Chinese Martial Arts: A Historical Outline - Paperback

by David A. Ross (Author)

Did Buddhist monks and Daoist priests really practice martial arts? Is the practice of Chinese martial arts religious? What are the White Lotus Sect and the Heaven and Earth Society? Did martial artists really think they could resist bullets using their internal power? What is the "internal school" of martial arts? These and many more questions are addressed and potentially answered by the new volume "Chinese Martial Arts, A Historical Outline".This is the first work of its kind in the English language. Beginning with the earliest historical records regarding the practice of martial arts, it progressively outlines the development of martial arts within the larger context of Chinese society. In doing so, it presents the many important events, issues and challenges which have shaped the traditions we now practice. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of the concept of using "Qi" in the martial arts, the doomed Boxer Uprising, and developments during the Republican era.Designed to be an outline rather than an exhaustive work on any one particular issue, "Chinese Martial Arts" is 226 pages with over 340 footnotes and an extensive bibliography. Destined to change the way martial artists perceive and understand what they practice.Table of Contents includes"MILITARY METHODS""THE FOUR STAFF OCCUPATIONS""CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE""THE WHITE LOTUS SECT""THE HEAVEN AND EARTH SOCIETY""THE TAIPING CIVIL WAR""THE BOXER UPRISING""NEI JIA QUAN""NEW CULTURE MOVEMENT""NATIONAL ARTS" and "SHAOLIN LEGENDS".