Travel Through Time Chinese and Greek Martial Arts
Sarantopoulos Panagiotis / 潘友 – Student Number : 13210680382
Professor Ruoen Fan / 范若恩
Chinese Language and Culture
9 May 2014
Travel Through Time: Chinese and Greek Martial Arts
Now since his was beauty of body, his was courage and a stout heart and, besides, selfcontrol and the good fortune of never having been defeated, what man could be called happier than he?- Dio Chrysostom, Discourses, 29.16
The best fighter is never angry - Laozi / 老子
Living in China during the last year, I have realized that despite the big differences in the
size and mentality of this country compared to my homeland, there are also a lot of similarities, which become even more visible when you travel back in time. As a student at a 武术 (wu shu) school in Shanghai, I have developed great respect for this part of the Chinese culture. On the other hand, Greece has also important contribution in martial arts’ history, with pale (today’s wrestling), pygmachein (today’s boxing) and the traditional Greek martial art of pankration. My goal in this paper is to examine the role of martial arts over time, their connection with philosophy and their impact in the culture of both countries. To achieve this goal I have organized my paper in four parts. In the first section, I provide a historical overview of the evolution of martial arts in Greece and in China. In the second section, I discuss the different philosophical ideas that influenced martial arts in both countries. In the third section, I describe two great fighters, one from each country. I conclude my paper with a fourth section, where I present my findings, as well as a personal opinion on the benefits people can acquire by practicing martial arts.
Sarantopoulos 2
History
As Xenophon mentions in his Apomnemoneumata (3.12), “no citizen has any right to be amateur in the matter of physical training: it is a part of his profession as a citizen to keep himself in good condition, ready to serve his state
Professor Ruoen Fan / 范若恩
Chinese Language and Culture
9 May 2014
Travel Through Time: Chinese and Greek Martial Arts
Now since his was beauty of body, his was courage and a stout heart and, besides, selfcontrol and the good fortune of never having been defeated, what man could be called happier than he?- Dio Chrysostom, Discourses, 29.16
The best fighter is never angry - Laozi / 老子
Living in China during the last year, I have realized that despite the big differences in the
size and mentality of this country compared to my homeland, there are also a lot of similarities, which become even more visible when you travel back in time. As a student at a 武术 (wu shu) school in Shanghai, I have developed great respect for this part of the Chinese culture. On the other hand, Greece has also important contribution in martial arts’ history, with pale (today’s wrestling), pygmachein (today’s boxing) and the traditional Greek martial art of pankration. My goal in this paper is to examine the role of martial arts over time, their connection with philosophy and their impact in the culture of both countries. To achieve this goal I have organized my paper in four parts. In the first section, I provide a historical overview of the evolution of martial arts in Greece and in China. In the second section, I discuss the different philosophical ideas that influenced martial arts in both countries. In the third section, I describe two great fighters, one from each country. I conclude my paper with a fourth section, where I present my findings, as well as a personal opinion on the benefits people can acquire by practicing martial arts.
Sarantopoulos 2
History
As Xenophon mentions in his Apomnemoneumata (3.12), “no citizen has any right to be amateur in the matter of physical training: it is a part of his profession as a citizen to keep himself in good condition, ready to serve his state
Cited: “Bruce Lee-The Lost Interview” youtube. Web. 23 Apr. 2014 Christopoulos, Lucas Classical World 106.3 (2013): 431-459. Project MUSE. Web. 29 Mar. 2014 Dio Chrysostom Diogenis Laertios. Book VIII. perseus.tufts.edu . Web. 18 Apr. 2014 Henning, Stanley (1981): 173-179. JSTOR. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. “History of the Chinese Martial Arts” kaleidoscope.cultural-china. Web. 30 Mar. 2014 IFPA(International Federation of Pankration) Jou, Tsung Hwa. The Tao of Tai-Chi Chuan. New York: Tai Chi Foundation, 1980. Print. Plato. The Republic. literatureproject. Web. 18 Apr. 2014. Chicago: Carus Publishing Company, 2010. Print. Xenophon. Apomnimoneumata. Athens: Sakellariou P.D., 1885. Print. Yu Lap Yip. Surgeons ' Posture and Kungfu. BMJ: British Medical Journal Vol. 297, No. 6664 (Dec “Zhang Sanfeng – Founder of Tai Chi Chuan” youtube. Web. 24 Apr. 2014