shamanism in imitative kung fu

[Ao Qin]

This is an interesting thread - I've never understood why Dragon Style / Shape is referenced that way. I'd like to learn more what the "shape" means to the Chinese people who so named it (and not the obvious meanings - e.g. the form or shape the body is positioned in).

The best imitative kungfu movie every made, IMO, is "The Thundering Mantis" - Seven Star I believe. You'll never find a copy though...although I managed to aquire one with great difficulty.

Cheers - AQ

[mawali]

Spirit Boxers, again, as a quais-religious group, were given a bill of goods, that, if they practiced a certain set of movements of a specific sect (quasi-religious! they woul dbe able to withstand bullets. Even today, people still believe such things especially if you add religious and other themes to the art.

In that era in Chinese history, the populace was no very literate so they tended to believe in those types of prophesies, real or imaginery! They even added Christian themes to their awakening.

[David Jamieson]

This is an interesting thread - I've never understood why Dragon Style / Shape is referenced that way. I'd like to learn more what the "shape" means to the Chinese people who so named it (and not the obvious meanings - e.g. the form or shape the body is positioned in).

The best imitative kungfu movie every made, IMO, is "The Thundering Mantis" - Seven Star I believe. You'll never find a copy though...although I managed to aquire one with great difficulty.

Cheers - AQ

My current training partner uses "shape" and "style" to refer to individual techniques.

wher you and I might think a system is a style, this is not the case with many chinese.

A system is a completely different concept. A style and a shape are small things.

[Ao Qin]

Thanks David,

"Lung Ying" is called dragon style, dragon shape, dragon shape / style magic hands, dragon claw / fist, even "Dragon Eagle" Style, etc (depending on the tone of course). But the "shape" thing is very intriguing to me right now. I believe it has something to do with the internal method attached to it. People have tried to explain it to me, but so far, "it hasn't hit me yet"

I've been doing the Dragon for over 20 years now, and I still don't understand what "Sam Tong", or "Lam Dah", or "Bai Jong" means either - I've got about 10 transliterations of each. I guess I'm just slow.

Cheers - kevin

[uki]

the dragon is like the snail... it twists like the tornado - spins like a hurricane. if you cannot grasp the dragon, it means you cannot fly without wings...