Traditional Chinese Culture Under Attack?
This article is how I see it. I could be wrong, but from my 30 years of training, experience living in China, and education in Chinese culture and philosophy, I have some thoughts.
The CMA (Chinese Martial Art) is being upended by MMA fighter and coach Xu Xiao Dong. He is not an extraordinary fighter, but still a pretty good one and one of the few professional MMA fighters in China. Xu has fought several Traditional CMA masters, and defeated them way too fast, and too easily. He has embarrassed the honor of these masters by claiming that CMA is useless; therefore, the Chinese feel he is making a mockery of their cultural heritage of kung fu.
Recently, the South China Morning Post wrote an article on the newest twist; China fined Xu 400,000 RMB or US $58,000 and required public apologies for insulting Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan’s top lineage holder, Chen Xiao Wang. TMA (Traditional Martial Arts) has a lot of reputation riding on history and legend and Xu Xiao Dong is testing the reputation of the masters as well as putting the usefulness of kung fu fighting to the test.
So What?
Westerner martial art practitioners think this is so strange, and I agree. However, we must put history, philosophy, honor, saving face, politics, money, etc, in the picture as well. This is not necessarily to agree with but to understand why this is such a huge political problem that the government must step in.
My personal opinion is that we need Xu to question the status quo of CMA. I think the fine is ridiculous, almost funny if it weren’t true. In the long run, he can make CMA better; as long as we see it not as an insult, but constructive criticism. All the stories of past masters are always too incredible to be believable, even if they are true. This makes many modern masters feel the pressure to be magical. Xu is showing holes in abilities and training, not necessarily in the styles. Some will say that he is proving that CMA and TMA are out of date and need to be phased out, letting MMA take reign. This would be a grave mistake. TMA has a lot to offer, but we must recognize where it is constructive and where it can become a hindrance to martial skill.
It’s Complicated
Chinese culture is long and intricate; a web of superstition, Daoism, Confucianism, Legalism, among other philosophies that can be used when convenient. In this particular situation, the most common is Confucius’ teachings of honoring the elders, sometimes even if the person doesn’t deserve it. In the martial art world, this is honoring the master and lineage. If the master doesn’t have the ability, the culture allows for pumping up the abilities of the master and for him to hide it. Additionally, the stories of the past masters get told in fairy tale style of greatness and ability. Was Ip Man really like what the movies show? Was Bruce Lee the greatest? No, to both questions, but movies make many believe so. Were they good? Probably amazing but probably not “god-level” good.
This leads to my next point; saving face. I see this as a multiple-pronged problem: honor, humility, and unity of the group. Honor and humility go together. Confucius taught humility is a very important virtue. The more humble, the more honor from the group. However, with a leader (teacher/master), the students must be humble, i.e. listen to, the leader no matter what. If a student questions the teacher, even if it is an innocent question, he/she will be criticized relentlessly. Students better stay in line or risk being ostracized. This allows the teacher to teach, even if the teacher is wrong. This is so pervasive throughout the Asian culture, it is in almost in every aspect of life.
Some Background
Now for historical context. During the late 1800’s, China was recovering from a horrible civil war: the Tai Ping Rebellion, where tens of millions were killed directly from combat or starvation and disease. The military was drained, people were exhausted, and the country was weak. Western powers took advantage of the situation and really did treat the Chinese quite badly. In movies, you might have heard of ‘weak men of Asia’. This is not a movie thing, this was the attitude back then. The British fought 2 Opium Wars to keep the drug legal there, several Boxer Rebellions against Christianity and western powers, and their own continuous infighting against the Qing Dynasty. China, as a country and culture, lost face and honor. It really was a very difficult time for them, a humiliation of national pride. This feeling of trying to stand up to the west still exists today. It is a painful history we must have, if not compassion for, but at least an understanding of.
West vs. East
MMA is essentially an American fighting style. Xu is obviously Chinese but represents MMA, therefore it is seen as the West disgracing their cultural heritage of kung fu, and by extension, the whole of China and all its culture. Even if Xu is only focused on exposing fake masters, he is perceived to be, by default, insulting everything about China. Xu has many haters online, and the government is in on it, too. This is where cultural honor, tourism, and money come together.
Tourists come to see China’s culture, natural beauty, and history. It is amazing. I enjoyed my time there. Kung fu, tai chi, religion (gov’t sanctioned), historical buildings, etc. All are big money makers. In order to get the goods and to ensure the history is preserved, many kung fu lineages with locations such as the Shaolin Temple, Chen Village, Wu Dang… must have guan xi (good relationship) with the government to ensure its survival. If cultural heritage is dishonored, it dishonors the government and therefore everyone losses face. It is a complex web of connections and relationships that won’t be allowed to break. It is an ‘all in or all out’ way of thinking.
Is This A Good Thing?
I saw an interview with Xu and what he said about fake kung fu masters is correct. However, the way he talked even rubbed me the wrong way, and I’m not Chinese. He has an arrogance in his demeanor. This goes against martial virtue. So, he easily angered many Chinese. The government is losing its patience with him. They have even cut off his WeChat and other social media outlets, trying to keep him out of the public eye. Since they can’t shut him up, they figured money and humiliation will encourage him to keep quiet. I doubt it.
I think Xu is doing exactly what the movies and tv shows show: good fighters challenging other fighters. It’s in many the kung fu movies, like all the Ip Man movies. He is literally doing what is in Chinese Martial Art history and culture. Martial arts, both traditional and modern, is very competitive. It is only natural to want to either prove oneself or to show another fighter isn’t as good as he/she claims. It is important for the martial arts world to not necessarily keep to its violent roots, but it is definitely part of it.
The Bottom Line
Masters claiming to have abilities that don’t exist is ruining the honor that traditional martial arts philosophy teaches. Claiming abilities and having others believe in fake martial arts isn’t just bad ethics, it is outrightly dangerous. Martial artists must not only know this but adhere to this fact. Xu using MMA to defeat CMA isn’t an insult to Chinese culture, it is just showing bad training. The Chinese need to know this distinction. Perhaps, this wouldn’t be so bad of an issue if Xu was more humble in the eyes of the Chinese, but that probably wouldn’t matter.
In conclusion, this is seen as a clash of cultures in China as well as in the West, not just fighter vs fighter. Western individuality (martial arts) vs Eastern collective (cultural honor). Western philosophy requires us to use the Socratic method of logical discovery. Therefore, we must look at history, culture, emotions, thought patterns, and etc which the West and East cannot agree on this because each brings different ideas to the table. Consequently, and unfortunately, because of cultural differences, no one is fully correct nor fully wrong. It is possible everyone can take this as a lesson on culture differences, but pride always gets in the way.
What do you think about the MMA vs. CMA conflict going on in China right now? Let me know in the comments section below!
I recently finished writing my book on virtue. Please go to my Facebook page of Virtues Path and follow for more essays on virtue. Also, please visit my website thevirtuespath.wordpress.com
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