but the North/South division is a lot easier to do if it has to be done.

 

[Tony]

Soft and Hard,

 

[j_m]

I'll have to jump on the band wagon and go with the north/south distinction as being the most commonly accepted. As far as spelling... you're on your own. You have some things romanized, some not. Some in Cantonese, some in Mandarin, and some mixed. There really is no set standard (although many try to use romanization). Oh and the "internal" arts you listed are Northern

Actually you could start quite a long thread on all the differences in spelling, distinction of styles, wether it's norhtern or southern, or wether it's "internal" or "external"... and you'd probably never get anywhere.

Good luck!!

Soft and Hard,

ALL good kung fu is both hard and soft. Otherwise it's not kung fu.



jm

 

[7starmantis]

ALL good kung fu is both hard and soft. Otherwise it's not kung fu.
jm

Very well said!! I agree 100%.

7sm

 

[rox]

I don't agree. There are several styles that are purely external.

Some lines of wing chun, for instance.

 

[j_m]

There are several styles that are purely external.

What in the world does that mean?? :idunno: Please enlighten us.



jm

 

[rox]

Haha, I meant that they don't concern about internal energy and things like these... They only see mechanics, it doesn't mean if it's killing your dantien or st...

My style doesn't have any internal concepts so all I know about it is speculation...

 

[clfsean]

I don't agree. There are several styles that are purely external.

Some lines of wing chun, for instance.

Ummm... not really. Wing Chun is plenty internal.

 

[j_m]

My style doesn't have any internal concepts so all I know about it is speculation...

I'm not certain what your particular definiton of "internal" is but, I'll say it again, ALL good kung fu is both hard and soft. It is/has both external and internal concepts. If it doesn't... then some thing is seriously wrong and/or missing.

It seems the hang up here probably comes from the much debated topic of what exactly "internal" and "external" means (please lets not go there). But I'm not sure why you took the word "soft" to mean "internal"... especially such so-called "internal aspects" such as internal energy and killing your dantian.

The original statement was made about hard vs. soft and NOT "internal" vs. "external".



jm

 

[rox]

I don't agree. There are several styles that are purely external.

Some lines of wing chun, for instance.

lines = lineages
Poor english

You're right, j_m!