All Kung Fu styles share one common trait, stories about
ancestors\founders. All these stories, often called histories, share same
pattern. Founder of the style or some significant ancestor is positive a
character in every possible way, a perfect role model for younger generations
of the practitioners. Martial, moral and ethical standards in particular Kung
Fu style as well as in Chinese society as well are set up by lives and deeds of
the ancestors. Kung Fu ancestors, almost without exception, had hundreds
sometimes even thousands of fights and they never lost any. They also had at
least some skills that surpass the average human abilities and be considered as
superhuman. They all fought and won numerous fights against impossible odds and
they always put wellbeing of others before their own. They are also
compassionate, generous, intelligent, moral, kind, modest and well respected
members of the society. In short they are archetypal heroes who embody the
virtues and attributes cherished by the particular society at the particular time
and he provides a model for people to emulate.
Legends about heroes of the past and their struggle for
justice and defense of the weak are part of every culture around the word , not
only Chinese and they play same role in all societies regardless of the time,
place, social and economical structure. Heroes educate about right and wrong.
They set up the correct moral and ethical foundation of the society and they
are protector of it. Most fairytales
and children’s stories serve this didactic purpose, showing kids the kinds of
behaviors that are needed to succeed in life, to better society, and to
overcome villainy. Same purpose have legends built around real or mythical
characters from the past. Heroes reveal to us the kinds of qualities we need to
be in communion with others. Heroes give hope when we are in trouble and they
are there to protect people when they are in danger. Heroes reveal our missing
qualities, people often choose a hero who has exactly those attributes they do
not.
While legends about heroes are pretty much the same
everywhere and have same purpose everywhere there is one significant difference
between these stories on the far east , especially China and the rest of the
world. On the west, these legends serve their purpose but they are not taken as
a real historical facts. On the west people enjoy legend of King Arthur and the
knights of the round table but no one believe magic is real or the events described
in the story really happened .On the east most people really , deeply believe
these legends are true historical facts. People really believe Leung Jan had
300 fights and never lost one or Yip Man broke the revolver with two fingers.
While legends on the west tend to be exactly that- legends, on the east legends
tend to be accepted as real history. On the west as we go far in the past we
have more exaggeration involved in the story line , while newer legends ,
although still in the realm of exaggeration tend to be more realistic. On the
east level of exaggeration is the same for people who became legends (or they
present them self like that , like certain Wing Chun master who “fought 12
people with knives and of course won”) during modern times and are still alive
and heroes from 2000 or 3000 years ago.
It is also interesting that these attitude toward kung fu
legends was transmitted to the west without even a trace of critical analysis
so common on western culture.
So,
why there is a such an attitude toward the legends and ancestors? Many of the unspoken rules for navigating
Chinese culture can be traced back to the teachings of Confucius.
In Chinese culture, as well as in many other Asian ones,
you are defined by your relationship to the larger group. All of your actions,
whether positive or negative, don’t just reflect on yourself, but on the group
as a whole. This is also part of Confucian thought, to subject your own desires
to the needs of the group and the good of society. This collective
responsibility first extends to one’s Face represents a person’s reputation and
feelings of prestige within multiple spheres, including the workplace, the
family, personal friends, and society at large. The concept of Face can be
understood more easily by breaking it down into three separate components: the
individual view, the community view, and actions.
The “individual view” pertains to the amount of prestige
individuals feel based on their accomplishments, and the amount of respect they
feel they are due based on their position and status, such as in a company or
the home , immediate and extended family, then community, and all the way to
the entire nation.
The “community view” pertains to the amount of respect
individuals feel necessary to give to someone else based upon that person’s
position or status, such as in a business, the family unit or within a specific
social group .
“Actions” pertain to the various activities that can
cause an individual to gain or lose Face. Based upon one’s position relative to
someone else, several different actions can be employed to either cause a loss
or gain of Face. In some cases these actions might occur unintentionally, or
instead be used as tactic to achieve a specific result. For example, giving
someone Face (e.g. more than they might deserve) can be used to build relationships
and influence decisions. Also, causing someone to lose Face can reinforce one’s
own authority and status, or pressure someone toward a desired action.
In short ,Chinese face is other-directed and relational.
In other words, it’s less about your own personal pride or ego, and more about
how one is viewed by others. For 4,000 years, Chinese culture has
downplayed concept of the individual , instead emphasizing the supremacy of the
family and group. It was all about bringing honor to the clan, family, social
group.
According to Confucius gaining honor is avoiding shame.
Thousands of years ago, China developed into a shame-based culture. Generally
speaking, the Chinese “behave properly” generally to avoid shame and they fear
losing face, not necessarily because they might feel badly about their actions.
In China, shame isn’t just personal feeling, it’s a relationship-based thing
that serves as a form of social control.
As
a result, Chinese “ethics” has never been based on universal principles of good
and bad. Instead, they’re more based on
the circumstances of the moment—a system that the West calls “situational
ethics”. Good and bad are not absolute categories as they are in the West. Same
goes for the Chinese concept of the “truth”. It is not black or white, not an
absolute category as in the West. Emphasis is less on telling the objective
“truth,” and more about what the situation and relationship calls for. Chinese
will go through great lengths to protect face. In fact, it’s perfectly
acceptable to tell a lie ,even a bald-faced one ,if it serves to protect face.
China’s culture of shame doesn’t think of lies in terms of “right” and “wrong.”
Instead, the goal of Chinese truth is often to protect the face of an
individual, group, or even nation.
As modesty and humility are also prized traits in Chinese
culture, bragging or otherwise loudly touting one’s own achievements is
generally looked down upon. People will praise achievements of others but never
their own.
Having all this in mind it is easy to understand why
there are so many exaggerations, hype and lies in Kung Fu. By giving the face
to the ancestors kung fu practitioners actually are giving a face to them self.
Having an ancestor who was undefeated fighter with hundreds of fights and was
full of virtue reflects positively to all generations of his students. It is a
matter of prestige to have a teacher who has all traits of a hero. It is
somehow believed that all the skills and virtues from the hero ancestor will be
inherited completely by his students. Chinese practitioners will never give
credit to them self, no matter how their art might be god and no matter how
much successes they might ( or might not) have , they will always give credit
to their teacher. Every generation will give a little ( or not just a little) a
more credit to their ancestor until that ancestor eventually gain superhuman
powers. On the other hand Chinese kung fu practitioners will never talk about
things that may lead to lose of a face for a particular ancestor, even if these
things are historically known and verified truth. Exaggeration, hype and lies
have also a pure marketing purpose. Unquestionably believed “histories” and
ancestor’s “biographies” attract large number of students. Often this “histories”
and “biographies’ contain a hints or a partial or complete fabrications that
make competition to lose face and put particular lineage or ancestor on the
place high above all others.
All this is socially acceptable and expected in Chinese
kung fu culture. For a serious kung fu practitioner and researcher it is really
hard to separate truth from lies and exaggerations, that is why kung fu history
is such a messy thing that cause so much friction between different styles and
lineages.
