幸会幸会, It is a great honour to have you join us on the journey to discover and explore the 5000 years old Chinese Culture, History, Literature and Martial Arts.
Our club 星洲国术 (Pinyin : Xing Zhou Guo Shu) is a Chinese Culture, Martial Arts and Kickboxing Appreciation Group in Singapore.
We strive to preserve and promote Chinese Culture, Martial Arts and Kickboxing to the masses of Singapore by :
Our club 星洲国术 (Pinyin : Xing Zhou Guo Shu) is a Chinese Culture, Martial Arts and Kickboxing Appreciation Group in Singapore.
We strive to preserve and promote Chinese Culture, Martial Arts and Kickboxing to the masses of Singapore by :
- Posting articles regarding Chinese Culture, History, Literature, Festivals and Traditional Martial Arts.
- Conducting seminars & workshops.
- Organizing Group Training in Chinese Martial Arts (Kung Fu) and Kickboxing (Sanda Based).
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Chinese Martial Arts Training In Singapore
Our club is in the preliminary stage of setting up and there are alot to be done. Meanwhile, our club will periodically organize Kung Fu Workshop with the combine drilling of Qigong 气功, Southern Kung Fu 南拳, and Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Weapons 四大兵器 (Chinese Saber 刀, Spear 枪, Sword 剑 & Staff Pole 棍).
Our Kung Fu Workshop is meant to serve as a platform for novices to learn more about Chinese culture 中华文化 and to experience Traditional Chinese Martial Arts 传统中华武术 from the fundamental level. To ensure safety, individuals with aggressive attitude will not be accepted as our trainee. Trainees will not just be kicking and punching in the air during training. They will also be training with a partner using Punch Mitts, Kick Shields and Kick Pads as targets for a good workout. We have also took up a much “Gentle Approach” to coaching compared to commercial gyms. We welcome everyone from all walks of life age 15 and above. Please log on to our Kung Fu Workshop Page to find out more. |
Chinese Martial Arts
Chinese Martial Arts or Kung Fu is a series of martial art styles which were developed by the Chinese Civilization throughout the dynastic history of ancient China, formerly cultivated for the purpose of military warfare and self defense, today it is also a form of body-building and fitness practice for the masses. Chinese martial arts focus primarily on hand and arm strikes, kicking techniques and the usage of weaponry. The key elements in its empty-hand techniques are punching, kicking, throwing and stand up grappling or joint manipulation.
The four major Chinese weapons are the Sabre, Spear, Sword and Staff Pole. According to archaeologists, the Chinese spear was the oldest purpose-built weapon of ancient China. The oldest bronze spearhead discovered was from the Shang Dynasty 商朝 (1600BC - 1046BC), which was thought to have evolved from the stone harpoon spearhead of the neolithic era. The general design of the Chinese spear did not change much since the Shang Dynasty, and the Chinese spear is the most common weapon practiced by Chinese martial art styles today. It is said that the age-long usage of the Chinese spear easily made Chinese Martial Arts one of the Oldest Continuing Martial Arts In The World.
To know more about the history of Chinese Martial Arts please click the below button.
The four major Chinese weapons are the Sabre, Spear, Sword and Staff Pole. According to archaeologists, the Chinese spear was the oldest purpose-built weapon of ancient China. The oldest bronze spearhead discovered was from the Shang Dynasty 商朝 (1600BC - 1046BC), which was thought to have evolved from the stone harpoon spearhead of the neolithic era. The general design of the Chinese spear did not change much since the Shang Dynasty, and the Chinese spear is the most common weapon practiced by Chinese martial art styles today. It is said that the age-long usage of the Chinese spear easily made Chinese Martial Arts one of the Oldest Continuing Martial Arts In The World.
To know more about the history of Chinese Martial Arts please click the below button.
Benefits of Chinese Martial Arts
Chinese Martial Arts other than Self Defence, can also help a person Maintain Good Health and Develop Character. Good health, we mean not only being free from illness, it also includes the ability to work energetically, react quickly and think clearly. Furthermore, unlike combat sports, Chinese Martial Arts are suitable to be practice at all ages, even well beyond 70 years old, the longer the person practices, the better the person becomes.
The teaching of Chinese Martial Arts also emphasizes moral development, stressing fundamental traditional Chinese values of Loyalty 忠, Filial Piety 孝, Benevolence 仁 and Righteousness 义. All these qualities, acquired through Chinese Martial Arts training, can help a person in family and work life, and it can also help the person educate his or her children.
The teaching of Chinese Martial Arts also emphasizes moral development, stressing fundamental traditional Chinese values of Loyalty 忠, Filial Piety 孝, Benevolence 仁 and Righteousness 义. All these qualities, acquired through Chinese Martial Arts training, can help a person in family and work life, and it can also help the person educate his or her children.
Qi Gong 气功
Qi 气 is said to be the fundamental life force of the universe. In the human body, Qi 气 is the invisible vital force that sustains life. The best explanation for Qi 气 is simply “Energy” and it is everywhere. We have it in our bodies, it is in all living things, and all around us. If we feel energetic and full of energy, we can say that our Qi 气 is strong and if we feel tired and run down, we can say that our Qi 气 is weak.
A person is considered to have been born with original amounts of Qi 气. A person acquires Qi 气 from the food by eating, from the air by breathing and from interacting with the environment. A person will turn weak or ill when the amount or type of Qi 气 is unbalanced within the body. In order to regulate and control the Qi 气 within the body, Chinese martial artists will do Qi Gong 气功, which is the practice of aligning breath, physical activity and awareness for mental health.
Most Chinese martial art styles have two main categories of Qi Gong 气功 or Internal Training, which are the Soft and Hard Qi Gong. Soft Qi Gong trains one to be soft, relaxed, and coordinated. It also promotes smooth Qi 气 flow and builds robust health and longevity. Soft Qi Gong promotes exceptional health of the spine and helps to keep the practitioner’s waist and torso fit and flexible.
Hard Qi Gong 气功 on the other hand strengthens the practitioner’s muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Hard Qi Gong 气功 also helps the practitioner build strong root (footing), improves stability, and increases muscular endurance. In addition to strength and power, Hard Qi Gong is known to be able to enhance the Qi 气 concentration in the practitioner’s limbs and other parts of the body, allowing the practitioner to hugely increase his or her resistance against strikes.
A person is considered to have been born with original amounts of Qi 气. A person acquires Qi 气 from the food by eating, from the air by breathing and from interacting with the environment. A person will turn weak or ill when the amount or type of Qi 气 is unbalanced within the body. In order to regulate and control the Qi 气 within the body, Chinese martial artists will do Qi Gong 气功, which is the practice of aligning breath, physical activity and awareness for mental health.
Most Chinese martial art styles have two main categories of Qi Gong 气功 or Internal Training, which are the Soft and Hard Qi Gong. Soft Qi Gong trains one to be soft, relaxed, and coordinated. It also promotes smooth Qi 气 flow and builds robust health and longevity. Soft Qi Gong promotes exceptional health of the spine and helps to keep the practitioner’s waist and torso fit and flexible.
Hard Qi Gong 气功 on the other hand strengthens the practitioner’s muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Hard Qi Gong 气功 also helps the practitioner build strong root (footing), improves stability, and increases muscular endurance. In addition to strength and power, Hard Qi Gong is known to be able to enhance the Qi 气 concentration in the practitioner’s limbs and other parts of the body, allowing the practitioner to hugely increase his or her resistance against strikes.
Chinese Philosophers who Shaped the Chinese Culture
It is said that Chinese cultural values are a complex system of moral and social ethics based on filial piety, kinship, loyalty, benevolence, righteousness and harmony. To understand the Chinese mind, you need to start with Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) and Lao Zi 老子 (Lao Tze), arguably the two most influential person in Chinese history, their teachings had exert a profound influence on the Chinese for the last two thousand over years.
The ideas of Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) and his followers have guided the lives of Chinese people and leaders for over two millennia. Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) was born in 551BC, and though he received little recognition during his lifetime, he may be said to have become the most famous Chinese philosopher and teacher. His teachings, compiled mainly in the text known as Lun Yu 论语 (Analects), inspired a rich tradition, known to the world as Ru Jia 儒家 (Confucianism). It is said that Ru Jia 儒家 (Confucianism) philosophers, scholars, political leaders and religious figures not only shaped the Chinese culture, they helped shaped the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese cultures as well.
Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) was a teacher, editor, politician and philosopher of the warring Spring and Autumn period 春秋时代 (771BC - 476BC) in Chinese history. He lived at a time in which the society was highly fragmented into competing principalities. He believed that in order to stem the tide of social decay and to promote a flourishing and humane society, the Dao 道(The Way), of the ancient Zhou Dynasty 周朝 sage-kings needed to be revived.
To accomplish his vision, Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) advocated the institution of cultured and virtuous scholar-officials who would advise the kings to rule justly. His social vision did not apply only to the ruling class, his stress on moral character influenced every level of society. While Ru Jia 儒家 (Confucianism) is not technically a religion, its emphases on personal virtue and on ethical action within human society continue to influence Chinese spiritual life till today.
The ideas of Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) and his followers have guided the lives of Chinese people and leaders for over two millennia. Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) was born in 551BC, and though he received little recognition during his lifetime, he may be said to have become the most famous Chinese philosopher and teacher. His teachings, compiled mainly in the text known as Lun Yu 论语 (Analects), inspired a rich tradition, known to the world as Ru Jia 儒家 (Confucianism). It is said that Ru Jia 儒家 (Confucianism) philosophers, scholars, political leaders and religious figures not only shaped the Chinese culture, they helped shaped the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese cultures as well.
Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) was a teacher, editor, politician and philosopher of the warring Spring and Autumn period 春秋时代 (771BC - 476BC) in Chinese history. He lived at a time in which the society was highly fragmented into competing principalities. He believed that in order to stem the tide of social decay and to promote a flourishing and humane society, the Dao 道(The Way), of the ancient Zhou Dynasty 周朝 sage-kings needed to be revived.
To accomplish his vision, Ko Zi 孔子 (Confucius) advocated the institution of cultured and virtuous scholar-officials who would advise the kings to rule justly. His social vision did not apply only to the ruling class, his stress on moral character influenced every level of society. While Ru Jia 儒家 (Confucianism) is not technically a religion, its emphases on personal virtue and on ethical action within human society continue to influence Chinese spiritual life till today.
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The other great Chinese tradition that has its roots in Spring and Autumn period 春秋时代 is Dao Jia 道家 (Daoism). Like Confucianism, Dao Jia 道家 (Daoism) emerged as a vision for stopping social decline and promoting good government but it took a different track. Instead of a particular Dao 道 (The Way) for political leaders, Dao Jia 道家 (Daoism) thinkers stressed the Dao 道(The Way) that generated the cosmos as the appropriate model for human action.
The Dao De Jing 道德经, a philosophical and spiritual text attributed to the Spring and Autumn period 春秋时代 sage Lao Zi 老子 (Lao Tze), emphasized on Wu Wei 无为 (Non-Action). The word Wu Wei 无为 (Non-Action) meant the people, and particularly the rulers, should not do what is contrary to nature, they should cultivate attunement with the natural fluctuation of the cosmos. In later centuries, this more naturalistic spiritual sense of attunement with the universe became increasingly religious. The Dao Jiao 道教 (Taoist) religion was formed at around 200AD during the Han Dynasty 汉朝 and Lao Zi 老子 (Lao Tze) was revered as the Shen Xian 神仙 (Chinese Deity) known as Tai Shang Lao Jun 太上老君. |
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