Apologies if this is old news, but if not, check out Jason Couch's article on 19th century European travelers in China and their impressions of CMA -

http://martialhistory.com/2009/11/chinese-martial-arts-in-19th-century-china/

Thanks for posting that. I like this line:

"Amongst the degenerate practices of the age was pugilism, against which the emperor very gravely inveighs, and exhorts his people to introduce more manly sports, superior to the amusements of loitering vagabonds."

:icon_joke

Thanks thats awesome!!

Thanks Ddlr what I found interesting is this tidbit from 1822:

The first lesson, for a Chinese boxer, consists of winding his long tail tight round his head, stripping himself to the buff, then placing his right foot foremost, and with all his might giving a heavy thrust with his right fist against a bag suspended for the purpose. He is directed to change hands and feet alternately, restraining his breath and boxing the bag of sand right and left, for hours together. This exercise the fancy call “thumping down walls and overturning parapets.”

In the second lesson, the pugilist grasps in each hand a “stone lock,” i.e., a heavy mass of stone worked in the form of a Chinese lock. Then, being stripped and tail arranged as before, he practises thrusting out a mans’s length these weights, right and left, till he is tired. He is to change feet and hands at the same time. This lesson is called “a golden dragon thrusting out his claws.” Next comes “a crow stretching his wings–a dragon issuing forth from his den–a drunken Chinaman knocking at your door–a sphinx spreading her wings–a hungry tiger seizing a lamb–a hawk clawing a sparrow–a crane and a muscle reciprocally embarrassed,” with various other specimens or fanciful nomenclature for divers feats of the pugilistic art.–Canton Reg., June 18.

We've told people classical self defense, in the CMA circle, included heavy bags, weight lifting and sparring. here is an account of 2 out of the three.

Haha thanks for posting this! It was very interesting. It really is interesting to see what us Westerners thought of CMA back in the day.

Good post - this is the Bullshido-esque comment of the lot:

Others [other beggars] go through all the exercises of the noble art of self-defence, only beating the air, not boxing a brother-beggar; and begging priests are frequently met with.
Once a Week, Volume XII, September 27, 1873

Uhmm how so?

It's Victorian-ese for "they only do forms and never spar".

It's Victorian-ese for "they only do forms and never spar".

I know that, I am asking for clarification on what Craig Jenkins meant. That what they were doing epitomized our definition of larptastic bullshido, or that what the guy wrote sounded like bullshido.