Book Title

緯武經文：創建中國武術的近代歷程 (The Invention of Chinese Martial Arts Tradition)

Authors

Mak King Sang, Lau Kai Yiu (Department of Chinese Culture)

Publisher

Joint Publishing (H.K.)

Year of Publication

2022

ISBN

9789620449048

Introduction

Chinese martial arts is a combination of various elements such as combat, health preservation, self-cultivation, and meditation. Just like Rome was not built in a day, this complex composition of martial arts was only gradually created and presented in the modern times.
In ancient China before the Ming Dynasty, Chinese martial arts was rarely documented. Relevant records were scattered in different types of sources. After the late Qing period, based on the context of a strong nation and race, Chinese martial arts received unprecedented attention.
As a result, the modern transformation of Chinese martial arts——such as new systems, new organizations, and new discourses—was initiated. In this context, old resources, old stories, personal experiences, foreign cultures, new interpretations, etc., appeared in different proportions. These were interwoven with each other, with some elements confronting each other. This intricate history provided an impression of martial arts that stuck around in the coming generations, thus, constructing a general image of Chinese martial arts culture that we know today.
Therefore, this book depicted the creation and invention of Chinese martial arts culture in modern times.

Content

Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The History of Chinese Martial Arts in Pre-Ming Period
Chapter 3: The History of Chinese Martial Arts in Ming and Qing Periods
Chapter 4: A Strong Nation and Race——A Background of the Making Martial Arts Tradition
Chapter 5: The Transformation of Martial Arts in 1920s
Chapter 6: Reflections on the construction of martial arts tradition
Chapter 7: Conclusion

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