外國人都是... Foreigners Are Like That...
People often develop an inexplicable craze for mysterious things, and the unfamiliarity leads to all kinds of illusions and expectations. For so many years, Chinese culture has been considered inscrutable to foreigners, and what fascinates them most until now seems to be the martial arts.
The westerners’ interest in Chinese martial arts was initiated by Bruce Lee(李小龍), who was the first Chinese chosen to be leading actor in Hollywood in the 1970s. Since then, Hollywood films have full taken advantage of Westerners’ craze for martial arts, featuring Jacky Chan in a series of box-office hits including “Rush Hour,” or Lee An in “Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons,” or Jet Li in “Lethal Weapon 4.”
Recently, westerners’ fascination by martial art has switched from mere appreciation to practice. Previously, westerners had enjoyed “watching” Kongfu; they had Chinese actors performed martial actions in all the scenes, and they were satisfied with such a way to quench their thirst for Chinese martial arts. However, as “The Matrix” swept the world with its marvelous martial art actions and fight scenes, followed by movies such as “Charlie’s Angels”, “Kill Bill”, more and more Hollywood stars are now performing martial arts on the movie screen with the help of Chinese martial arts trainers. Westerners are no longer content with merely watching and appreciating martial art, they desire to experience the power themselves.
What’s worth noticing is the deeper meaning that lies behind the shift. Chinese martial arts are no longer a simple item of curiosity, but a practical way to stimulate individuality, confidence, and pride. Characters in this new trend of martial arts movies, such as in “The Matrix” or “Charlie’s Angels”, have one thing in common, that is, they have a strong faith in themselves. With each sweep and punch, the characters show off their confidence while defending themselves bare-handed without any weapons. Fighting adversity with individual strength further highlights the strong individualism of western culture.
It is natural that different cultures appeal to one another. And westerners’ fondness of Chinese martial arts is just like our curiosity toward their Christmas tradition or cowboy culture. The mysterious charm of Chinese martial arts does not fade away by lifting its veil; instead, its spirit is inherited and intensified as it is integrated into another form of art.
People often develop an inexplicable craze for mysterious things, and the unfamiliarity leads to all kinds of illusions and expectations. For so many years, Chinese culture has been considered inscrutable to foreigners, and what fascinates them most until now seems to be the martial arts.
The westerners’ interest in Chinese martial arts was initiated by Bruce Lee(李小龍), who was the first Chinese chosen to be leading actor in Hollywood in the 1970s. Since then, Hollywood films have full taken advantage of Westerners’ craze for martial arts, featuring Jacky Chan in a series of box-office hits including “Rush Hour,” or Lee An in “Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons,” or Jet Li in “Lethal Weapon 4.”
Recently, westerners’ fascination by martial art has switched from mere appreciation to practice. Previously, westerners had enjoyed “watching” Kongfu; they had Chinese actors performed martial actions in all the scenes, and they were satisfied with such a way to quench their thirst for Chinese martial arts. However, as “The Matrix” swept the world with its marvelous martial art actions and fight scenes, followed by movies such as “Charlie’s Angels”, “Kill Bill”, more and more Hollywood stars are now performing martial arts on the movie screen with the help of Chinese martial arts trainers. Westerners are no longer content with merely watching and appreciating martial art, they desire to experience the power themselves.
What’s worth noticing is the deeper meaning that lies behind the shift. Chinese martial arts are no longer a simple item of curiosity, but a practical way to stimulate individuality, confidence, and pride. Characters in this new trend of martial arts movies, such as in “The Matrix” or “Charlie’s Angels”, have one thing in common, that is, they have a strong faith in themselves. With each sweep and punch, the characters show off their confidence while defending themselves bare-handed without any weapons. Fighting adversity with individual strength further highlights the strong individualism of western culture.
It is natural that different cultures appeal to one another. And westerners’ fondness of Chinese martial arts is just like our curiosity toward their Christmas tradition or cowboy culture. The mysterious charm of Chinese martial arts does not fade away by lifting its veil; instead, its spirit is inherited and intensified as it is integrated into another form of art.