Yuan Dynasty Painting | Public Domain / WikiCommons
In the middle to late part of the Yuan Dynasty the former Confucian ruling class came back with a vengeance and started a downward spiral that would ultimately lead to the fall of the dynasty. In this episode we examine how and why this happened, which will set the context for the important events at the end of the dynasty in the next episode.
This episode explores the connection between the martial arts of the great Song generals’ tradition and Chinese theatre, which was emerged during the height of the Yuan Dynasty.
We pick up our series on Xing Yi with a new dynasty, the Yuan, examining the social changes that Mongol rule brought to China and their implications for the martial arts through the lens of the artwork of the period.
Gong Kai (1222-1307?), Emaciated Horse, in [Yuan shidai no huihua]. Tokyo (Nara?): Yamato Bunkakan, 1998. pl. 1, p. 26. Collection of the [Daban shili meishuguan]. ink on paper, 29.9 x 56.9 cm.
This time we look at Yiquan, a derivative of Xing Yi, putting it in the context of the Miasma of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries. Podcast link:
We turn our attention to the Fall of the Song, and examine the posthumous influence of the military legacy of the three great generals, Yue, Han and Zhang, on drawing out the final demise of the Dynasty.
In this episode we discuss the article “Make Xing Yi Wild Again” from Graham Barlow’s Tai Chi Notebook, touching on subjects like rewilding, degrowth and shamanic practice.
In this episode we discuss the role of General Zhang Jun in the survival of Yue Fei’s tradition, as well as in the survival of members of Yue Fei’s extended family. We also discuss how Zhang Jun managed to protect himself from the purges carried out by Qin Hui.
Here’s part 8 of the series, which looks at armour in the Song Dynasty, but also talks about XingYi fighting tactics in relation to armour and how the armour influences the way the art works – stepping, continuous movement, minimal movement, twisting the fist in Tzuann, etc…
There are two versions of part 8, the first is for public consumption, available here:
As a background to our upcoming discussion of late Song Dynasty armour and weapons, in this episode we give a brief overview of a few animal strategies applied on the battlefield at strategic and tactical levels, as well as in individual combat.
Yaohnanen tribesmen show pictures of 2007 visit with Prince Philip By Christopher Hogue Thompson – Personal Picture, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19303439
Our sister podcast, Woven Energy, has just released a new episode that I think Heretics listeners would enjoy because it has lots of fascinating insights into religions and spirit dance. In this episode you’ll learn about:
Yan Yi – a spirit dance tradition from Malaysia which is taught alongside the martial art of Xing Yi.
What the terms Qi, Shen, Xin and Yi mean in Damon’s martial teaching and how they are expressed in Yan Yi.
How to tell real from fake spirit dance.
The Tanna island in the Pacific and the strange John Frum religious tradition that evolved there.
What Cargo Cults are and what the Prince Philip Movement is.