On My Own Two Feet » Legends and Stories

Female Judo Champion Finally Receives Gold

admin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:00:44 +0000

Woman who posed as man to become judo champ finally gets gold – 50 years after being stripped of it

So here’s another female warrior in the long tradition of Mu-Lan and Joan of Arc — a woman dressed as a man to fight. The article specifically states that there were no rules against women competing in this competition, but I do wonder — did she intentionally pose a man or was she simply mistaken for one? The article states that she bound her breasts, but 50 years ago, with no such thing as a sports bra, I would’ve too.

But that’s a minor point and simply a matter of personal curiosity. The truth is — female or not — she earned her medal and I’m glad to see a wrong redressed. I also admire her for her dedication to her team, that in 1959, she did admit it so her team could retain their title. But this does bring up mixed feelings for me:

* She stood by her team, but her team didn’t stand by her, despite the fact that without her, they wouldn’t have gained their title.
* The fact that, according to the article, she was forced to admit she was a woman — not that she’d broken contest rules or had intentionally misled anyone one. She was stripped of her medal because of what she was, not because of what she’d done.
* Why did it take 50 years to redress this?

Don’t get me wrong — I’m glad she’s finally had a her medal re-instated it. Better after 50 years than never. But I think it shows that we’ve still go a long way to go.

Legendary Fighting Women: Mulan

martialartess — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:24:13 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Made famous by the Disney movie Mulan, Hua Mulan is the hero of a chinese ballad called The Song of Mulan, dating from around 5 C.E. (A.D.). The ballad [English translation] opens with Mulan weaving as she worries about her father who’s been called to military duty by the Khan. He is too old to serve, but has no grown son to serve in his stead.

Mulan buys horse, saddle, bridle, and whip (the items required for military service), dresses in man’s clothes and rides to the army’s encampment to take her father’s place. After serving for twelve years, she returns to the Khan, who offers her a promotion, then asks what she desires. Mulan says that she has no desire to become a minister and asks only for a swift mount to take her back home.

Upon returning home, Mulan removes her military clothes and puts back on women’s clothes, fixes her hair and puts on make up. She then goes out the door to meet her military comrades, who had no idea Mulan was a woman. As the closing lines of the ballad state:

Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?
–from The Ballad of Mulan

———–

Stories about Mulan reappear through out China’s history with many different images of her set in various time periods:

The earliest days of the Han Dynasty. Here her name is Wei Mulan. This Mulan died in battle and was given the title “Xiaolie” (filial piety and heroism).
The Sui Dynasty. Here she is also named Wei Mulan. In this account her bravery is so noted, the Emperor Sui Yang promotes her to general. After the war, the emperor offers her a high position and salary, but she refuses, returns to her home and redons women’s clothing. Upon hearing this, the Emperor wants her for his concubine and when she refuses, he forces her. She commits suicide, at which point the Emperor grieves and gives her the title Xiaolie posthumously.
The early days of the Tang Dynasty. Here her name is Zhu Mulan. Her father is ill, so Mulan dresses as a man and at the age of 14, enlists in the army to fight the Turks who’ve invaded China’s borders. In this version, the Emperor, Tang Tai-Zong offers to promote her to general, but she refuses politely and returns to her hometown. He gives her the title “Wuzhao-General” and the royal surname “Li”. This version has a tragic ending where a court sorcerer fortells that a woman with the surname “Wu” will come to rule the Li royal family. Some courtier take advantage of this, convince Tai-Zong that Mulan is the said woman and he summons her. Mulan, in her cleverness, discovers the reason for the summons, writes a memorial to the Emperor and commits suicide to prove her innocence.
Later in the Tang Dynasty. Here, her name is Ren Mulan and she is born into a wealthy family. To defend her homeland from rebel forces, she spends her family’s money to organize an army to defend her hometown. She dresses in armor and leads her army to battle, defeating them.
The Ming Dynasty. Here her name is Hua Mulan, though other sources name her Fa Mulan and this seems to be when the surname “Hua” becomes attached to her story. Dramatist Xu Wei writes an opera based on the Mulan tales which proved very popular and she becomes a figure in many operas. Also during this time, her legend is developed into a novel.

It’s possible that at least some of these stories contain historical fact, but Mulan’s power doesn’t lie in her historical existence. She reminds us that any one of us — male or female — have the power to take up arms and defend what we believe in. Women, as well as men, can fight equally well, particularly when it comes to protecting their home and family.

Sources:

ASIAPAC. 100 Celebrated Chinese Women: Hua Mulan
Ballad of Mulan
LeJeune, Elisabetta. Mu-Lan, the Chinese Woman Warrior
Oriental Style. Mulan in the History

Legendary Fighting Women: Ng Mui and Yim Wing Chun

martialartess — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:00:57 +0000

According to the legend, Wing Chun began in the Qing Dynasty, a time when the Chinese Han majority had been conquered and ruled by Manchurian nobility from the north. The harsh rule of the Han by the Manchurians is historical fact — I’m not a scholar of Chinese history, so the true extent of how barbaric the Manchurian rule actually was, I don’t know. But we are speaking here of legend, not history. Like England under the rule of King John, the story of Wing Chun begins with a cruel warlord oppressing the common people of China.

Fearing an uprising among the common people, Emperor K’anghsi of the Qing Dynasty (1662 – 1722 CE) forbade the practice of martial arts. Legend tells us the Manchurian rulers felt so threatened, they sent troops to destroy Shaolin monasteries, who preserved and taught martial arts. This story begins with the burning of the Siu Lam temple in southern China and five monks who escaped its destruction. Among these five was a woman named Ng Mui, a master of an as-yet unnamed fighting style. After fleeing for her life, Ng Mui hid in a small village where she met a girl named Yim Wing Chun.

The Warlord’s Challenge

Yim Wing Chun, whose name means “Beautiful Springtime”, was the daughter of a bean curd seller (some versions of the story say she was an orphan). Beautiful, intelligent and outspoken, Wing Chun attracted the attention of the local Manchurian warlord, who claimed Wing Chun as his reluctant bride (and, in some telllings, he raped her). The legend states that Ng Mui approached the young woman and offered to teach her to defend herself. The two women retreated into the nearby mountains, where Wing Chun trained hard, showing a natrual talent for the martial arts. At the end of her training, the girl returned to the village and offered a challenge to her unwanted suitor:

“I cannot marry a man who is unable to best me in combat.”

The warlord, his martial pride on the line, accepted Wing Chun’s challenge. But the young woman was too skilled and well-trained; she promptly bested the warlord, who left the village in shame.

Leung Bok Chau and the Naming of a Style

Yim Wing Chun went on to become a reknown warrior in her own right. Eventually, she crossed paths with a former Shaolin student named Leung Bok Chau. The two fell in love and were married. Legend has it that Wing Chun passed her knowledge onto her husband. After her death, Bok Chu continued to pass on the system his wife taught him, naming it “Wing Chun” in honor of his beloved bride.

———

There are many variations of this legend. Some say Ng Mui developed the system she taught after watching a fight between snake and a monkey, other legends say Wing Chun herself added the animal influence to the system Ng Mui taught her. Other versions of the story say it was Wing Chun’s father who fled the monestary and taught her to fight.

No matter the details, Yim Wing Chun’s legend can provide inspiration and courage to girls. It can remind us that we are ultimately responsible for our protection; we cannot always rely on a father, boyfriend, husband to take care of us. As Wing Chun discovered, our safety is in our hands alone.

A final note: Yim Wing Chun’s story inspired a Chinese movie named Wing Chun. the young heroine is played by Michelle Yeoh. I haven’t yet been able to get my hands on a copy of it (not for lack of trying!), so I can’t testify to how enjoyable it is.