CM FOOTBALL

It’s called the beautiful game – and fans in China are every bit as passionate about it as those in Europe.  In fact English football is hugely popular in China, which is why China Monitor supplies a weekly package of articles on FA Premiership clubs, players, news, gossip and matches to selected Chinese media.  This unique service is now available to visitors to the sports pages of Chinamonitor on-line, where we post each week’s package of news stories and features – in both English and Chinese.

We also appreciate that there is growing interest in professional football within China, and accordingly include on our football page a section devoted to following the teams, personalities and results in the Chinese League and Cup competitions.

The Olympics in Beijing 2008

Rewarding Beijing the 2008 Summer Olympic Games indicates the Olympic consciousness will become the main melody in Chinese society, will provide Beijing and China an exceptional with the opportunity for development, will open the gate of a huge market for both the domestic and international merchant. 

"By choosing Beijing, the International Olympic Committee has made a decision of great significance because now 1.3 billion people will feel completely integrated into the world sports movement." 

To secure the Games, Beijing and the Chinese government had agreed a substantial budget of more than US$14bn. 

There are few venues that are currently up to standard, so the centre of the Games will be a giant Olympic Park on the northern outskirts of the city, and on an axis with some of Beijing's notable landmarks such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. 

Dragon Boat Racing

A great tradition that is expanding globally.

The Chinese dragon boat races will always be a symbol of Chinese culture and spirit. As one of the three largest Chinese festivals of the year, this mythical celebration can now be witnessed around the world. To experience a dragon boat race - either watching or participating - is a thrill in itself and can be enjoyed by everyone.

Dragon boat racing began more than 2000 years ago when a group of superstitious people believed that the boat racing would ensure prosperous and bountiful crops. Their celebrations took place on the summer solstice - the time of year typically associated with disease and death and when man felt most helpless against the powers of nature. The race has come to symbolize both man's struggle against nature and his fight against dangerous enemies.

Today the dragon boat races are primarily a form of amusement. It is no longer a necessary ceremony performed to scare away evil and call for a good year but entertainment that teaches people a little about Chinese history and culture. We are not nearly as superstitious as we were in the past but it sure is fun pretending!

Martial Arts

Kung Fu and The Shaolin Masters

The Shaolin order dates to about 540 A.D., when an Indian Buddhist priest named Bodhidharma (Tamo in Chinese), travelled to China to see the Emperor. At that time, the Emperor had started local Buddhist monks translating Buddhist texts from Sanskrit to Chinese. The temple had been built years before in the remains of a forest that had been cleared or burned down. At the time of the building of the temple, the emperor's gardeners had also planted new trees. Thus the temple was named "young (or new) forest", (Shaolin in Mandarin, Sil Lum in Cantonese). When Tamo joined the monks, he observed that they were not in good physical condition. Most of their routine paralleled that of the Irish monks of the Middle Ages, who spent hours each day hunched over tables where they transcribed handwritten texts. Consequently, the Shaolin monks lacked the physical and mental stamina needed to perform even the most basic of Buddhist meditation practices. Tamo countered this weakness by teaching them moving exercises, designed to both enhance chi flow and build strength. These sets, modified from Indian yogas (mainly hatha, and raja) were based on the movements of the 18 main animals in Indo-Chinese iconography (e.g., tiger, deer, leopard, cobra, snake, dragon, etc.), were the beginnings of Shaolin Kung Fu.

As time went on, this Buddhist sect became more and more distinct because of the martial arts being studied. This is not to say that Tamo "invented" martial arts. Martial arts had existed in China for centuries. But within confines of the temple, it was possible to develop and codify these martial arts into the new and different styles that would become distinctly Shaolin. One of the problems faced by many western historians is the supposed contraindication of Buddhist principles of non-violence coupled with Shaolin's legendary martial skills. In fact, the Shaolin practitioner is never an attacker, nor does he or she dispatch the most devastating defenses in any situation. Rather, the study of kung fu leads to better understanding of violence, and consequently how to avoid conflict. Failing that, a Buddhist who refuses to accept an offering of violence (i.e., and attack) merely returns it to the sender. Initially, the kung fu expert may choose to parry an attack, but if an assailant is both skilled and determined to cause harm, a more definitive and concluding solution may be required, from a joint-lock hold to a knockout, to death.

For Q&A, your Tai Chi School in Skipton: www.gateway-taijiquan.co.uk