by Phillip Starr
When I first visited China, one of the foremost wushu coaches (he was the leader of the troupe that toured the U.S. back in 1973), who was also an avid practitioner of two traditional styles of gong-fu, told me that, “these traditional arts cannot survive in China...” Years later, I moved to China where I lived and worked for several years. I could readily see how the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) had all but totally eliminated traditional arts. Sure, a few teachers of the traditional forms of gong-fu could be found – if one was willing to spend a great deal of time and money searching for them. There were (and still are) LOTS of alleged “masters” who will gladly teach Westerners...for a hefty price, but the reality of the situation is that for all intents and purposes, real gong-fu in China is dead.
Taiwan is home to a fair number of very highly skilled gong-fu teachers, but many of them are getting on in years; quite a number have retired.
But take heart! All is not lost! Far from it... Years ago, I found that numerous Japanese martial artists had traveled to China in the 18th, and especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, and trained in various forms of gong-fu. They brought these arts back to Japan and, being Japanese, they didn't alter what they'd learned at all! Of course, a number of famous gong-fu masters moved from China to Japan and taught there (one of them was Wang Shujin, my gong-fu uncle).
In contemporary Japan, there is a considerable number of highly-skilled masters of numerous gong-fu styles, including taijiquan, xingyiquan, baguazhang, praying mantis, wing chun, and many others. Many of them are of a higher skill than their contemporary Chinese counterparts. Moreover, being Japanese, they are highly disciplined and their instruction is well-organized and detailed (which is often missing in instruction under many of China's contemporary instructors).
So, take heart! Real gong-fu is NOT dead. It is alive and thriving in Japan!
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