China: Martial Arts Lineage [武道血统]
in the Old and Modern World! (27.4.2023)
Author’s Note: The term ‘Lineage’ is written as ‘血统’ (Xue Tong). This translates as:
1) 血 (xue4) = Blood
2) 统 (tong3) = Interconnected - Continuous Recurring Relationship
The ideogram 血 (xue4) is comprised of:
a) The lower particle ‘皿’ (min3) which denotes a ‘sacrificial bowl’.
b) The upper particle is ‘丿’ (pie3) which represents ‘blood’ or ‘blood flow’. Therefore, each generation represents the sacrificial bowl which holds the ancestral blood passed-on from father to son – mother to daughter (and vice versa).
The ideogram 统 (tong3) - is a simplified version of ‘統’.
c) The left-hand particle is ‘糸’ (mi4) which represents a long thread of silk.
d) The right-hand particle is ‘充’ (chong1) meaning to ‘nurture’ and ‘grow-up’.
i) The lower element of this particle is ‘儿’ (er2) and represents a ‘child’ - usually a ‘son’.
ii) The upper element of this particle is ‘𠫓’ (tu2) which is a simplified version of the ideogram ‘突’.
iii)The lower element of this particle is ‘犬’ (quan3) and represents a ‘dog’.
iv) The upper element of this particle is ‘穴’ (xue2) which depicts an entrance to a cave.
Together, these combine to mean a dog suddenly bursting out of a cave! This refers to each new generation bursting out from the womb during the birth process! When ‘血统 (Xue Tong) are combined the meaning is created of a ‘new’ descendant who must be powerful and full of vigour – like a dog which is willing to fight to protect the cave it and its off-spring live within! This process requires a strong and vibrant inner power (or ‘inner potential’) which is said to originate from the unhindered circulation of Qi (氣) - or Vital Force – which is believed to flow through the body and mind (represented by the sacrificial bowl) existing within and around the conventional blood supply!
Finally, the Confucian-defined concept of the ‘flower of civility’ (華 - hua2) is not premised upon any concept of physical ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ as used in the modern sense - but rather upon agency of ‘behaviour’. Therefore, anyone could become ‘Chinese’ simply by adopting the Confucian model of behaviour by studying the ‘Classical’ texts (that defined imperial Chinese culture and thought) and living in a stationary abode whilst fixing the yearly (lunar) calendar through the needs of agriculture as a way of producing food and collectively guaranteeing a continued existence. This sedentary existence was considered ‘superior’ to that of the continuously ‘raiding’ (夷 - yi2) practices of the nomadic people that lived on the fringes of the ‘civilised’ Chinese realm (which was ethnically diverse). The nomadic lifestyle (which was comprised of hundreds of different and unrelated ‘Tribes’) - which involved ‘inferior-behaving’ people migrating with the animals and birds – who moved with the changing seasons - to areas of better food (hunting with a bow and arrow as a means of existence). Today, this type of discrimination is outlawed as modern China values both modes of existence and does not discriminate between either lifestyle. A ‘lineage’ now denotes an old or rare practice which has survived into the modern era – passed on through a discernible transmission. Such a recognition involves the acknowledgement of the brilliance of the past whilst removing all the unacceptable or outdated ways of interpreting physical reality or the spirit realm. This allows the youth to enjoy and participate in the cultural treasures of the past – whilst remaining entirely ‘free’ of those feudalistic and totalitarian elements which would do them harm. Furthermore, the entire world is now ‘free’ to enjoy and participate in ALL Chinese cultural activities which are no longer preserved within the narrow confines of the exclusionary Clan Surname Associations!
ACW (27.4.2023)
1) 血 (xue4) = Blood
2) 统 (tong3) = Interconnected - Continuous Recurring Relationship
The ideogram 血 (xue4) is comprised of:
a) The lower particle ‘皿’ (min3) which denotes a ‘sacrificial bowl’.
b) The upper particle is ‘丿’ (pie3) which represents ‘blood’ or ‘blood flow’. Therefore, each generation represents the sacrificial bowl which holds the ancestral blood passed-on from father to son – mother to daughter (and vice versa).
The ideogram 统 (tong3) - is a simplified version of ‘統’.
c) The left-hand particle is ‘糸’ (mi4) which represents a long thread of silk.
d) The right-hand particle is ‘充’ (chong1) meaning to ‘nurture’ and ‘grow-up’.
i) The lower element of this particle is ‘儿’ (er2) and represents a ‘child’ - usually a ‘son’.
ii) The upper element of this particle is ‘𠫓’ (tu2) which is a simplified version of the ideogram ‘突’.
iii)The lower element of this particle is ‘犬’ (quan3) and represents a ‘dog’.
iv) The upper element of this particle is ‘穴’ (xue2) which depicts an entrance to a cave.
Together, these combine to mean a dog suddenly bursting out of a cave! This refers to each new generation bursting out from the womb during the birth process! When ‘血统 (Xue Tong) are combined the meaning is created of a ‘new’ descendant who must be powerful and full of vigour – like a dog which is willing to fight to protect the cave it and its off-spring live within! This process requires a strong and vibrant inner power (or ‘inner potential’) which is said to originate from the unhindered circulation of Qi (氣) - or Vital Force – which is believed to flow through the body and mind (represented by the sacrificial bowl) existing within and around the conventional blood supply!
Finally, the Confucian-defined concept of the ‘flower of civility’ (華 - hua2) is not premised upon any concept of physical ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ as used in the modern sense - but rather upon agency of ‘behaviour’. Therefore, anyone could become ‘Chinese’ simply by adopting the Confucian model of behaviour by studying the ‘Classical’ texts (that defined imperial Chinese culture and thought) and living in a stationary abode whilst fixing the yearly (lunar) calendar through the needs of agriculture as a way of producing food and collectively guaranteeing a continued existence. This sedentary existence was considered ‘superior’ to that of the continuously ‘raiding’ (夷 - yi2) practices of the nomadic people that lived on the fringes of the ‘civilised’ Chinese realm (which was ethnically diverse). The nomadic lifestyle (which was comprised of hundreds of different and unrelated ‘Tribes’) - which involved ‘inferior-behaving’ people migrating with the animals and birds – who moved with the changing seasons - to areas of better food (hunting with a bow and arrow as a means of existence). Today, this type of discrimination is outlawed as modern China values both modes of existence and does not discriminate between either lifestyle. A ‘lineage’ now denotes an old or rare practice which has survived into the modern era – passed on through a discernible transmission. Such a recognition involves the acknowledgement of the brilliance of the past whilst removing all the unacceptable or outdated ways of interpreting physical reality or the spirit realm. This allows the youth to enjoy and participate in the cultural treasures of the past – whilst remaining entirely ‘free’ of those feudalistic and totalitarian elements which would do them harm. Furthermore, the entire world is now ‘free’ to enjoy and participate in ALL Chinese cultural activities which are no longer preserved within the narrow confines of the exclusionary Clan Surname Associations!
ACW (27.4.2023)
This is a historical issue regarding the Confucian-defined concept of the family lineage. The surname of the family is that which is inherited from father to son (and only sometimes from a mother to a spouse or a mother to a child). As Chinese daughters would have to give their children the surname of their husbands – their surnames were ignored even though within traditional China a married woman was not compelled herself to adopt the surname of her marriage partner. This is why many married women simply adopted the ‘Mrs’ (‘Madam’) title (meaning she was ‘married’) but referred to themselves only by their birth-surnames. The only time this male-dominated convention could be reversed was when a woman possessing a very famous family surname married a man with a little-known surname. In this case, the man possessed the choice of a) giving his own surname to his children, or b) discarding his birth-surname and formally ‘adopting’ the surname of his wife – and passing this on to his off-spring. If he chose this latter path – then he had no choice but to refer to himself by his wife’s surname (as ‘Mr’) whilst forgetting his birth-name altogether. Even today – within post-1949 China – Chinese women (even when married) seldom take-on their husband’s surname but remain entirely ‘free’ to do as they please. In modern times it is even possible for the wife to pass on her surname to her children if both parents agree for no other reason than ‘choice’. This adaptation often serves to allow otherwise ‘rare’ surnames to continue where they might have died-out.
Family surnames within traditional Chinese society possess the ability to trace their lineages back over many generations and throughout hundreds or thousands of years (often through meticulously structured family trees). This is a strict procedure premised upon provable relations held together by a common Ancestral Worship. Those of the living generations must attend the tombs of those who came before at least twice a year (during Spring and Autumn). Generally speaking, NO ONE is permitted into a lineage who possesses NO RIGHT to be there! Obviously, a woman (and sometimes a man) can enter a lineage via marriage – but this must be approved and attested to. It is also a case that a young child – as an orphan or a dispossessed person – can enter a Surname Clan through the process of ‘adoption’ - although in Old China this process merely involved the child ‘living’ in the village with the ‘new’ family on a permanent basis. The process of ‘lineage’ maintenance was both ‘strict’ on the one-hand, and ‘flexible’ on the other. Since 1949, however, the more superstitious, ignorant and backwards aspects of this tradition have been discontinued (as it was found that many lineages were fabricated to include famous or notorious individuals who were actually ‘unrelated’). The development of a modern economy, international communication and interaction has caused tremendous changes within (and without) Chinese culture – and although the practice of exclusionary ‘lineage’ (a concept that often led to bloodshed throughout China’s history) has been ‘outlawed’ - the idea of an established and provable ‘continuation’ of existence has remained ‘strong’ with the new and empowered sense of ‘being’ that defines Chinese culture in the modern world.
Traditional Chinese martial practice existed for communal self-defence. The supporting philosophy developed around the concept of ‘righteous violence’ that is permitted because it is ‘right’! This makes sense for a country that has not been conditioned by the good-bad dichotomy developed by the Judeo-Christian tradition. Although many Westerners attempt to shoe-horn the ancient science of Yin-Yang (陰陽) into the ‘good-evil’ dichotomy – this is a doomed exercise premised upon a complete misreading of Chinese culture! This expresses NOTHING about the genuine Chinese understanding of reality (both ‘inward’ and ‘outward’). As the social structure of ancient China encouraged inter-communal violence (as a way of building a ‘strong’ and ‘coherent’ inner cultural structure) Surname-Clans and their associated martial arts became an inseparable element of the very existence of the Chinese imperial system. Indeed, many Emperors (and their Dynasties) arose out of this inter-communal violence which often saw a single Surname-Clan rise to total domination! This is why traditional martial arts became a) highly effective and b) highly diverse! These martial arts subsequently spread to Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Okinawan, Japan and perhaps even to Hawaii! Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Chinese martial arts have spread out of Mainland China and into the Western world. Lineage today is taken to mean a visible survival of a family, system of martial arts or tradition of writing, etc, within the context of a modern society. In the old days, it was this very ‘lineage’ that defined Chinese culture whilst today, modern Chinese society simply makes room for this practice. Modern Chinese society is comprised of very different social forces that do not rely upon the inherent ‘tension’ generated through inter-communal violence. In today’s cultural milieu – a ‘Line age’ is a very ‘rarefied’ and ‘purified’ entity that is designed to express the very best and greatest elements of various aspect of Chinese historical and cultural practices!
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2023.
Family surnames within traditional Chinese society possess the ability to trace their lineages back over many generations and throughout hundreds or thousands of years (often through meticulously structured family trees). This is a strict procedure premised upon provable relations held together by a common Ancestral Worship. Those of the living generations must attend the tombs of those who came before at least twice a year (during Spring and Autumn). Generally speaking, NO ONE is permitted into a lineage who possesses NO RIGHT to be there! Obviously, a woman (and sometimes a man) can enter a lineage via marriage – but this must be approved and attested to. It is also a case that a young child – as an orphan or a dispossessed person – can enter a Surname Clan through the process of ‘adoption’ - although in Old China this process merely involved the child ‘living’ in the village with the ‘new’ family on a permanent basis. The process of ‘lineage’ maintenance was both ‘strict’ on the one-hand, and ‘flexible’ on the other. Since 1949, however, the more superstitious, ignorant and backwards aspects of this tradition have been discontinued (as it was found that many lineages were fabricated to include famous or notorious individuals who were actually ‘unrelated’). The development of a modern economy, international communication and interaction has caused tremendous changes within (and without) Chinese culture – and although the practice of exclusionary ‘lineage’ (a concept that often led to bloodshed throughout China’s history) has been ‘outlawed’ - the idea of an established and provable ‘continuation’ of existence has remained ‘strong’ with the new and empowered sense of ‘being’ that defines Chinese culture in the modern world.
Traditional Chinese martial practice existed for communal self-defence. The supporting philosophy developed around the concept of ‘righteous violence’ that is permitted because it is ‘right’! This makes sense for a country that has not been conditioned by the good-bad dichotomy developed by the Judeo-Christian tradition. Although many Westerners attempt to shoe-horn the ancient science of Yin-Yang (陰陽) into the ‘good-evil’ dichotomy – this is a doomed exercise premised upon a complete misreading of Chinese culture! This expresses NOTHING about the genuine Chinese understanding of reality (both ‘inward’ and ‘outward’). As the social structure of ancient China encouraged inter-communal violence (as a way of building a ‘strong’ and ‘coherent’ inner cultural structure) Surname-Clans and their associated martial arts became an inseparable element of the very existence of the Chinese imperial system. Indeed, many Emperors (and their Dynasties) arose out of this inter-communal violence which often saw a single Surname-Clan rise to total domination! This is why traditional martial arts became a) highly effective and b) highly diverse! These martial arts subsequently spread to Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Okinawan, Japan and perhaps even to Hawaii! Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Chinese martial arts have spread out of Mainland China and into the Western world. Lineage today is taken to mean a visible survival of a family, system of martial arts or tradition of writing, etc, within the context of a modern society. In the old days, it was this very ‘lineage’ that defined Chinese culture whilst today, modern Chinese society simply makes room for this practice. Modern Chinese society is comprised of very different social forces that do not rely upon the inherent ‘tension’ generated through inter-communal violence. In today’s cultural milieu – a ‘Line age’ is a very ‘rarefied’ and ‘purified’ entity that is designed to express the very best and greatest elements of various aspect of Chinese historical and cultural practices!
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2023.