Shaolin Ulysses
& The Black Kungfu Experience

It was surreal to see the hustle and bustle of New York City flowing around the monk Guolin was a curious and inspiring sight. He looked very calm and serene in the chaos that is New York, and it was lovely to see him. I’ve been to New York a number of times myself, and to China Town nearly as many, and I can honestly say that I’m a little sad that I never encountered him in any manner. I don’t quite recall if he was the first Shaolin monk to come to the US for his teachings, but I certainly thought he was one of the more interesting ones. In the film it mentioned how in 2000 he was able to open a Shaolin Temple, and upon doing a quick google search, it seems that in the fourteen years since he’s been able to open at least four more of them, with a number of other Shifus to join him.

While not necessarily the inspiring sort, Li Peng was quite interesting as well. Choosing to get married over remaining a monk, he has a wife and a child, but he still trains vigorously daily. It’s a little surprising that his wife doesn’t seem to have an issue with that, but it takes all types. I hope that in a decade or two we’ll get to see his son in films like this as well.

The Black Kungfu Experience reminded me a lot of a show called Black Dynamite. It might have been the afro, but in his younger days Ron Van Clief a little bit like the main character. I’ve never seen more than a few snippets of the series itself, but I really think it must has been at least partially inspired by the exploits of Ron Van Clief, even if it’s a bit more action packed and perhaps vulgar. I’ll try to make my next Rock post about that if I can.

So before the movies started, I wasn’t very excited about watching them. I was just thinking “Ughhh Kung Fu movies? That’s gonna be boring!” But they actually were a lot better then I expected them to be. Both movies were very inspirational, and I think by seeing the history behind the art, it really gives me a different outlook on it. The Shaolin Palace was very beautiful, and it just seems very relaxing. It’s amazing that over 12,000 students are there every year…I guess I just didn’t realize how important Kung Fu was to Chinese culture.  I initially just thought of it as self defense and nothing more.

It was also interesting to learn about Bodhidarma, and how he brought Zen Buddhism and Kung Fu to the Shaolin palace from India. That relates back to our book we were reading this week…”From Kung Fu to Hip Hop”.  And the examples we were thinking of in class the other day for globalization.  After the movie was over, Chico was bringing up Bodhidarma, and I think I was a little confused about it… it was a myth because Buddhism was already in China ? I don’t know. But either way, it connects back to globalization.

The second movie , The Black Kung Fu Experience was very inspirational. I like how all of the men in the movie took hardships in their life, learned to let them out in a positive way, and connect to something that they can express their self with.  This was also another Idea of globalization because they would bring this art form from China and take it back to America, and teach the children the ways of Kung Fu.

What characterizes each style and/or their practitioners? From Black Belt magazine:

#1 Tiger:

Popularity: high (for tiger), rare (for black tiger)

Shaolin saying: “Tiger strengthens the bones.”

Characteristics: strength, agility; considered one of the two most powerful animals in Chinese astrology

Strategy: tends to charge the opponent and attack directly with brute force, uses circular arm movements to overwhelm the enemy, relies on the arms but occasionally uses low kicks

Targets: any part of the body, especially those that react to tearing techniques

Physical requirements: relaxed muscles, speed, solid build, ability to adopt a strong stance and quickly change to another stance

Training: push-ups, sit-ups, calisthenics, sparring, chi-development exercises

Trademark: tiger claw, an open-hand grabbing and striking weapon formed by spreading the thumb and fingers, then bending them slightly

In legend: “It offers the power to shake the earth and to be the authoritative king of its lair,” kung fu master Rob Moses says.

#2 Leopard:

Popularity: high

Shaolin saying: “Bend fingers hard, like iron.”

Characteristics: strong, efficient, fast, technical, defined by accuracy, capable of stealth attacks

Strategy: strikes quickly to inflict pain, then follows up for the kill

Targets: soft-tissue regions and other vital areas, including the ears, neck, armpits, temples and groin

Physical requirements: relaxed muscles, supple strength, ability to quickly retract the arms and legs after a strike

Training: striking drills that develop accuracy and precision

Trademark: leopard paw, a half-fist that strikes with the second knuckles of the four fingers. It’s a rigid weapon that makes contact with a small, penetrating surface.

In legend: “It’s nature’s master of precision and prowess—sharp, efficient and lightning fast,” Rob Moses says.

#3 Crane:

Popularity: medium

Shaolin saying: “The spirit of the crane resides within the stillness.”

Characteristics: evasive, rarely offense-oriented, subtle, graceful

Strategy: keeps the opponent at a distance and capitalizes on the length of the arms and legs, tends to strike with the very end of the natural weapons, attempts to overwhelm the enemy with rapid hand strikes, evades using circular movements

Targets: soft areas such as the eyes, throat, ears and heart; sides of the head; ribs

Physical requirements: tall, long reach, ability to remain still for extended periods, good balance, concentration, minimal strength

Training: mobility-enhancing drills to develop the ability to maintain distance between oneself and the opponent, speed training, quick retraction of natural weapons, chi-development exercises

Trademark: crane beak, formed by bunching the thumb, index finger and middle finger together to strike with the fingertips

In legend: “It dances with accuracy and control, and offers weightlessness to rise above crises,” Rob Moses says.

#4 Snake:

Popularity: medium

Shaolin saying: “Hard like steel and soft like a rope of silk.”

Characteristics: deceptive, agile, fast, accurate

Strategy: relies on awareness, employs coiling motions and hisses to intimidate, uses whipping toe kicks to the lower half of the opponent’s body, utilizes simultaneous striking and locking techniques, avoids using the traditional fist

Targets: vital parts of the body, especially the eyes, face and throat

Physical requirements: thin build, quick muscles

Training: drills to increase explosiveness, which enables one to take the opponent by surprise; exercises that enhance balance and accuracy

Trademark: snake hand, which uses one or two fingers—or, in the case of the spearhand, all of them—to attack and defend

In legend: “It has extreme chi power, which helps activate profound sensitivity and enables all the muscles to work as one,” Rob Moses says.

#5 Dragon:

Popularity: rare

Shaolin saying: “Dragon fist trains the spirit.”

Characteristics: strong, smart, deceptive, unpredictable; includes traits of the other four Shaolin animals; considered one of the two most powerful animals in Chinese astrology and the sign of the emperor

Strategy: uses quick, snapping kicks that hit with the blade of the foot; uses the full fist and the forearms to strike; may combine physical techniques of the other Shaolin animals

Targets: any body part that can be grabbed; the head, which is simultaneously grabbed and struck

Physical requirements: relaxed muscles, ability to switch from soft movements to hard movements

Training: drills to build explosive power

Trademark: dragon-tail kick, which is used to hit or sweep; dragon claw, which positions the digits in a flatter orientation than does the tiger claw

In legend: “It protects treasure, defends against famine and floods, and is filled with ancient wisdom and folklore,” Rob Moses says.

Themes

• Power of deceit and secrecy
• Tradition
• Older generation placing the burden on the younger generation

Reaction: 

That was mostly for the characters, not so much the plot. Each of them, so caught up in their own problems, they fail to realize everyone else’s, but still find a way to further their own goals. So selfish, yet it all worked out in the end.

What started out as a vicious cycle of lies and deceit still ended as such, but in a way where everyone was content. The mother, so set in her mindset believed that Wei Tung’s choice in sexuality was some form of psychological trauma/stigma. The father, just wanting a grandchild, was ok with his son’s choices but was not willing to tell anyone lest they change their minds.  Wei Wei wanted to stay in America, and was willing to lie to do so. Though she did feel remorse later on, she did in fact stay. Simon played a low key role throughout most of the movie, and only spoke when it was utterly necessary to move the plot along. Wei Tung, a grown man trying to please everyone in his life realizes that he is setting himself up for failure in trying to do so.

Actually, I did not know Jimi Hendrix before this reading. But, I was impressed by the reading and watching his live movies at Wood Stock. Here is the movie at Wood Stock “Star Spangled Banner” below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

His performance captured the sound of bombs falling overseas and screaming protestors. It has quite strong influence against the war on Vietnam all over the world as people still share this performance and influence.

“Like Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech against the war on Vietnam, Hendrix’s own reference point in ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ according to Monice Dannemann, was not only the Vietnam War also ‘the daily was which was being fought on the streets of the USA.’ “

Around the time when Jimi acted at Wood Stock, there were a lot of new diversity such as labor, environment, feminist, gay and lesbian movements etc.. caused by globalization. Thus, Jimi prayed and touched for world  peace with his music impact. Because his mixed ancestry included African American, Irish, and Cherokee ancestors, he was a part of diversity too. As we can see on the movie above, he presented Native American’s identity.

MUSIC has strikingly power and importance. Music helps tell histories and reflect the society and culture in which they were produced although time has passed a lot. Also, Music help unify  groups of people and to move them to common action or help them express common emotions. People sometimes use music to express their suppressed feelings.

I enjoyed watching two films. I was surprised that Kung fu is practiced by such a lot of people in the USA. I’m so interested in Buddhism and Zen that I noticed similarities with them. I really like the way of Chinese martial arts; of course, technic and method are very important, but concentration of mind and  is  also really important like Buddhism. Those all are a way of life. Additionally, Chinese martial arts includes the self-expression as Hip Hop music.

It was interesting to see the differences among monks interviewed. Some give attention to spiritual part, on the other hand, Shi Xing Hong who went to Las Vegas sees a perfect opportunity to spread Zen and Kung fu in the USA.

There were different situations among Chinese and Black communities in 1960′s and 1970′s. However, both dealt with difficult political and prejudiced situations in the USA and China. Then, a precept of Kung Fu matched with Black community to express them selves. I really like the scene where the guy in the film mentions that people can use their own advantage for Kung fu. In the other word, Kung Fu is based on their individual merits. Skin color or a build does not matter. Everyone does different type of Kung Fu as the original five animal styles; Tiger, Leopard, Crane, Snake, and Dragon.

P.S. I just remembered this film “Kung Fu Panda”

Click here to view the embedded video.

I select from the article by Maira. My group came up with “pop-osition” for it; “Goa trance is inspired by ignorant appropriation of Indian culture by hippie-tourists.”

“….. South Asian motifs and music became particularly visible in the latest manifestation of ‘Asian cool’ at a time when South Asian immigration to the United States was growing rapidly…..”(Dave, 13)

It reminds me of Katy perry’s performance with Kimono. Some said she was racist because she was wearing Kimono improperly and mixed with Chinese dress. Some said she loves Japan, so she did not mean to be rude but expressed it as beauty that she thought. I also take popular culture in from other countries,culture, and religion such as s cross motif. New Asian styles are going ahead without understanding of original ones by foreigners or outsiders. I think that people should know prime culture if they want to use others.

To sum up, globalization created popular culture, however pop-culture is not always necessarily same as original meanings. Globalization created new culture.

“Globalization’ is a contemporary term used in academic and non-academic contexts to describe a late-twentieth-century condition of economic, social, and political interdependence across cultures, societies, nations, and regions precipitated by an unprecedented expansion of capitalism on a global scale.” (Lisa Lowe, in Keywords for American Cultural Studies, ed. Bruce Burgett and Glen Handler, New York: New York University Press, 207, p. 120)

The pop-osition our group’s four that I’ll expand upon is:

Kato Readings- Martial arts was a very integral part 0f Asiatic culture. Starts in China and spreads to Japan. The martial arts spread in a way that is “iconic” to the 2cd group.

Through Bruce Lee, author M.T. Kato writes in his book, “From Kung Fu to Hip Hop” that Kung Fu originated in China, and was the root for all other forms of martial arts– specifically Japan’s Karate;

“When I was a student at the University (University of Washington, Seattle)’ Bruce once recalled, ‘I gave a demonstration of Kung Fu. While explaining the art is the forerunner of Karate, I was rudely interrupted by a black belt karate man from Japan who sat in front of the stage. ‘No no, Karate not from China. Come from Japan!’ he hollered.’ Bruce reiterated superciliously, “Karate is from Kung Fu.’ After the crowd left, the karate man challenged Bruce. ‘You want to fight?’ ‘Anytime,’ Bruce retorted. ‘OK, I fight you next week.’ ‘Why not now?’ asked Bruce. ‘It took me two seconds to dispose of him,’ Bruce recalled. ‘He was too slow and too stiff’” (p20)

So in this case martial arts originates in China, goes to Japan and becomes its own art form. Later Karate becomes very popular in America. Kato writes;

“Once karate had been converted into the disciplinary art of the imperialist culture, it was widely circulated as a representative cultural property of Japan along the channels of postwar Japanese expansionism, greatly aided by the American importation of karate-do through the military.   Thus, in contrast to the original tou-di, which developed and spread out through the channel of popular defense, largely in secrecy, karate as an art of imperialist discipline became integrated into the dominant cultural paradigm” (p21).

Adding to the globalization of martial arts, living in America Bruce Lee creates his own Jeet Kune Do– “the way of the intersecting fist” (p49).

Lastly, a quick Google search on the subject provides another example of the globalization of martial arts in the FFP (Fight For Peace). Their Alumni map provides a visual of the arts global presence beyond Asia.