Kung Fu

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Kung Fu

The term kung fu (功夫) is often misunderstood. As explained by Christopher Pei, president of the US Wushu Association, while at the 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival program “China: Tradition and the Art of Living,” the literal translation of kung fu from Chinese is “good skill”—referring to any individual accomplishment or refined skill that requires patience, energy, and time. What we think of as kung fu—a striking style of martial arts that utilizes kicks, blocks, and both open and closed hand strikes to defend against attackers—is what the Chinese call wushu or “art of war.” In Chinese culture, the art of war or martial arts contains a philosophical side related to Buddhist and/or Daoist principles. Demonstrating elements of wushu at the Folklife Festival were Chai Yunlong (柴云龙) and Tian Mengyi (田梦艺), two martial arts students from Beijing Sports University. Learn more about kung fu: https://s.si.edu/3eoQy4v Learn more about “China: Tradition and the Art of Living”: https://s.si.edu/2wDUygA Editing: Jackson Harvey [Catalog No. CFV11264; © 2019 Smithsonian Institution]

1 min 35 sec

culture music performance tradition folk language festival smithsonian "washington dc"