This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2015) |
Lei tai | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 擂臺 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 擂台 | ||||||||||
Literal meaning | striking platform | ||||||||||
|
The lei tai is an elevated fighting arena,without railings,where often fatal weapons and bare-knuckle martial arts tournaments were once held. "Sanctioned" matches were presided over by a referee on the platform and judges on the sides. Fighters would lose if they surrendered,were incapacitated,or were thrown or otherwise forced from the stage. The winner would remain on the stage (as its "owner") unless ousted by a stronger opponent. If there were no more challengers,they would become the champion. Private duels on the stage had no rules and were sometimes fought to the death.
The lei tai first appeared in ancient China, [1] and in its present form during the Song dynasty. [2] However,ancient variations of it can be traced back to at least the Qin dynasty. [3] Today it is used in Sanshou [4] and Kuoshu [5] competitions throughout the world.
According to Kung Fu Magazine,the Chinese character ' 擂 ' (in Mandarin lèi or léi [6] ) combines the word for "thunder" (léi 雷) with the radical for "hand" (shǒu 手). It can mean,"to give an open challenge." [7] But taken literally,it means to "beat (a drum)". Tái means "stage" or "platform." It is also commonly referred to as a Dǎlèi tái (Traditional:打擂臺Simplified:打擂台–"Fight Beat (a drum) Platform"). [8] The character for Dǎ combines the word for "robust or vigorous" (dīng 丁) with the radical for "hand" (shǒu 手). This can mean,"to strike,hit,beat,or fight". In Cantonese,using the Wade-Giles superscript number system,Lei tai is pronounced Leui4 Toi4. A common English rendering of this is "Lui Toi or Loey Toy". [9] Da lei tai is pronounced Da1 leui4 toi4 or Da2 leui4 toi4.
The Chinese military once used a Zhong Jun Lei Gu Tai (中军擂鼓台–"Central Military Drum Beating Platform") to drum out commands on the battlefield and to tell time in the capital city. [10] [11] (see Gulou and Zhonglou) Three kingdoms general Zhang Fei used a "drum beating platform" to teach his soldiers troop movements. [12] It is possible that the lei tai received its name from this type of platform,since a superior fighter might "beat" his opponent like a drum.
The fighting area is square,but its exact size varies from source to source.
In ancient China,combat sport appeared in the form of Leitai,a no-holds-barred mixed combat sport that combined Chinese martial arts,boxing and wrestling. [1] Lei tai in its present form appeared during the Song dynasty when it was used for boxing and Shuai Jiao exhibition matches and private duels. [2] According to the Chinese Kuoshu Institute (UK),an ancestor of the lei tai was used during the Qin dynasty to hold Jiao Li wrestling competitions between imperial soldiers. The winner would be chosen to act as a bodyguard to the emperor or a martial arts instructor for the Imperial Military. [3]
According to Cung Le,a famous mixed martial arts fighter,"In the old days,if you wanted to announce yourself as a boxer in a new village,you built a lei tai,stood on it,and invited all comers to try and knock you off." [20] Some fighters issued their challenge in the form of a hand written letter to the person they wished to face. [13] This form of challenge was illustrated in the movie Fearless ,when Jet Li's character challenges another warrior to a fight. The book Ultimate Sparring:Principles &Practices comments,"martial artists conducted 'Challenge matches' [on the lei tai] to test each other's skills,because of a personal dispute,or to prove one martial system's superiority over another system." [21] Either fighter lost the match and his credibility if he fell,was forced off or was knocked to the floor of the stage. As a result,no one would want to learn boxing from him. The winner of the bout became the "owner of the platform" and remained on stage unless he was forced off himself. [22] If there were no more challengers,he became the champion and or established the dominance of his style in that area. Another way was to defeat an already established master on the lei tai and then take over his school.
In order to become a champion,a fighter had to defeat countless opponents. For instance,Lama Pai Grandmaster Wong Yan-Lam set up his own lei tai platform in front of Hai Tung Monastery in Guangdong after having worked as a famous bodyguard in Northern China. For 18 days,he fought over 150 other martial artists and was never defeated. According to Hop Gar Grandmaster David Chin,"Either the challenger was maimed or killed. Wong never let one challenger leave his school without injury. He was a master of using the technique of cruelty." [23] Shortly afterwards,he was elected as the leader of the Ten Tigers of Canton,who were the top ten kung fu men in Guangdong. [23] [24] Eighteenth generation Chen-style tai chi Grandmaster Chen Zhaopi,third nephew of Chen Fake,set up a platform by Beijing's "Xuan Wu Men" city gate after an unauthorized article claiming the superiority of Chen-style tai chi appeared in the Beijing Times,causing many martial artists to challenge his skills. Over the course of 17 days,he defeated over 200 people and made many friends. [25] [26] If these examples are followed,it took a fighter anywhere from 17 to 18 days and 150–200 plus consecutive wins to establish their style's dominance in that area.
All weapons and boxing matches were conducted without protective gear like the Jissen Kumite (full-contact fighting) of Kyokushin Karate. On top of being forced from or thrown to the floor of the stage,the fights sometimes continued until either boxer conceded defeat,was severely injured and could no longer fight,or was even killed. [13] One example of a death on stage was described by Hung Gar Grandmaster Chiu Kow (1895–1995),father of Grandmaster Chiu Chi Ling. The fight took place between Hung Gar Master Leng Cai Yuk and a triad boss named Ha Saan fu,who was also a master of Internal martial arts. Because Ha dealt in prostitution,gambling,and drugs,Leng challenged Ha to a lei tai bout to halt the expansion of his criminal territory. Ha accepted the challenge and agreed to leave the area if he lost.
Ha had previously heard of Master Leng's ability to tear at the flesh of his opponents with his bare hands,so he wrapped his torso with a leather strap prior to the fight. Both men met on the lei tai some time later and signed a contract that stated the fight could end in death. The crowd watched as both initiated combat. After a few moments,Leng (apparently seeing the leather straps through his ripped clothing) bypassed Ha's armor by forcing his hand down from the top of the wrap and tore out the triad boss' bowels. When Ha fell dead to the stage,his men tried attacking Leng to exact revenge,but the local police quickly arrested Leng to protect him. He was eventually set free. [27]
However,the railless architecture of the lei tai allowed a fighter to escape serious injury if they faced a more powerful opponent. All they had to do was leap down from the stage. This constituted a loss,but the boxer lived to fight another day. [7] Despite this option,the Nationalist government banned the old traditions of private duels on the lei tai in 1928 because too many people were dying. [7]
In order to screen the best practitioners for teaching positions at the newly founded Central Guoshu Institute,and in the provincial schools,Generals Zhang Zhi Jiang (张之江) (1882–1966),Li Liejun (1882–1946) and Li Jinglin (1885–1931) held the first modern full contact,national competition in October 1928. Many traditional masters did not compete because they believed their skills could only be proven in serious duels and not "sporting" contests. However,the event attracted hundreds of the best Chinese martial artists who participated in boxing,weapons and wrestling in a lei tai ring format. But after the first several days,the fighting competitions had to be halted because two masters were killed and many more seriously injured. The final 12 contestants were not permitted to continue for fear of killing off some of the greatest masters of the time. The overall winner was voted on by a jury of his peers. Many of the "Top 15" finishers (some being Xingyi boxers) went on to teach at the institute. [28]
In 1929,the governor of Guangdong Province invited some of the institute's masters (including some of those that had competed in the 1928 lei tai) to come south to establish a "Southern Kuoshu Institute". General Li Jinglin chose five masters to represent northern China. These men were known as the Wu hu xia jiangnan (五虎下江南–"Five tigers heading south of Jiangnan"):
In 1933,the institute again hosted the national competition. The rules said,"...if death occurs as a result of boxing injuries and fights,the coffin with a body of the deceased will be sent home." [29] Winners of this contest include:
This section needs additional citations for verification .(August 2015) |
Differing mainly in regulations,such as Kuoshu's allowing competitors to strike the same place twice,kuoshu and sanshou are examples of how popular the overall concept of full-contact kung fu has become. Though a few see a stringent dividing line between the sports,some such as Anthony Goh,president of the United States of America Wushu Kungfu Federation,see less contrast. "The rules will always be slightly different," says Goh,but "the various names all mean the same thing."
Others see the distinction as primarily historical. Huang Chien Liang,president of the United States Kuoshu Federation and The World Kuoshu Federation,notes that "Kuoshu has another meaning as 'national art.' In 1928,the Central Kuoshu Academy was formed,and they sponsored a full-contact tournament,but when the Chinese Communist Party took over China,the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan,where,in 1955,they held a full-contact tournament,calling it lei tai. At that time,they used the original rules;no protection,and no weight class –whatever number you picked up,you fought together. [31]
In 1975,Taiwan sponsored the first World Kuoshu Championship Tournament,and started to have weight class division. The second tournament also took place in Taiwan and was won by Peter Ralston,the first non-Asian to do so. [32] The current president of the United States Kuo Shou Federation Huang Chien-Liang brought six of his students as a team to the 3rd World Kuoshu Championship tournament in Hawaii in 1980. This world tournament,sponsored and organized by an international Kuoshu federation in Taiwan,featured top Chinese stylists from around the world. Although they were nervous about the competition,Huang's students performed surprisingly well. They captured top placing in several divisions,including forms and full contact fighting. In total,they took home six trophies. [33] In 1986,Huang assembled another team to participate in the 5th World Kuoshu Championship. Huang served as Head Coach of the U.S. team. [33] The 6th Championship took place in 1989 [34] So by 1992,Taiwan had already sponsored seven Kuoshu lei tai fighting events.
Meanwhile,in China,"Kuoshu had been oppressed during the Cultural Revolution," notes president Huang,"and martial arts was then allowed only for performance until 1979,when wushu was allowed to include self-defense,so practitioners began writing the rules for the Sanshou Wushu tournaments,and the Communist government held a tournament called Sanshou."
Confirming the common direction of Kuoshu and Sanshou toward safety,however,president Huang approves of the rules changes in full-contact kung fu. "In 1986,at the fifth world tournament in Taiwan,they had a separate weight class,but still no protection. So many people suffered a broken nose and other injuries." As a result,the International Kuoshu Federation decided to change the rules. "So since 1988,the new rules apply." [31]
As previously stated, martial arts were only allowed for performance purposes until 1979. But in March of that year, the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Training Center, Beijing Physical Education University (former Beijing Physical Education Institute), and Wuhan Physical Education College were convened by the government-appointed China National Sport Committee (CNSC) to transform Sanshou into a competitive sport. By October, the first three Sanshou teams were created from fighters chosen from the aforementioned wushu colleges. Even more teams were gathered in May 1980.
The first official Sanshou rules were drafted in January 1982 when the CNSC convened the National Sanshou Competition Rules Conference in Beijing. Six teams consisting of the Shandong, Hebei and Guangdong provincial teams, the Beijing Physical Education University and City teams and the Wuhan Physical Education College team were summoned to the conference to help formulate the regulations and points system of the sport. Ten months later, the very first Sanshou competition was held in November 1982. The original fighting area was a nine-meter diameter open circle, but it was later changed to a traditional square lei tai. [35]
According to Shuai Jiao Grandmaster Liang Shou Yu, "In the past, San Shou competition was held on the Lei Tai, a 24 x 24-foot (7.3 m) platform 5 feet (1.5 m) high. Victory was decided when an opponent was thrown off the Lei Tai or knocked to the floor. Therefore, Shuai Jiao is an important part of San Shou fighting. A martial artist without any Shuai Jiao skills would not easily survive a San Shou match." [18]
Kung Fu Magazine states just throwing someone off the lei tai in a Sanshou match is 3 points, which is "the [points] equivalent of a spinning hook kick to the head, or a perfect foot sweep." [20]
(For Kuoshu and Sanshou competition rules, see "Rule Books" in External links below.)
The city of Taizhou, Zhejiang hosted the first "On Water Contest of the 'Liqun Cup' International Traditional Wushu and Unique Feats Tournament" from May 22–26, 1999. It was here that 24 countries and 28 Chinese national teams, over a thousand competitors in all, gathered to test their skills against each other.
The water lei tai was held on the afternoon of the second day of competition (May 23). There were five divisions and it was the most attended event of the tournament. The event was made more difficult when it rained just prior to the matches, making the fighting surface very slippery. Also fighters were restricted to minimal safety equipment, only gloves and shorts. The defeated, who fell or was forced off the stage, landed in water. To improve safety, the lei tai was a meter shorter than a standard one, which lessened the impact and allowed assistants to quickly jump in the pool to rescue any fighter who might have been unconscious. No serious injuries were recorded during this event. [7]
There have been more water lei tai's held since this event. In March 2004, the 9th International Chinese Kuoshu Federation (ICKF) World Championship hosted the 3rd water lei tai. The tournament venue was Aquatic Training Centre, Tainan Canal, Tainan, Taiwan. This was the first International event hosted by the ICKF to be held entirely on water. [36]
Kung Fu Magazine states the lei tai's railless architecture does not allow a fighter to trap an opponent in the turnbuckle, so the fighting strategy shifts away from power boxing to more evasive "circling" maneuvers. Nor can a fighter just rush their adversary. A quick redirection will send a charging opponent off the stage. And falling off can hurt, so fighters must deal with an added psychological factor when they approach the edge. Like Japanese sumo, a fighter must stand their ground. Falling out-of-bounds constitutes a loss. [7]
According to the Swiss Open Kusohu Tournament, lei tai permits the kung fu student to show their understanding of the techniques, moves, rooting, breathing and control of character (i.e. anger). Kung fu together with lei tai trains the instincts and timing. It cultivates concentration and relaxation at the same time. It teaches practical combat applications of the disconnected moves learned from sets or taolu ("Forms"). With lei tai a student receives personal feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. [13]
In both ancient China and Greece, the most popular sports were probably wrestling, boxing, and combinations thereof (Greek pankration, Chinese leitai). The same might be argued for ancient Egypt, India and Japan. [...] In both ancient China and Greece, the no-holds-barred combat sport (Greek pankration, Chinese leitai) was probably the most popular one.
【擂臺】 注音 ㄌㄟˊ ㄊㄞˊ 漢語拼音 léi tái
Shaolin kung fu, also called Shaolin Wushu, or Shaolin quan, is one of the oldest, largest, and most famous styles of wushu, or kung fu of Chan Buddhism. It combines Chan philosophy and martial arts. It was developed in the Shaolin Temple in Henan province, Greater China during its 1500-year history. Popular sayings in Chinese folklore related to this practice include "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin" and "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven," indicating the influence of Shaolin kung fu among martial arts. The name Shaolin is also used as a brand for the so-called external styles of kung fu. Many styles in southern and northern China use the name Shaolin.
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu, kuoshu or wushu, are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Ancient China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" of martial arts. Examples of such traits include Shaolinquan (少林拳) physical exercises involving All Other Animals (五形) mimicry or training methods inspired by Old Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles that focus on qi manipulation are called internal, while others that concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness are called external. Geographical association, as in northern and southern, is another popular classification method.
Mizongyi is a style of Chinese martial art based on deception and mobility.
Sanda, formerly Sanshou, also known as Chinese boxing or Chinese kickboxing, is the official Chinese kickboxing full-contact combat sport. Sanda is a fighting system which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon the study and practices of traditional Chinese martial arts and modern combat fighting techniques; it combines boxing and full-contact kickboxing, which includes close range and rapid successive punches and kicks, with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes.
Yuen Woo-ping is a Hong Kong martial arts choreographer and film director who worked in Hong Kong action cinema and later Hollywood films. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong. Yuen is also a son of Yuen Siu-tien, a martial arts film actor.
Changquan refers to a family of external martial arts styles from northern China.
A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent, or attacking the opponent in a specific or designated technique. Combat sports share a long history with the martial arts.
Lau Kar-leung was a Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer, and martial artist from Hong Kong. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. His most famous works include The 36th Chamber of Shaolin starring Gordon Liu as well as Drunken Master II starring Jackie Chan.
Wushu (武術), or kung fu, is a competitive Chinese martial art. It integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern Chinese martial arts, including Shaolin kung fu, tai chi, and Wudangquan. "Wushu" is the Chinese term for "martial arts", reflecting the art's goal as a compilation and standardization of various styles.
Shuai jiao is the term pertaining to the ancient jacket wrestling wushu style of Beijing, Tianjin and Baoding of Hebei Province in the North China Plain which was codified by Shan Pu Ying of the Nei Wu Fu. In modern usage it is also the general Mandarin Chinese term for any form of wrestling, both inside and outside China. As a generic name, it may be used to cover various styles of wrestling practiced in China in the form of a martial arts system or a sport. The art was introduced to Southern China in the Republican era after 1911.
Chan Tai San was a Chinese martial arts grandmaster. Often called one of China's "living treasures", Chan was featured as such on the cover of Inside Kung Fu magazine in 1996.
The lei tai fighting stage has been the subject of various types of media; including Chinese film, video games, television, Literature, and music.
Doc-Fai Wong is a master of tai chi and the Hung Sing branch of Choy Li Fut kung fu. He was born in 1948 in the Guangdong province of China, specifically, the Wangshan village in the Doumen District of Zhuhai. In April 1960, he and his mother immigrated to San Francisco, California to be reunited with his father. He arrived as a third-generation citizen of the United States of America since both his grandfather and father were already citizens. He sought out his first kung fu teacher - Lau Bun (劉彬), the founder of the first Hung Sing Kwoon of Choy Li Fut in America, after encountering taunting and bullying due to language and ethnic difficulties after his arrival. When Lau Bun died in 1967, he started teaching and opened his first school when he was 19 years old.
Chee Kim Thong was a Shaolin martial arts grandmaster.
The Central Guoshu Institute was established in Nanjing by the Kuomintang government of the Republic of China in March 1928 for the propagation of Chinese martial arts, and was an important center of martial arts during the Nanjing decade. Guoshu "national art" was the term for martial arts adopted by the Republic of China at the time. The institute was created by Zhang Zhijiang under the sponsorship of elite government officials such as Li Liejun and others. Along with the Jing Wu Athletic Association, the academy played a crucial role in the transmission of traditional Chinese martial arts into the 20th century.
Louis Linn is a martial artist, teaching his family style of O Shin Chuen, a traditional five-animal Fujian Shaolin style, in Sweden. He introduced Chinese martial arts, Wushu also popularly called kung fu, to Sweden in 1975 and soon became a well known instructor within the martial arts society there.
Wudangquan is a class of Chinese martial arts. In contemporary China, Chinese martial arts styles are generally classified into two major groups: Wudang (Wutang), named after the Wudang Mountains; and Shaolin, named after the Shaolin Monastery. Whereas Shaolin includes many martial art styles, Wudangquan includes only a few arts that use the focused mind to control the body. This typically encompasses tai chi, xingyiquan and baguazhang, but must also include bajiquan and Wudang Sword. Although the name Wudang simply distinguishes the skills, theories and applications of the internal arts from those of the Shaolin styles, it misleadingly suggests these arts originated at the Wudang Mountains. The name Wudang comes from a popular Chinese legend that incorrectly purports the genesis of tai chi and Wudang Sword by an immortal, Taoist hermit named Zhang Sanfeng who lived in the monasteries of Wudang Mountain. Wudang quan is often used synonymously with Neijia, but strictly speaking Neijia is a broader term that also encompasses, for example, Aikido and Qigong, which are not Wudang quan.
Shi Deru, born Liu Xiangyang, English name Shawn Liu, is a 31st generation Grandmaster of Shaolin kung fu. He was a close disciple of abbot Shi Suxi, and close Shaolin brother of Shi Deyang. His nickname is "iron leg".
Xu Xiaodong, is a Chinese mixed martial artist (MMA) who is known for challenging and fighting fraudulent and traditional martial artists. He gained prominence online after he was filmed defeating self-proclaimed Tai chi master Wei Lei in 2017.