The great tragedy in the history of the development of martial arts, twenty years later to see the "digging up"

A great tragedy in the history of the development of martial arts

——Twenty years later, look at "digging up"

Ma Lianzhen

One

In the early 1980s, the Chinese martial arts community carried out a nationwide martial arts excavation and collation activity, which was called "martial arts digging rectification" or "digging rectification" for short. This is the largest thorough investigation and collation of folk martial arts after the founding of New China, because it occurred shortly after the end of the ten-year catastrophe, and the purpose of digging up and rectifying clearly has the purpose of rescuing the martial arts heritage. The digging and rectification was highly valued by the main leaders of the party and the state at that time, and it was also noticed by the Chinese people and the Chinese people all over the world, and it was vigorous and colorful for a while, which greatly encouraged all the people who loved and cared about martial arts.

The stars turn and move, and the sun and moon are like shuttles. Today, twenty years later, not many people have talked about this once sensational event, not to mention outside the martial arts community, that is, within the martial arts community, or in the small circle of the official "competitive martial arts". It seems that everything has become a passing cloud, forgotten by people, except for those who have personally experienced digging, not many people know how to dig up. In fact, for martial arts, "digging up the whole" is indeed a thing that is worth reviewing and worth studying, and it is forgotten so quickly, first of all, it should not be ignored, and secondly, there must be a reason in the inside.

Let's briefly review the process of "digging and tidying up".

As early as the early days of the establishment of the All-China Sports Federation in 1949, the excavation and collation of folk martial arts was put on the agenda and was once valued by Comrade He Long. But for various reasons, there has been no big move. In the early 1960s, local sports committees also organized this work, and some localities even assigned specialized agencies and personnel to do this. But the real large-scale digging and rectification arose after the "Cultural Revolution". In January 1979, the State Sports Commission issued the "Notice on Excavating and Sorting Out the Heritage of Martial Arts", and then, the relevant departments of the State Sports Commission organized martial arts investigation teams to go to 13 provinces, cities and regions such as Shanxi, Shaanxi and Sichuan to carry out inspections, and held the first National Wushu Observation and Exchange Conference in Nanning, Guangxi in May of that year. In December 1982, the State Sports Commission held a national wushu work conference, proposing that "excavating traditional martial arts and rescuing martial arts cultural heritage is an urgent task at present." Subsequently, the State Sports Commission set up a leading group for martial arts excavation and sorting, which was responsible for the unified deployment of the national martial arts excavation and rectification work, and all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions across the country set up their own excavation and rectification offices, which were specifically responsible for the local excavation and rectification work. As a result, since 1983, the work of martial arts digging and rectification across the country has gradually begun.

In 1983, a national wushu digging and rectification work conference was held in Nanchang, and the meeting arranged the "National Wushu Excavation and Finishing Work Plan", and the large-scale excavation and rectification in the country was rolled out and entered a climax. For the smooth progress of the nationwide martial arts census, the Wushu Research Institute has received hundreds of thousands of yuan of support from the state finance. The provincial sports committees also have special funds, as little as tens of thousands a year, more than 100,000, and there is no way to know the total number for the time being. Among the people who participated in the digging and rectification, there were as many as 300 members of the digging and rectification group at the provincial level, while there were nearly 5,000 members of the national prefectural and county-level digging and rectification groups. As for the amateur and indirect intervening people, I am afraid there are even more.

From June 26 to July 4, 1984, the first national martial arts excavation and collation results reporting conference was held in Chengde, Hebei Province, mainly to report and summarize the work of national excavation and rectification in the past year. The conference was attended by more than 160 representatives from 29 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions and thirteen sports colleges. According to statistics, in the whole year, a total of more than 1100 counties and cities were visited, more than 1700 symposiums were held, more than 4800 old boxers were interviewed, more than 200 different boxing styles were excavated, and more than 3700 routines and more than 100 kinds of exercises were recorded for more than 1300 old boxers, up to more than 200 hours. More than 300 martial arts manuscripts were also exhibited at the conference.

From March 24 to 28, 1986, the Second National Wushu Excavation and Collation Results Reporting Conference was held in Beijing, and the "Exhibition of Wushu Heritage Excavation and Collation Achievements" was held. The meeting positively evaluated the entire excavation and rectification work, and awarded awards and bonuses to individuals and collectives who contributed. In the following years, although some regional provinces still had their own digging and rectification activities, the nationwide martial arts digging and rectification work that lasted for three years came to an end. After that, it should be mainly to further sort out and introduce scientific research results.

The nationwide excavation and sorting out of martial arts was carried out under the leadership of the entire wushu digging group of the National Sports Commission, and more than 8,000 full-time martial arts workers and amateurs were mobilized nationwide, directly spending more than 1 million yuan, known as "unprecedented in history" martial arts cultural heritage rescue work. Through the final summary, 129 fists circulating throughout the country were preliminarily identified; 6.51 million words of the classic books on the theory, technology, dissemination and development of various fist types compiled by various provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government; 394.5 hours of boxing skills of old boxers over the age of 70 were recorded; and 482 documents, 392 pieces of ancient weapons, and 29 other physical objects were collected through the "three offerings" activity of "donating fists through boxing, donating military weapons, and offering gong fa skills". Judging from the published figures, it is really fruitful, impressive and exciting!

As we all know, in the whole decade of the Cultural Revolution, all the historical and cultural heritage of the mainland have been seriously damaged, and martial arts are the hardest hit areas. Many folk treasured martial arts books and hand-copied boxing songs have been destroyed; many old martial artists and old boxers have been persecuted and died prematurely, making their lifelong experiences a masterpiece. What is more serious is that martial arts work, misled by the ultra-"Left" policy, serves as a tool for class struggle and political propaganda in the clamor of such noise as "criticizing the Confucian and Mencius way of the martial arts world". The development path of martial arts has been seriously distorted, theoretically and technically deviating from the humanistic tradition and sportsmanship of Chinese martial arts, and becoming the four different images of non-donkey and non-horse, and the emergence of "quotation fist" is a typical example. Therefore, the nationwide excavation and sorting out of martial arts not only has the original intention of rescuing the heritage, but also actually has the significance of "correcting the chaos", which is synchronized with the rectification of the chaos in the ideological, theoretical and traditional cultural circles at that time, and it is very necessary. Because of this, this activity has won the hearts of the people and received enthusiastic support from the entire martial arts community, many veteran boxers have rushed to tell each other and performed, and martial arts fever has appeared all over the country. In addition, through a thorough investigation and liquidation of the martial arts heritage scattered in various places on the mainland, it is of positive significance to ensure that we have a good idea in mind and have things in our hands, which is of positive significance for promoting the scientific research work of martial arts and accelerating the systematization and scientificization of martial arts.

Two

However, after so many years, when we look back and re-examine this large-scale martial arts digging, it is a feeling of being dazed and unaware of why. It seems that after a burst of gongs and drums and firecrackers sounding in unison, everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened, and neither the specific results of the digging nor the new atmosphere of martial arts scientific research brought about by the digging were not seen. Frankly speaking, the long period of cold silence and indifference after a vigorous period is obviously not a normal phenomenon, which will naturally arouse people's doubts about the true value and significance of the excavation and rectification work, and cause people to discuss and ask questions.

Twenty years later, people can't help but ask, what was once a digging that mobilized the masses and spent a lot of money on the whole, what was dug up at the bottom, and what results were dug out? So far, apart from a few encouraging numbers in the magazine, what is the actual content? In the climax of digging and rectification that year, some articles on the digging and rectification were published in popular magazines such as "Chinese Wushu", most of which were popular works, and the academic content was generally not high. After the end of the digging, in 1993, a "Chinese Martial Arts Boxing Record" was published, which was the only "scientific research result" directly related to the digging and rectification, and then there was no follow-up. The so-called 482 martial arts manuscripts, manuscripts and secret books, as well as 392 ancient weapons, what kind of treasures are they, one is that they should have been taken out and made public to the world a long time ago, at least compiled into a catalog, printed into a book, and provided for researchers to use, so that it can serve to promote martial arts scientific research and prosper martial arts science; the second is that the Chinese Wushu Research Institute, which is responsible for collecting and researching these treasures, after monopolizing and studying for a full twenty years, there should always be some research results, why can't we always see specific results, does this still need to be "kept secret"? Twenty years later, the vast number of martial arts enthusiasts, especially the folk boxers who actively contributed to the "Three Sacrifices" activity, have the right to put forward these requirements, and have reason to think deeply and explore the end. Especially considering that in the early 1980s, when the country was in ruins and waiting to be rebuilt, it allocated a lot of manpower and financial resources to support this work, which indeed showed great importance to martial arts, which was a unique event in the history of martial arts in the past century. However, how the money is spent, whether it is worth it or not, there should always be an evaluation, an explanation!

Among the people who discuss this matter, their doubts are mainly concentrated on three points:

First, 482 ancient books, 392 ancient weapons, 394.5 hours of old boxing records - these are some fascinating figures that flash a mysterious aura, which deeply attract everyone who loves martial arts, attracts martial arts researchers at home and abroad, if these things are made public as soon as possible, it should be a great wealth that is important to promote martial arts research. However, if under the influence of the unhealthy trend of industry monopoly, it may become something that some individuals hoard and turn public into private, and its academic value will be greatly reduced or even shrunk. Out of selfishness, some people use protracted so-called "scientific research" to achieve monopoly and achieve the purpose of enrichment. Such things are not only common in some industries, but also in the process of martial arts digging, and in some places.

Second, precious manuscripts and physical objects "dug up" with a large amount of manpower and huge funds are likely to be two

In the past ten years, there has been no scientific and systematic collation, let alone in-depth research, but on the dust shelf, no one cares, in fact, it has become a bunch of dead things, and its role is not as great as when it was circulated in the folk. If it is not managed well, the situation is even worse, and there may be loss. If this is the case, the martial arts digging and rectification is a formalistic "political achievement project" and "image project", with loud thunder and small raindrops, and there is not much practical academic significance.

Third, after three years of "digging" with great fanfare, what is digging out of the bottom, is it worth digging? People are worried that a considerable number of people who engaged in this work at that time had a relatively poor foundation in literature and history, and lacked professional training in martial arts history and martial arts theory, and it can be said that enthusiasm is much higher than ability. At that time, the mystical atmosphere in the martial arts world was quite strong, and some guiding figures made very exaggerated propaganda on the actual situation and cultural connotation of martial arts, and for a time formed a phenomenon of blowing martial arts bubbles from top to bottom. Of course, this cannot but affect the specific work, affect the identification and judgment of the digging and rectification workers, and even deceive and refer to deer as horses. Therefore, the overall quality of the digging work is not high, it is likely that some low-grade or even fake goods will be "dug" out as treasures, and the high bonus will become the exchange of the state's money for garbage. Because of this, the competent authorities had to hide deeply and dilute the treatment.

In fact, what really worries people is that in the process of digging and rectification, only a part of the award-winning "fine products" handed over to the martial arts academies in various places were handed over, and at that time, for various considerations, the provincial and municipal digging and rectification offices retained some information, and some even a large part. After 1986, the digging and rectification offices in various localities were gradually abolished, and some transferred the excavated and complete materials to the Cultural and Historical Office, and some sealed them and left a few people to continue to keep and sort them out. Later, the cultural and historical offices in various localities were also mostly abolished, and the attribution of the entire data became a problem. According to the situation heard, the direction of various places is different, and there will inevitably be losses in the middle, and there is a possibility of being led by individuals, and some even flow to the market and be acquired. The emergence of this situation is also related to the lack of scientific arrangements for the excavation and rectification work, the enthusiasm for making a big fuss and extensive farming, and the beginning and the end. Once you dig things up, dig without tidying up, you can't fully study and utilize them, and you can't properly keep them, so it's better not to dig up. Equivalent, if there is no reliable scientific and technological guarantee, some important ancient tombs can not be blindly excavated, because it is better not to dig than not to dig, digging and throwing there, the possibility of loss is greater. The current situation of martial arts digging up and rectifying data in various places cannot be ignored, and it is recommended to take practical measures to protect and rescue them, and to carry out rescuing the "rescue".

In recent years, the problem of martial arts entering the Olympic Games has been heating up day by day, which has attracted the attention of Chinese people all over the world, and the prospects are mixed with joy and worry, and the heart is "pulling out the cold". At the same time, under the initiative of the "Humanistic Olympic Games", the research of national sports has become increasingly active, how to take the opportunity of the Beijing Olympic Games to show the humanistic connotation of the traditional sports of the Chinese nation and show the spirit of oriental sports, which is a major event that many people in the mainland sports circles and society are thinking about. Under the situation, the dilemma of martial arts is even more obvious, and the problem of serious lag in martial arts scientific research for a long time has also been prominent. After large-scale digging and rectification, some martial arts works written under the auspices of the competent departments, such as the Encyclopedia of Chinese Martial Arts and the Theoretical Course of the Duan Position System, were shoddy and full of errors, and even the minimum seriousness and standardization of scientific research could not be discussed, and there was a big taste of a bag of tofu residue. In these places, people can't see the precious materials obtained by digging up and rectifying, and they can't see the scientific research breakthroughs brought about by digging and rectifying. This situation is clearly there, how can people not be suspicious, so as to turn over the old accounts and hold them accountable!

Today, as the process of globalization continues to accelerate, China faces an even more challenging world. As the driving force of China's continuous innovation and development, the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, and the humanistic spirit and social values it has been endowed with are what we as Chinese must take great care of and be proud of. Martial arts is an inseparable part of the traditional culture of the mainland, and it also requires our care and love, which requires us to objectively study martial arts, inherit martial arts and promote martial arts. It's not just about copying martial arts, creating martial arts bubbles, masturbating to people with "broad and profound". Contemporary martial arts are calling for reform of the management system, and the first step in reform should start from acknowledging and facing up to the mistakes of the past, without this courage and spirit, reform is just empty words, or wearing new shoes and going the old way.

bibliography:

1, "History of Chinese Wushu", compiled by the Wushu Research Institute of the National Sports Commission, People's Sports Publishing House, September 1997.

2, "Prosperous Grand Event-Remembering the National Wushu Excavation and Finishing Achievements Report meeting", Qian Jiang, Chinese Wushu, No. 5, 1984.

3, "Digging up the Fruits of The Harvest and the Treasure Shines Brightly: A Review of the National Martial Arts Excavation and Finishing Achievements Report Meeting", Qiu Pixiang, Wulin, No. 6, 1984.

4, "There Are New Advances in The Digging and Rectification of Sichuan Wushu", Theoretical Research Office of wushu research institute of the National Sports Commission, Chinese Wushu, No. 3, 1987.

5, "The Duan Position System that Humiliates Martial Arts [Theoretical Course]", Ma Mingda, Wulin, No. 1, 1999.

6, "Wen Yi De Zhang Wu Yi De Xian: Commenting on a Noteworthy Phenomenon in Martial Arts Digging Up the Whole", Yu Chuan, Chinese Wushu, No. 3, 1983.

7. Li Jie's report at the Third National Wushu Work Conference: "Seize the Opportunity, Seek Truth and Forge Ahead, and Create a New Situation in Martial Arts Work", October 1996.