Weapons Used in Wushu

Weapons
Li Yu
was said to be expert at "eighteen skills."
fighting
who has a good command of in wushu is ' ,ONE often described as being "versed all~the eighteen fighting skills." And these words have almost become a set phrase in eulogy of a versatile master of any trade. Actually, the words "eighteen fighting skills" ~ were initially associated with eighteen kinds of weapons used by our ancients. They were first mentioned in a classic on the history of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). When Emperor Yingzong was captivated 'by enemy troops in Shanxi in 1449, the story goes, the Ming court decided to replenish its armed forces with men good at fighting. A selective contest was held and an applicant' called LiTong, who could dextrous-: , ly use eighteen kinds of weapons, defeated all , other contestants to win tophonour~ Thus Li
-
There are well over eighteen types of weapons used in wushu. Though most of them are of ancient origin, some,have proved their worth in modern warfare. At the turn of this century, the north China peasants and handicraftsmen in the Yihetuan Movement* were armed with broadswords when they rose against imperialist invaders equipped with firearms. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945), Chinese peasants were organized in "broadsword detachments" and militiamen were armed with red-tasselled spears when they stood on sentry. Numerous stories were told about patriotic men an~l!V9men fighting bravely with primitive 'Y~eaI?ohs:lrt,wushu, weapons have all along played :animpprtant role .. As a matter of fact, wushu can be divided'into two-main cate* Known in the West as tne "Boxer Uprising."
a renowned wushu master and fist at Longyurt's ribs. Having friend of the great revolutionfelt out his rival's ability, t~e Chinese boxer started his ofary Dr Sun Yat-sen.' fensive, \ launching a sequence Big and husky, Russell really of his favourite combination looked very much like a lion. blows that were hard to CnUl).At the sound of the gong, he ter. Driven to the ropes, the started to pounce on what he -"black lion" desperat,ely ,thnught would, be his prey. To bounced forward fQr a Sunday' determine his opponent's actual punch. "Good for you!" hissed strength, Longyun purposely the "dragon" who quickly left, an ,-exposed target, where- stepped forward and delivered a upon Russell stepped, forward hook that landed right on Rusand delivered a right hooked sell's chest. A head-on blow, it
sent Russell reeling back and down with a flop. He was counted out. From then on, the name / of the "dragon boxer" spread far and wide. ~ Nowat"H 54, -.Gat_Lo'f:lgy~n heads the Wushu Department of the 'Shanghai Physical Culture Institute. As an associate professor, he devotes much of his time to. writing books apart from teaching.
'i
<,"-'
.. ~ -,=[!J
~~ 2. J.,
'1_ "._ ,',
n,;!
'
---
gories: barehand exercises and armed exercises. All wushu styles and schools have developed their own routines with weapons . .Shown here are different weapons in common use: categories of
1) Short. weapons: broadsword (Figs la-b) and sword (Figs 2a-c);
.~- --=
2) Long weapons: spear (Fig 3), cudgel (Fig 4), pike (Fig 5), long-hilt broadswbrd (Fig 6), gisarme (Fig 7), flying fork (Fig 8) and ha~bert (Fig 9); .. 3) Flexible weapons: nine-section whip (Fig 10), three-:section cudgel (Fig 11), two-section short cudgel (Fig 12), two-section long cudgel (Fig 13), meteoric hammer (Fig 14) and rope . dart (Fig 15); 4) Double weapons: qouble broads\V'ords (Fig 16), double swords (Fig 17), double twoheaded spears (Fig 18), double hooks (Fig 19), double daggers (Fig 20) and Emei daggers (Fig
21); and
5)' Shield (F~gs22a.;.b).
,\,
FJJ
10
gr-fp
cushion
coHar
Armed exercises can be done singly or between partners who use the same or different types of weapons. Or one side is armed and the other side unarmed, in which case the latter often succeeds in snatching the weapon and turns out the winner", Among the weapons mentioned- in the above list, the broadsword, the sword, the spear and the cudgel are the most popular. The wushu people compare the broadsword to a fierce tiger and the sword to a flying phoenix. This is because the former is expressive of power and bravery and the latter, elegance and refinement. Historically, the broadsword was called "weapon No I" because of the leading part it played in baftles of old. The two-edged sword was also much in vogue in all dynastic periods. During the Qin (221-207 Be) and Han (206 BC-AD 220) dynasties, everyone in the court - from the "Son of Heaven" to the one thousand and one officials - carried a sword at his belt. Liu Bang, founder of the Han Dynasty, said proudlY: "I took up a three-foot-Iong sword. And I won the empire."
As for the cudgel, it has been used as a weapon since the earliest times when man learned to break tree-branches to make sticks for self-defence. Simple as it is, the handling of a cudgel forms the technical basis of aU armed exercises. As pointed out by Qi Jiguang (15281587), a well-known general and wushu master, "He who is good at cudgel play will know how . to wield other weapons." The Shaolin Monastery in Songshan County, Henan Province, is known to have produced some masters of cudgel play. In the Ming period, 40 monks in the monastery were summoned to figl1;tagains Japanese intrusion inlo China's coastal areas. Flourishing their iron cudgels, each weighing about 15 kilogrammes, they went into battle and drove out the invaders. The specifications of these four weapons for wushu practice are as follows: Broadsword: Its tip should be at least as high as your ear-lobe when you hold the handle with your hand hanging by your side.
1)
.
With its pointed and edged head, the spear was regarded in ancient times as the "supreme commander of arms," because practically all sharp weapons were derived from it. There are many narratives about the spear in historical records. Li Chuan (died in 1231),- leader of a peasants' insurgent army in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), was nicknamed "Spearman Li" for his outstanding horsemanship and dexterity with the bow and the spear. His wife was also versed in spear play. "I have been getting along with my Pear Blossom Spear for a score of years without meeting any match under heaven," she claimed.
10
2) Sword: broadsword .
Of the same length
as the
3) Spear: At least as long as your vertical reach, that is, from heel to fingertips when your arm is fully stretched upward. The circumference of the shaft should be about 7 cm. Cudgel: At least as long as your body . height. The circumference should be about
4) 7 cm.
The spearhead and the blades of the sword and broadsword are made of steel. For the beginners they may he made of wood or bamboo, which will be easier - and much safer- to handle.

Weapons Used in Wushu

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Weapons Used in Wushu

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Weapons Used in Wushu

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Weapons

was said to be expert at "eighteen skills."

'1_ "._ ,',

1) Short. weapons: broadsword (Figs la-b) and sword (Figs 2a-c);

5)' Shield (F~gs22a.;.b).

Of the same length

You might also like