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Huang Ti, The Yellow Emperor,
Third Millennium, B.C.
A common error in Western thinking is that martial arts were developed as a means of destroying one's enemies or attackers, or at best, it was created as the ultimate form of self-defense. While martial arts disciplines do indeed contain formidable self-defense tactics as part of their teachings, violence is not the ultimate goal. Instead, martial arts are deeply rooted in Oriental mores and religion. As I reiterate throughout this book, they are a way of life, not a means to deal out death and destruction to your fellow man.
Though we can't be sure, martial arts' roots seem to be in China. Apparently, they can be traced back to the early beginnings of Oriental man. Elements of the Chinese martial arts, now known as Kung Fu, go back to the Neolithic Age, approximately four thousand years ago. The earliest form of martial arts appears in the story in which the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huang Ti, fought and defeated his enemy, Chi Yuo, by using classical Chinese wrestling methods. Even though this incident occurred in the first half of the third millennium B.C., many Chinese historians confess a distinct lack of documented evidence that proves definitively that Kung-Fu evolved from those ancient days of the Yellow Emperor.
Nonetheless, during the Shang dynasty (1523-1027 B.C.), there is more evidence that wrestling existed. Certain fighting movements were developed into a type of folk dance performed by people wearing animal horns on their heads and butting into each other, followed by grabbing and throwing each other to the ground. In this, the Bronze Age, archaeological finds prove that war chariots with horses in harnesses were common. Spears, arrows, knives and needles were made from bronze, which indicated the advancement of fighting and hunting tactics.
Historical records are much clearer for the Chou Dynasty period (1027-256 B.C.), the beginning of the Iron Age. As schools of philosophy began to appear, archery and horsemanship were considered accomplishments that all gentlemen and scholars were supposed to possess in their efforts to become "Scholarly Warriors" or morally and physically superior men. These skills were considered integral parts of "li.". Li consisted of cultural rituals by which men in society live together in harmony.
In the classic Book of Odes, a compilation of some three hundred poems from about 700 B.C., Chinese ceremony is celebrated. Fighting with the fists, Ch'uan fa, is mentioned in at least one line, "Without the fist, there is no bravery." Therefore, it can be concluded that Ch'uan fa, the way of the fist, was being practiced by at least some of the people of Chou.
In the second half of the Chou Dynasty (770-221 B.C.) in response to an increasing need for fighting men to defend the declining empire, there emerged in China a fighting class known throughout the empire. Many poverty-stricken peasants, unemployed artisans and merchants, along with many former warriors, became professional fighters. They roamed from state to state offering their services to beleaguered lords. Most of the fighters were skilled in military arts, especially swordsmanship.
The fighters, however, must not be thought of as merely mercenaries; they had their own respected chivalric codes. They served not only royalty, but also ordinary citizens in distress. Literature of the day claims that a knight (shih) dies for one who appreciates him. They would offer their swords in defense of those wronged while risking death for others without a thought for their own safety. They always meant what they said, always accomplished their intended mission, and always honored their promises. It's difficult, of course, to separate the fact from convoluted legend.
Another legend tells how the Chinese Ninja connection known as Lin Kuei may have evolved in the third millennium B.C. A migrating farmer lost his young son to a wild animal. He was so grieved he went into a trance and emerged vowing to remain in the forest for the rest of his life. In order to survive, he and his family watched how the animals took advantage of nature, and worked in harmony with nature in order to survive and flourish. The farmer and his family learned the ways of nature; they had become part of the forest. For hunting and combat, the farmer and his followers would imitate the ways of the animals, learning the correct skills for the task at hand.
But then all societies have histories of violent cultures based in war and warriors that supposedly had their codes of bravery and honor. What separates martial arts from other forms of battle arts are its religious and philosophical roots in searching for enlightenment.
Finally, around 500 B.C., Sun Tzu, a contemporary of Confucius, wrote The Art of War. It has been an authoritative text on war and its strategies ever since, addressing such subjects as philosophy, strategy, politics, economics, and diplomacy. Just as the individual may approach combat with an enlightened mind as well as excellent physical skills, so the enlightened nation must approach the strategy of war with wisdom and diplomacy, as well as modern weapons. Sun Tzu was the first strategist to write about deterrence. General Tao Hanzhang says in his commentary about the Art of War: [who is this general?)
Sun Tzu attached great importance to employing politics, diplomacy, and strategic considerations for the purpose of subduing the enemy... rather than by means of war. In today's language this is called 'a policy backed up by strength.' Sun Tzu was the first person in world history to have put forth this doctrine.
The strategies of war, like the martial arts, are deeply embedded in religious, cultural, and philosophical roots. Neither in martial arts practiced by the individual, nor in the strategies of war practiced by a nation, should either body enter combat blindly, without wisdom, and expend needless energy.
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