MMA FIGHTS

Posts Tagged ‘Chinese’

Chinese styles are often criticized as being impractical, showy and lacking in practical application. The criticism is usually heard from the eclectic styles that focus on street fighting and self defense and it is true that a Tai Chi or White Crane form will do you little good in a cage fight. But then again combat is not only what forms were designed to teach. Forms are the heart and soul of a style containing not only fighting techniques, but also the strategic and philosophical principles of that style.

Chinese forms are some of the most complicated and confusing because they contain hidden meanings that, like a puzzle, can only be solved by persistent study. Although each form has its own specific applications and interpretations the following keys may help you to decode the secrets of the classical Chinese forms

Hiding Techniques

One way in which Chinese forms differ from the better known Japanese and Korean forms in that the latter use the principle of keeping only what was useful in combat and have tended to discard those movements that where not. Watching Japanese and Korean forms being performed one can recognize the techniques being used. In contrast, when watching Chinese forms many movements appear strange and theatrical and the combat applications are not always clear. One reason is the notoriously secretive attitude surrounding the Chinese styles. The old masters were said to have hidden their best techniques by changing them to make them incomprehensible to anyone that did not possess the key to understanding the style.

A Chinese folk tale may provide a clue as to why the old masters were so secretive and it goes like this. Once there was a young man who gained a reputation by visiting different martial arts schools and defeating the instructors in sparring contests. When he arrived in a town or village he would first discreetly enquire into the local master’s whereabouts and then secretly spy on the master during his practice. After several days of spying he would have learned the master’s style, strategy, strengths and weaknesses and then he would issue his public challenge. Knowing what to expect, the young man was able to defeat many teachers and thus gained his reputation. One day the young man arrived at a village nearby the mountains in which a Taoist Monk who was also a Kung Fu master was said to live. After inquiring among the villagers the young man learned that the Master practiced early every morning in a clearing. Rising before dawn, the young man went to the clearing and hid in the bushes where he could secretly watch the old monk as he practiced. After several days of spying the young man felt he knew the monk’s secrets and he challenged him to a contest. The old monk obliged to meet him in the village for a sparring match the next day. During the match the young man was soundly beaten and made to look the complete fool. Confused the young man asks, ” I studied your technique for days, but when you fought you used movements I had never seen, how is this possible?”

The monk replied, “It is wise to use the strategy of `Know your Enemy’ but several days ago I sensed someone was watching me so I employed another strategy. When I practiced I changed the movements so that the real techniques were hidden, and when you challenged me I guessed it must have been you who had spied on me earlier. I knew what you would expect and, so I was able to turn the advantage against you.”

Whether the story is true or false the tendency to keep the real applications of a form secret is still apparent and many teachers are reluctant, or at best vague, in explaining the real purpose behind the movements. One method of hiding technique is by `blending’ the techniques together. In Japanese Katas there usually is a `stop’: a pause after each technique to show precision and focus. In Chinese forms the techniques are often blended together without a pause between the end of one technique and the start of the next. It is this blending of techniques that give Chinese forms their characteristic fluidity, and their mystery, since without having trained in the style you would not recognize many of the techniques being performed.

These masters would teach the hidden applications to only a select group of students, referred to as `Closed Door’ sessions. During the regular `Open’ class all students would learn the same movements, but only the most trusted students would be taught the true applications behind the movements. In this way the style’s most important techniques were kept secret from outsiders and those not deemed worthy of the knowledge.

Breathing Techniques

Many Kung Fu forms contain breathing exercises called Chi Gung which combines deep abdominal breathing, dynamic hand movements, and visualization. In the so called `Hard’ styles the hand movements are performed slowly using dynamic tension. In `Soft’ styles the hand movements are done relaxed with the focus on visualizing Chi (Internal Energy) flowing throughout the body. Some breathing exercises include vocalizations. Striking with a Crane Hand is usually accompanied by a crane call produced by a sudden contraction of the diaphragm, similar to a technique taught in modern voice classes. A more unusual vocal technique is a long descending wail that starts in the falsetto range and then descends through the octave to the bass range. The sounds made during a form are designed to show breath control. Unfortunately Bruce Lee made these vocalizations famous and now no moron’s pantomime of kung fu is complete without the obligatory whining and wailing.

Conditioning

There are several ways in which physical conditioning exercises are incorporated into a form. In the Chinese forms the stances tend to be much lower than they would be in real combat. Maintaining low stances throughout the form is excellent for developing leg strength, endurance, and provides cardiovascular benefits. Another conditioning technique is to exaggerate the movements which requires greater effort and flexibility. For example, in the Long Fist form the arms are held stretched out away from the body and the techniques are large and exaggerated. This works the muscles in the shoulders as well as the waist and relies on gravity resistance much like a modern Pilate’s routine. For more strenuous conditioning, weights in the form of heavy brass or iron rings were worn around the forearms. Kicks are also done higher in a form than would be done in application. When practicing forms many kicks are aimed at head height, although in self-defense, most teachers admonish against kicking higher than the solar plexus. The high kicks in a form help to increase flexibility and balance.

Finesse

Finesse techniques are usually found in weapons forms and are meant to demonstrate the performer’s expertise in handling the weapon. Like a gunfighter spinning his revolver on one finger before holstering, these techniques are almost all show but do require considerable skill. Weapons such as the sword, spear, and staff are routinely spun about the body, passing the weapon from one hand to another, behind the back, overhead, and around the neck, in what are known as Flowers. The finesse techniques are incorporated more for beauty than combat although some are surprisingly effective.

Symbolic Gestures

Forms occasionally include movements that are symbolic of the style. Some represent the origins of the form or religious influences such as the famous Kung Fu bow done by pressing the right fist to the left palm. This is said to have originated in the Shaolin temple and represents the Buddhist principle of non violence, the open palm stopping the fist. Another possible meaning is that it is a secret hand sign left over from the times when martial arts were taught in secret societies. In this case the fist represents the sun and the palm the crescent moon. In Chinese writing the moon and sun symbols written together spells “Ming” which was the reign name for the last native Chinese dynasty the Ming Dynasty. From 1644 to 1911 many secret societies were dedicated to overthrowing the Ching dynasty and restoring the old Ming. The hand signal was a way for members, many of whom were martial artists, to recognize each other.

Little known in the West is the relationship of Chinese Opera and Kung Fu with both arts exchanging techniques. Chinese Opera schools devote much of their curriculum to Kung Fu and gymnastics. Chinese Operas usually have battle scenes where the performers must wield and spin weapons and battle several opponents in choreographed fight scenes similar to those found in modern movies. Jackie Chan and Samo Hung both learned their Kung Fu while training to be Opera performers. While Chinese opera incorporated kung fu techniques, Kung Fu also borrowed many dramatic techniques from the Opera.

One of the most famous characters in Chinese Opera and Kung Fu schools is Kwan Gung. Kwan is the both the god of war and the patron saint of martial arts. He is characterized by his use of a particularly heavy halberd called a Kwan Dao (Kwan’s blade) and by his long black beard. A statue or picture of General Kwan is usually found in every Kung Fu club and in earlier time a rusty old Kwan Dao was often displayed in front of the club’s entrance like barber’s pole. When using the Kwan Dao in a form there are several dramatic gestures that have no practical applications but have obviously been adopted from the theatre such as a pause in the form in which the practitioner pretends to stroke a long beard.

Other examples of dramatic gestures are found in the animal styles. Each style will incorporate movements that embody the characteristics of the animal such as the graceful open arm hops and turns of the White Crane, the facial grimaces and ape-like gestures of the Monkey, and the hypnotic bobbing and weaving of the Preying Mantis. Some of these techniques have a combat application while others are for aesthetic reasons only.

Conclusion

Long before written language heroic tales of great deeds and battles were acted out in pantomimes in front of campfires as a way of passing cultural traditions onto the next generation. In a sense Chinese forms are a continuation of this ancient tradition. The next time you practice a Kung Fu form know that you are also a part a cultural tradition the goes back before history began.

The Chinese New Year is a fifteen day celebration that falls on a different date each year as it is a combination of lunar and solar movements. It usually falls in the month of January or February. This year marks the ‘Year of the Horse’.
The Chinese New Year’s date varies every year and falls on second new moon after the winter solstice. The date for the occasion is decided according to the calendar which is a combination of the solar and the lunar calendar.

Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, cat, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and boar are the animals that are considered to be auspicious. Each person as is believed in the chinese new year calendar 2010 resembles an animal and this reflects their traits.

The chinese new year 2010 or the Spring Festival as it is also known is the most revered holiday of the year. This is the time when family and friends gather and offer prayers to their ancestors and deities followed by a lavish dinner to usher in the New Year. During this time, families clean their homes while feng shui believers decorate their homes accordingly. On new years eve, members of a family stay up late as legend goes that long ago; the gods in heaven would give gold to each family so they would keep awake, active and ready to accept the gold gift.

Families decorate their homes with pretty vases and colorful flowers symbolizing that nature has reawakened. Oranges and tangerines are placed in the house as a sign of happiness and prosperity. A tray of candies made of eight different types of candies are placed along with these. The candies are made of lotus seeds, longan, peanuts, coconut, cumquat, red melon seeds, candied melon, etc.

The traditional food that is a significant part of the Chinese New Year party includes Jai, Fish and chicken, noodles and desserts. The dinner has a symbolic meaning in which the Chinese dumplings imply wealth as they are in the shape of ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots. Jiu is the traditional hard liquor in China symbolizes longevity as also Daikon, a white radish. Red chilies symbolize good luck while rice ensures harmony.

Chinese people are usually out on the roads, especially kids who wear Chinese dragon masks and go for the Chinese New Year Dragon parade. Dragon dances are a vital part of the Chinese New Year. One man who has a ‘Pearl Of Wisdom’ on a pole entices the dragon to follow him to the drum beats as though searching for wisdom and knowledge. The lion dance is an equally important ritual in the consecration of any auspicious time in China. The Lantern Festival is an amazing visual display of multicolored paper lanterns created by craftsmen in designs of butterflies, dragons, birds, dragonflies and other insects or animals. The Dragon Boat Festival marks the day of a certain Chinese scholar who threw himself into the river over a political protest.

Chinese New Year is not just a festival of fun and part, but also a time to welcome the new season, pray for prosperity and well being and cleanse away the any thing evil.

China’s growing affluent consumer segment has been attracting worldwide luxury brands for a long time. Gucci, LV, Zegna, and many other top brands tapped into the Chinese market in the early nineties, long before it started generating revenues1. And quite rightly so, as more than 300,000 Chinese now have a net worth of more than US$1 million. The mainland’s millionaires control about US$530 billion in assets and more than 170 million Chinese can afford to buy top-tier brands2. Indeed, it seems clear now that the Chinese luxury consumer market, which did not even exist a mere 20 years ago, is on the path to dominate top end retail.

But what about domestic luxury brands?

China has a long history in the appreciation of luxuries – for example, tea, jade, and silk – and given the impressive growth of domestic consumption of luxury goods, local brands should have plenty of opportunities to grow.

Despite Chinese consumers thirst for luxury, very few local luxury brands have taken off. In fact, several analysts have observed that when it comes to luxury Chinese consumers are more likely to buy products made outside of China3.

Previous Labbrand research has confirmed that consumers esteem towards luxury products is heavily influenced by the brand’s country of origin. Indeed, a “foreign/westerner” origin seems a given for many luxury product categories.

Still, if it is true that in industries like top fashion garments and accessories that foreign top brands dominate, in other industries, and specifically those having deep roots in China’s heritage and tradition, Chinese brands have good chances to gain the upper hand.

In fact, in a recent MasterCard survey, Chinese top spenders have been found to prefer Hong Kong born Chow Tai Fook over Cartier and domestic Wu Liang Ye and Maotai over Spanish, Australian and German liquors4.

Indeed, the same survey has found that high-end Chinese consumers rank quality ahead of other considerations with a notable 92.7% of respondents citing quality as the first criteria when buying luxury, well before brand recognition, still scoring a good 68.3%, or fashion design, with 58.5%5.

Whereas until a couple of years ago it looked like Chinese brands had no chance to tap into the luxury market6, under these circumstances a window of opportunity seems available.

So the key issues now are:

1. What are the domestic brands that are already perceived as top luxuries by domestic consumers?

2. What are the challenges and opportunities they have to face in order to win consumer preferences at home and abroad?

Labbrand has set to investigate these questions. We have interviewed a few people, both industry insider and outsider, and have drawn the list of the 10 top Chinese luxury brands:

1. NE Tiger – established in 1992
2. Chow Tai Fook – founded in 1929
3. Kweichow Mao Tai – established in 1999
4. Omnialuo – set up in 1998
5. Erdos cashmere – started in 1979.
6. Wuliangye – founded in 1959
7. Changyu – established in 1892
8. Yunnan Pu’er Tea – established in 1975 and privatized in 2004.
9. Dorian Ho – established in 2004.
10. Xiangyunsha Silk – established in 2003

We have asked people what made them feel these brands were luxurious.

The heritage brand

Interestingly enough, the most commonly cited attribute was “Chinese heritage”. In fact, many of these brands draw or are deeply rooted in Chinese culture.

– Kweichow Mao Tai, Wuliangye, Changyu, Yunnan Pu’er Tea, Xiang Yun Yarn Silk all are deeply rooted in China’s cultural heritage as they brand traditional products of China. Indeed, there is no foreign competitor that could challenge these brands on the same position domestically. For traditional products such as “bai jiu” liquor, tea, ginseng and handcrafted silk, there is no other country that has the same expertise as China does. Take Yunnan Pu’er Tea for example: in 2005, 500g of 64-year-old Pu’er tea sold at auction for one million yuan, making it six times more expensive than gold7.

The young fashionable brand

– NE Tiger, Omnialuo and Dorian Ho are all relatively young brands, and they all compete in a field where Chinese brands are relatively weak: fashion luxury. Their strength, however, is rooted in the fact that they source, even if in different ways, from Chinese culture by combining Chinese traditional elements with western style craft techniques and quality manufactures.

Still, when it comes to buyer preferences, none is yet able to compete on equal terms with foreign fashion luxuries. None of them enjoy the same brand awareness of European top luxury brands – even though both have participated in top fashion shows in China and abroad – and they are generally not regarded as luxurious as their foreign counterparts. Generally speaking, the common reasons given to justify this conception were:

* they are not as “status-making” as foreign fashion brands
* consumers did not trust the quality standard to be on the same level of
foreign brands

The quality experts

– Chow Tai Fook and Erdos Cashmere, on the other hand, are brands of a different kind. Their brand equity is rooted in their capabilities to match quality and precious products with good targeting, capacity that has helped them be known and highly regarded domestically.

For instance, Chow Tai Fook is one of the most famous luxury jewelry brands in China. Founded in 1929 in Canton and then acquired by Hong Kong entrepreneur Mr Chen Yu Tung in 1956, it combines luxury with fashion and high quality products to appeal to mature customers in higher income groups8.

Chow Tai Fook illustrates the value that word of mouth has in Chinese culture. The company developed its brand name more by reputation and word-of-mouth than any formal business plan. They have managed to win consumer preferences thanks to their long history and sound capabilities (Chow Tai Fook has been the first jewelry brand to use gold 999,9 in pure gold ornament, which has become an industry standard today).

Building Chinese luxury

So what are the challenges and what are the opportunities Chinese luxury brands have to face in order to win consumer preferences at home?

On the one hand, it seems that Chinese consumers highly esteem domestic brands if their status and quality standard are well accounted for. Chinese heritage, cultural elements and traditional skills seem to be key characteristics of every top domestic brand in luxury. Indeed, for those product categories where China has historically developed a long tradition, Chinese brands seem to be unrivaled.

In the first instance, we believe that Chinese brands can successfully draw from their heritage in order to build a sound customer base and eventually raise brand awareness.

Even though there are still a few obstacles hindering the development of Chinese luxury brands:

1. Lack of expertise and marketing capabilities

Among our top ten, only a few brands invest consistently in branding. Many of them rely only on their own heritage to attract consumers and do not really invest in any communication activity. Brands such as Xiangyunsha Silk or Yunnan Pu’er Tea do not even have a well designed website, nor do they protect their trademark properly.

1. Made in China label

Chinese consumers do not easily view brands made in China as luxury and Chinese brands are generally associated with low quality. Apart from the product categories where China is traditionally strong, respondents of Labbrand’s survey clearly showed that:

* The concept of luxury is strongly associated with the question of brand awareness. The more brand is know, the better it will support and show the status of the buyer.
*Esteem toward luxury brands seem generally higher for brands that are not labeled “Made in China”.
*The brand is an indicator of the quality and design. Foreign fashion luxury brands are assumed to guarantee not only the exclusivity of the design, but also the originality and safety of the product.

Creating strong brands is a difficult endeavor. Producing strong luxury brands in a market that is affected by a horde of fakes and cheap products is even more complicated.

There is still a long road ahead for Chinese luxuries to compete in the global arena with already well established brands.

However, given the fast pace of development of the domestic luxury market and the changing purchasing attitude of Chinese consumers, Chinese companies now have the tools to understand how to position their brand and how to build luxury identities to satisfy the needs of high end buyers.

1. 2007 October Issue, Cafolla L., “China Luxury”, A Plus magazine
2. 2006, Dec. Issue, Schwarz B. and Wong V., “Money Talks”, Insight
3. The top 10 brands preferred by China richest are all made in Europe or USA by Hurun Report 2007 Best of the Best Survey Preferred Brands of China’s Richest http://www.hurun.net/bestofbest2006en.aspx
Also cfr:
– note 2
– 2008, Debnam N., Svinos G., “China luxury Consumers: Moving up the Curve” KPMG
– 2006, Chadha R., Husband P “The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury”
4. 2008-02-21, MasterCard Worldwide, cited by Chen Shu-Ching Jean in “China’s High-End Consumers Seek Quality Over Status”, http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/02/21/china-luxury-survey-markets-equity-cx_jc_0221markets02.html
5. MasterCard Worldwide, cited by Shu-Ching Jean Chen in “China’s High-End Consumers Seek Quality Over Status”, 02.21.08 http://www.forbes.com/markets/2008/02/21/china-luxury-survey-markets-equity-cx_jc_0221markets02.html
6. 2006, Martin Roll, Asian Brand Strategy, how Asia builds strong brands
7. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1555518/Tea-in-China-costs-six-times-as-much-as-gold.html
8. A Glittering Legacy – China”. HKTDC. 10 July 2008 .

Acupuncture Chinese moxibustion technique? What’s that?

To start from the beginning, there are two operative parts to acupuncture – one is operations with needles and the other is with fire. Both are important and can work hand in hand in curing illnesses.

Needless to say, acupuncture Chinese moxibustion refers to curing with fire. And it pretty much refers to the Jiu in Zhen Jiu (the Chinese name for acupuncture).

Acupuncture and moxibustion are significant inventions of the Chinese. In literature of the past, there were many legends about the origin of acupuncture and moxibustion such as Fu Xi’s creation of the therapeutic techniques with stone needles, and Huang Di’s invention of acupuncture and moxibustion.

The origin of acupuncture Chinese moxibustion can be dated back to the Eolithic age.
It was said that a housewife found relief from her ache while she was standing near the fire at the stove while cooking. Over time, this has improved and medical herbs were added to “smoke” the body and improve health.

The methods in common use are moxibustion with moxa cone and cupping. The fundamental principle is to use a glass jar to cover a part of the body and allow it to “suck” the body by putting fire in the jar. This heating forces the air out of the jar and causes a “suction vortex” so that the jar sticks to the skin. This causes blood to be stimulated and stimulate the internal organs of the patient. The moxa cone can also be used for the same effect.

However, acupuncture Chinese moxibustion must be done such that it targets the relevant acupuncture points or meridians of the body. This is so that the targeted illness can be cured. Medicinal herbs as well as ginger and mashed garlic are sometimes added for the treatment. Generally, the jar is allowed to “cup” body for about 15-20 minutes, and treatment has to be done over a period of time.

Besides these traditional methods of acupuncture Chinese moxibustion, people have now made improvements on the methods. Nowadays, possible equipment used include the microwave needle moxibustion, electronic needle moxibustion, acupoint injection, acupoint magnetotherapy, and so on.