Formal Kung Fu gatherings? What is this?

[TenHands]

Disclaimer: this is fascination, not ridicule. I am positively intrigued.

I don't ever see any videos like this for Karate or Taekwondo, but the premise is always the same for Kung Fu: old master performs an impromptu, high-level pattern for an audience in what looks like some kind of banquet, often times indoors. Sometimes, the master does his pattern in formal clothing, i.e. a dress shirt and jeans. It has the same vibe as dancing during a wedding.

Do mainland Chinese people hold Kung Fu banquets where the masters/grandmasters demonstrate their patterns? Can any Kung Fu practitioners explain to me if this is some kind of Chinese martial arts cultural thing?

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

It's very common to demonstrate CMA in banquet, wedding, party, ...

You demonstrate MA in your son's wedding so next time when your son's wife tries to beat up your son, she will consider that you may beat her up.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Disclaimer: this is fascination, not ridicule. I am positively intrigued.

I don't ever see any videos like this for Karate or Taekwondo

They're out there. I've done demo stuff in a suit. We try to make Dan testing a fairly formal occassion.
For that matter, somewhere I have a video of me doing kicho 1 about 30 feet under water. Not particularly well, mind you, but doing it nonetheless.

 

[TenHands]

It's very common to demonstrate CMA in banquet, wedding, party, ...

You demonstrate MA in your son's wedding so next time when your son's wife tries to beat up your son, she will consider that you may beat her up.

That sounds pretty neat honestly. Enjoying some Chow Mein or whatever while watching an elderly Chinese man threaten his daughter's new husband. Quality entertainment.

 

[Gyakuto]

Disclaimer: this is fascination, not ridicule. I am positively intrigued.

I don't ever see any videos like this for Karate or Taekwondo, but the premise is always the same for Kung Fu: old master performs an impromptu, high-level pattern for an audience in what looks like some kind of banquet, often times indoors. Sometimes, the master does his pattern in formal clothing, i.e. a dress shirt and jeans. It has the same vibe as dancing during a wedding.

Do mainland Chinese people hold Kung Fu banquets where the masters/grandmasters demonstrate their patterns? Can any Kung Fu practitioners explain to me if this is some kind of Chinese martial arts cultural thing?

I liked that!

 

[mograph]

Years ago, we had one dinner with a bunch of Chau Sifu's friends, where about five of them each gave a little demo. There was xingyiquan, drunken boxing, baguazhang, and a couple of other forms, I think.

We practice (and eat) in regular street clothing, unless it's a special birthday for Sifu.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Years ago, we had one dinner with a bunch of Chau Sifu's friends, where about five of them each gave a little demo. There was xingyiquan, drunken boxing, baguazhang, and a couple of other forms, I think.

We practice (and eat) in regular street clothing, unless it's a special birthday for Sifu.

I miss these since my Sifu and Sigung passed. Maybe my new Sifu Dr Yang will have a party.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

Years ago, we had one dinner with a bunch of Chau Sifu's friends, where about five of them each gave a little demo. There was xingyiquan, drunken boxing, baguazhang, and a couple of other forms, I think.

We practice (and eat) in regular street clothing, unless it's a special birthday for Sifu.

You Dim Sum and you lose some.

 

[isshinryuronin]

It's very common to demonstrate CMA in banquet, wedding, party, ...

I've seen several such videos of old Chinese guys doing gung fu at what looks to be social functions. Cool. I haven't seen any such thing for Okinawan/Japanese karate. I will guess at a reason for this difference:

I think CMA was not only an old art but also fairly accessible to most people. Accordingly, its practice was widespread, certainly more so than the more recent karate which until the 1920's was more secretive and restricted. As such, karate was not ingrained into the shared popular cultural heritage as much as CMA.

As the older Chinese population passes, this tradition may also pass. The youngsters will still know gung fu but will not place the cultural importance on it as did their forefathers.

 

[TenHands]

I've seen several such videos of old Chinese guys doing gung fu at what looks to be social functions. Cool. I haven't seen any such thing for Okinawan/Japanese karate. I will guess at a reason for this difference:

I think CMA was not only an old art but also fairly accessible to most people. Accordingly, its practice was widespread, certainly more so than the more recent karate which until the 1920's was more secretive and restricted. As such, karate was not ingrained into the shared popular cultural heritage as much as CMA.

As the older Chinese population passes, this tradition may also pass. The youngsters will still know gung fu but will not place the cultural importance on it as did their forefathers.

I have made the same observation. CMA, especially the more grounded styles like Yong Chun, seem more adaptive to a person's physicality than Karate's more rigid style. This seems to allow older or less physically capable people to practice them with more ease than Karate. That's why you see old people in the park doing Tai Chi but rarely kata.

It's hard to explain but there is an art known as Chung Do Kwan which embodies this philosophy; instead of being a tough fighting style that forces you to be somewhat in shape, it is a form-oriented style that eases people in based on their physical capabilities, making it more accessible.

Just thinking my observations out loud.