#ng mui

[melusineisthebestest]

The fact that there is no class in Fate that is dedicated to hand-to-hand combat has always bothered me. So I made one myself.

Thank you to @sxbxb8 for the amazing fan servant art of Ng Mui!

[dailyhistoryposts]

Ng Mui

One of the legendary Five Elders, and of those five the only woman, who survived the destruction of the Shaolin Temple, Ng Mui was a martial arts master, as well as the founder of five separate styles of martial arts.

A story about Ng Mui's life relates that she taught a 15-year-old girl who was being married off to fight off her harasser, inventing a form of fighting that could be learned quickly and used without great physical strength.

[redsamuraiii]

Kung Fu (1972/1993) | Kung Fu (2021)

So I just watched the new series, Kung Fu, which is based on the original series of the same name and decided to do a comparison.

*spoilers ahead*

Kung Fu (2021)

The story follows Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), a law student dropout who wished to carve her own path and find her place in the world leading her to the Shaolin Monastery where she became a martial arts student with her master, Pei-Ling Zhang (Vanessa Kai) for three years before it was attacked by “ninjas” lead by  Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman) who is later discovered to be the sister of the master. Zhilan wants the ancient sword (The Sword of Liang Daiyu) which was wielded by female warriors in the past and she hopes to unlock it’s powers. 

After the burning and destruction of the monastery, Nicky finds herself returning home to the United States where things are not the same as she last remembered as her brother and mother are upset and furious with her for abandoning them for three years to go on her spiritual journey to China. While her father and sister are more than happy to have her back and be a big happy family once again. But things are not what it seems when she discovered that her parents are involved with the local triads due to money issues. 

One thing lead to another and she finds herself not only protecting her own family from the gangs and saving them but saving others outside of her family too who are in need of saving but had no one else to turn to for help but her. But she began to question herself if this is what she is meant to do with her life while trying to overcame her own fears of the past of losing her master and the fear of the unknown future where she has to stop Zhilan from obtaining the sword. 

Kung Fu : The Legend Continues (1993)

The story takes place after the prequel, Kung Fu (1972) which follows Kwai Chang Caine (David Carradine). In the prequel, it shows Caine, an orphan son of an American man and a Chinese woman in mid-19th Century China, where he became a Shaolin warrior monk. When his master, Po, is killed by the Emperor’s nephew, an enraged Caine retaliates by killing him after which he had to flee China to the United States.

In Kung Fu : The Legend Continues (1993), Caine is now a head of a Shaolin Temple in the United States where his son is also a Shaolin student. But an intense rivalry with a fellow Shaolin warrior monk whose philosophy of war clashes with Caine’s peaceful ways, caused Caine to banish him and his followers from the temple as his beliefs goes against Caine’s master’s teachings. 

However, the insulted monk and his followers return one night as “ninjas” to attack Caine and burn the temple to the ground. After the destruction of the temple where he believed his son to be dead, he embarked on a monk pilgrimage across the states in search of peace. But things changed when he passed through Chinatown and helped the locals from the triad gangs. Along the way, he reunited with his son, Peter (Chris Potter) who is now a Detective and together they try to help the locals from the triads, which is later revealed to be run by Caine’s arch enemy, Tan (Ernest Abuba), the rival monk that burnt down the temple.

My Thoughts

Both the original and the new series are amazing and interesting in different ways, as both have something that the other does not or does not have something that the other does. 

For example, I feel that the life philosophies, discussions and life lessons of the original to be more compelling and the soundtrack is much more memorable as the new one feels a bit generic. I was hoping the new one would have a song something like Netflix’s Marco Polo. But the fight scenes of the new series is much better and the struggles of the main character is more relatable as she’s like everyone of us, struggling to find her place in the world, questioning her purpose, asking what she wants in life and finding inner peace.

There’s one thing which I think is a wasted opportunity not to focus on Wing Chun, which is not only used by the famous Bruce Lee and Ip Man but the pioneers and founders who happened to be women, first by Ng Mui, a nun who survived the destruction of the Shaolin Temple that passed on her teachings to Yim Wing Chun who wants to fight the brute fighters of her town to avenge her father who was beaten up by them.

The thing about Wing Chun is that the way of fighting is more graceful and feminine, considering that the founder was a woman, but nevertheless, effective and deadly, especially against brute strengths, which make the martial arts unique and beautiful, that it’s hard for the male martial artists to master it, with the exception of Ip Man and Bruce Lee, which what makes them great.

Instead of using the character, Liang Daiyu, which I am not sure of whether is based on a real life character or a character that actually exist in Chinese myths or purely fictional character, which I am curious about and intend to find out. 

Anyway, you can read more about my findings on Wing Chun in my early post which includes a TED Talk video by a real life female Wing Chun martial artist of today, named Yvette Kong Man Yi. From the video, you could see that she’s very humble, polite, graceful but at the same time, has that look where she could beat you up in a heart beat.  

But nonetheless, as an Asian and a martial arts fan, I think it’s definitely awesome seeing more martial arts films making a comeback! 

[britkunoichi92]

http://shaolintemplemi.org/ng-mui-shaolin-nun-and-heroine-of-china.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai_Bhago

Infor about female warriors.

[wingchunblog-blog1]

Fight like a girl

I previously mentioned Wing Chun was invented by a legendary little lady in my earlier post. Regardless of what the history books (or the lack thereof) actually say, Wing Chun's conception, characteristics, and core principle all alluded to the legend.

Conception and core principle: Wing Chun was conceived as a self-defence that can be learned reasonably quickly using simple natural body movements with mechanical efficiency, borrowing the energy from the opponent, deflecting their force and avoiding clashing strength with strength. To master it, however, will take a lifetime.

Characteristics: the goat clamping stance, sensitivity, close range combat, the economy of motion and centre-line theory. At no point was any emphasis placed on muscle power or brute force. They all point to Wing Chun's feminine core, it makes sense to train to fight like a girl.

Since Wing Chun is a concept-based martial art, its interpretation is not prescriptive. As a Wing Chun practitioner, you will have a unique experience by adapting it to your own anatomy and mindset, regardless of gender, age, and body types.

[wingchunblog-blog1]

Sinking and Standing

Wing Chun is primarily an internal martial art, using subtle body movements to overcome physical force and strength. One of its core mechanics is sinking and standing which borrows the reaction force of gravity. This allows you to attack with greater force and to hold your position under pressure.

Here’s an example: if you were to push someone with just your palms, elbow pointed sideways, using just your upper body strength, how far can you push that person away? Alternatively, tuck your elbows in, close to your torso, and try to connect your whole body - from your heel, to the torso, elbow and ultimately to your palm. Can you see that path linking the ground to your palm? Now rise and attack. How far can you strike this time?

That's why in the first form 'Siu Lim Tau', which translates to 'the little idea', usually practiced to focus the body and mind on stillness, relaxation and body structure. You need to be in this state of mind to connect to the ground effectively. Practise lifting your body slightly upwards for each outward motion, followed by sinking back to the ground and gripping the floor with your stance for each inward movement. This sequence can help you deliver more torque and power in your application.

[wingchunblog-blog1]

What is Wing Chun (and the little lady?)

Wing Chun is a self-defence martial arts believed to have been invented by a Shaolin Nun called NG Mui around 300+ years ago in Southern China.

Essentially, Wing Chun is an assimilation of Shaolin Kung Fu. Instead of flowery and exaggerated movement, Wing Chun emphasises on body mechanics, relaxation and sensitivity.

Most of the moves involved getting in close and striking with the fist, palm, fingers, elbow and heel to the vulnerable part of the body such as the eyes, nose, throat, groin, knees, etc.

With these moves, Wing Chun enables smaller people, often with shorter stature, to defend themselves against much bigger and stronger enemies. Not emphasising on strength or power also makes Wing Chun more versatile for people of different ages, genders and body types.

[thelittlebitsofhappiness]

Boiiii I just saw a documentary about Ng Mui and I was speechlessly glued to the screen for whatever the fuck the documentary lasted. Just ... An martial arts Legendary Master who developed one of the deadliest techniques??? And also a woman??? And nobody talks about her???

Like, when I saw, my skin was instantly cleared, my anxiety cured, my grades raised, my future bright and sunny, my cold is gone, a rainbow shines sweetly in the sky and bees giggle softly as they collect the pollen of the early spring flowers. Ng Mui owns my entire ass, pass it on.