I’ve been which means to write down a put up on Shaui Jiao, the Chinese language wrestling fashion, for some time now. We coated Shuai Jiao in one in every of our Heretics Podcast episodes some time in the past, however you’ll be able to’t say that it was a very good primer on what Shuai Jiao is. As normal, Damon discovered an obscure angle and the episode is absolutely extra concerning the methods related to the Azure Dragon in China, and linked considerably tangentially to Shuai Jiao.
Shuai Jiao is wrestling. It’s finished in a jacket, which may be gripped, and consists of quite a lot of throws and journeys, the goal being to get your opponent to the touch the bottom with any a part of their physique apart from their toes. It’s fashionable in numerous elements of China and regional kinds have sprung up in several areas.
Nearly any guide you purchase on Shuai Jiao will inevitably begin with a historical past part, the place the writer hyperlinks Shuai Jiao again to numerous historical Chinese language wrestling kinds from totally different cut-off dates – issues like Jiao Di (‘Horn butting’) get talked about. The concept is to determine a hyperlink between the Shuai Jiao practiced in China at the moment and historical wrestling arts spanning again a number of dynasties. The propaganda arm of the Chinese language authorities would love you to know that Shuai Jiao is 1) ethnically, Chinese language, the traditional artwork of the Han peoples, and a pair of) Previous.
Sadly, neither of these items are true. Whereas issues like Jiao Di, and precise wrestling kinds existed previously, there is no such thing as a connection between them and Shuai Jiao.
Shaui Jiao itself is neither historical or “Chinese language” in origin. It has no direct connection to something practiced by the ethnic Han Chinese language. It was really imported by the Manchu, the northern tribe who invaded China, overthrew the Ming Dynasty and began the Ching dynasty from 1644-1912. Just like the Mongols earlier than them, the Manchu beloved wrestling as a type of strengthening troopers and leisure.
Byron Jacobs has produced an intensive historical past of Shuai Jiao over three movies that’s properly value a watch if you wish to perceive the place Shaui Jiao actually got here from:
In fact, the origins of an artwork haven’t any direct relationship to its effectiveness. As Damon says within the Heretics episode, being good at any type of wrestling is a giant benefit in any martial artwork. Bodily conditioning, being a powerful sturdy one that is match and good at bodily alignment is a helpful factor.
However wrestling typically has extra of a neighborhood perform than different martial arts, and it’s the identical in China as it’s within the West – wrestling may be nice enjoyable. There’s a Chinese language Shuai Jiao custom known as Tian Qiao Shuai Jiao, which is an intangible cultural heritage of China. It’s a method of wrestling-based leisure that any physique who’s acquainted with the identical custom within the West will immediately recognise: