Lei tai
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lèi tái (Traditional: 擂臺 Simplified: 擂台 – “Grind Platform”) is a raised fighting platform, without railings, where often fatal weapons and bare-knuckle martial arts tournaments were once held. "Sanctioned" matches were presided over by a referee on the platform and judges on the sides. Fighters would lose if they surrendered, were incapacitated or were thrown or otherwise forced from the stage. The winner would remain on the stage (as its "owner") unless ousted by a stronger opponent. If there were no more challengers, they would become the champion. Private duels on the stage had no rules and were sometimes fought to the death.
In its present form, the lei tai first appeared in China during the Song Dynasty.[1] However, ancient variations of it can be traced back to at least the Qin Dynasty.[2] Today it is used in Sanshou and Kuoshu competitions throughout the world.
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[edit] Etymology
According to Kung Fu Magazine, the Chinese character for Lèi (擂) combines the word for "thunder" (léi 雷) with the radical for "hand" (shǒu 手). It can mean, "to give an open challenge."[3] But taken literally, it means to “grind” or “beat (a drum)". Tái means "stage" or "platform."
It is also commonly referred to as a Dǎ lèi tái (Traditional: 打擂臺 Simplified: 打擂台 - "Fight Grind Platform").[4] The character for Dǎ combines the word for “robust or vigorous” (dīng 丁) with the radical for "hand" (shǒu 手). This can mean, "to strike, hit, beat, or fight".
In Cantonese, using the Wade-Giles superscript number system, Lei tai is pronounced Leui4 Toi4. A common English rendering of this is "Lui Toi".
[edit] Dimensions
The fighting area is square, but its exact size varies from source to source.
- The Swiss Open Kungfu organization believes the classical lei tai fights took place on a stage at least 2.5 m high and had a four-sided area of 100 m².[5]
- The Tien Shan Pai Association states the classical lei tai was either 24 x 24 ft or 30 x 30 ft and 2 - 4 ft high.[6]
- The International Wushu Federation and Chinese Wushu Association commissions a lei tai platform which is 24 x 24 ft and 2 ft high. The surrounding mats are 6 ft long and 1 ft thick. It is called the "Nine Suns Mountain Sanda Lei tai". It was used in the 8th World Wushu Championships held in Vietnam in December 2005.[7][8]
[edit] History (prior to 1928)
The lei tai first appeared during the Song Dynasty when it was used for boxing and Shuai Jiao exhibition matches and private duels.[1] According to the Chinese Kuoshu Institute (UK), an ancestor of the lei tai was used during the Qin Dynasty to hold Jiao Li competitions between imperial soldiers. The winner would be chosen to act as a bodyguard to the emperor or a martial arts instructor for the Imperial Military.[2]
In pre-modern China, if a person wanted to challenge another fighter to a match, they had to hand in a written demand in which they asked their adversary for a fight. Many fighters did this in order to attract students by displaying the combat effectiveness of their school's style. Either fighter lost his credibility if he fell or was forced off the stage. As a result, no one would want to attend his kung fu school. The winner of the bout became the "owner of the platform" and remained on stage until he was forced off himself.[10] If there were no more challengers, he became the champion and or established the dominance of his school in that area. Another way was to defeat an already established master on the lei tai and then take over his school.[11]
All weapons and boxing matches were conducted without protective gear and continued until either boxer conceded defeat, was severally injured and could no longer fight, or was killed.[5]
In 1928, the Nationalist government banned the old traditions of private duels and lei tai contests because too many people were dying.[12][3]
[edit] Modern day (1928 - present)
[edit] National Boxing Competitions
In order to screen the best practitioners for teaching positions at the newly founded Central Kuoshu Institute (中南國術館), and in the provincial schools, Generals Zhang Zhi Jiang (张之江) (1882-1966), Li Lie Jun (李烈鈞) (1882-1946) and Li Jing Lin (李景林) (1884-1931) held the first modern full contact, national competition in October of 1928. Hundreds of the best Chinese martial artists participated in boxing, weapons and wrestling in a lei tai ring format. However, after the first several days, the fighting competitions had to be halted because two masters were killed and many more seriously maimed. The final 12 contestants were not permitted to continue for fear of killing off some of the greatest masters of the time. Many of the "Top 15" finishers went on to teach at the institute.
In 1929, the governor of Guangdong Province invited some of the institutes's masters to come south to establish a "Southern Kuoshu Institute". General Li Jinglin chose five masters to represent northern China. These men were known as the Wu hu xia jiangnan (五虎下江南 - "Five tigers heading south of Jiangnan"):
- Gu Ru Zhang (顾汝章) (1893-1952) of Iron Palm style. He was famously known as "Iron Palm Gu Ruzhang"; [13]
- Wan Lai Sheng (1903-1995) of Xingyi style;
- Fu Zhen Song (傅振嵩) (1881-1953) of Baguazhang style;
- Wang Shao Zhou (王绍周) of Chaquan style and
- Li Xian Wu of Tan Tui style
In 1933, the institute again hosted the national competition. The rules said, "...if death occurs as a result of boxing injuries and fights, the coffin with a body of the deceased will be sent home."[14] Some of the top winners of this contest include:
- Chang Tung Sheng (1908-1986) of Shuai Jiao style;
- Wang Yu Shan (王玉山) (1892-1976) of Taichi Praying Mantis style and
- Li Kun Shan (1894-1976) of Plum Blossom Praying Mantis style.[15][12]
[edit] Kuoshu
Differing mainly in regulations, such as Kuoshu's allowing competitors to strike the same place twice, kuoshu and sanshou are examples of how popular the overall concept of full-contact kung fu has become. Though a few see a stringent dividing line between the sports, some such as Anthony Goh, president of the United States of America Wushu-Kung Fu Federation, see less contrast. "The rules will always be slightly different," says Goh, but "the various names all mean the same thing."
Others see the distinction as primarily historical. Huang Chien Liang, president of the United States Kuoshu Federation and The World Kuoshu Federation, notes that "Kuoshu has another meaning as 'national art.' In 1928, the Central Kuoshu Academy was formed, and they sponsored a full-contact tournament, but when the Communists took over China, the original Chinese government moved to Taiwan, where, in 1955, they held a full-contact tournament, calling it lei tai. At that time, they used the original rules; no protection, and no weight class - whatever number you picked up, you fought together. In 1975, Taiwan sponsored the first World Kuoshu Championship Tournament, and started to have weight class division. So by 1992, Taiwan had already sponsored seven kuoshu lei tai fighting events," he says.
Meanwhile in China, "kuoshu had been oppressed during the Cultural Revolution," notes president Huang, "and martial arts was then allowed only for performance until 1979, when wushu was allowed to include self-defense, so practitioners began writing the rules for the sanshou wushu tournaments, and the Communist government held a tournament called sanshou."
Confirming the common direction of Kuoshu and Sanshou toward safety, however, president Huang approves of the rules changes in full-contact kung fu. "In 1986, at the fifth world tournament in Taiwan, they had a separate weight class, but still no protection. So many people suffered a broken nose and other injuries." As a result, the International Kuoshu Federation - of which Huang is vice-president - decided to change the rules. "So since 1988, the new rules apply."[2]
[edit] Sanshou
As stated in the previous section, martial arts were only allowed for performance purposes until 1979. But in March of that year, the China National Sports Committee (CNSC), the highest official sports administrative body in China, decided that three institutions--the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Training Center, Beijing Physical Education University (former Beijing Physical Education Institute), and Wuhan Physical Education College--should begin to experiment with Sanshou as a formal competitive Wushu sport. By May of 1980, more Sanshou teams were set up, in addition to the initial three institutions created in October of 1979.
In January 1982, the CNSC organized the 1982 National Sanshou Competition Rules Conference in Beijing to draft the first official Sanshou competition rules. There were six martial arts teams invited to the conference: Beijing city team, Shandong provincial team, Hebei provincial team, Guangdong provincial team, Beijing Physical Education University team, and Wuhan Physical Education College team. Under the first official draft of the competition rules, Beijing held the first formal national Sanshou competition in November 1982. According to the draft rules, the competition took place on a nine meter diameter open circle, which was later changed to a traditional lei tai. Sanshou rules have been changed slightly from time to time, making the rules more detailed.[16]
[edit] Kuoshu and Sanshou competition rules
See External links below.
[edit] Water lei tai
The city of Taizhou, Zhejiang hosted the first "On Water Contest of the 'Liqun Cup' International Traditional Wushu and Unique Feats Tournament" from May 22-26, 1999. It was here that 24 countries and 28 Chinese national teams, over a thousand competitors in all, gathered to test their skills against each other.
The water lei tai was held on the afternoon of May 23rd. There were five divisions and it was the most attended event of the tournament. The event was made more difficult when it rained just prior to the matches, making the fighting surface very slippery. Also fighters were restricted to minimal safety equipment, only gloves and shorts. The defeated, who fell or was forced off the stage, landed in water. To improve safety, the lei tai was a meter shorter than a standard one, which lessened the impact and allowed assistants to quickly jump in the pool to rescue any fighter who might have been unconscious. No serious injuries were recorded during this event.[3]
[edit] Training
[edit] Strategy
Kung Fu Magazine states the lei tai’s railess architecture does not allow a fighter to trap an opponent in the turnbuckle, so the fighting strategy shifts away from power boxing to more evasive maneuvers. Nor can a fighter just rush their advisory. A quick redirection will send a charging opponent off the stage. And falling off can hurt, so fighters must deal with an added psychological factor when they approach the edge. Like Japanese Sumo, a fighter must stand their ground. Falling out-of-bounds constitutes a loss.[3]
[edit] Sparring benefits
According to the Swiss Open Kungfu organization, lei tai permits the kung fu student to show his/her understanding of the techniques, moves, rooting, breathing and control of character (i.e. anger). Kung Fu together with lei tai trains the instincts and timing. It cultivates concentration and relaxation at the same time. It teaches practical combat applications of the disconnected moves learned from sets or Taolu ("Forms"). With lei tai a student receives personal feedback on their strengths and weaknesses.[5]
[edit] Famous lei tai fighters of the past
[edit] Song Dynasty
- Northern Praying Mantis founder Wang Lang (王朗) participated in a lei tai tournament, according to legend, where he was defeated by Tongbei (通揹) Master Han Tong (韩通)[17] in the capital of Kaifeng. Master Lang shortly thereafter created his famous mantis fist.[18]
[edit] Qing Dynasty
- Lama Pai Master Wong Yan Lin set up his own lei tai platform in front of Hai Tung Monastery in Guangdong after having worked as a famous bodyguard in Northern China. For 18 days, he fought 150 other martial artists and was never defeated.[19] Shortly afterwards, he was elected to the number one position of the Ten Tigers of Canton, who were the top ten kung fu men in Guangdong.[20]
- Tiger-Crane Master Tee Ley was known for killing his opponents on the lei tai. But years after retiring from the martial world to become a cobbler, he accepted a challenge from a northern Chinese Master and killed him with a mix of Tiger-Crane and Iron Palm techniques. He was a disciple of Chee See Tsek.[21]
- Mízōngyì Master Huo Yuan Jia (c. 1867-1910) was the founder of the Chin Woo Athletic Association, a martial arts school in Shanghai. He is considered a hero in China for challenging foreign fighters in highly publicized matches at a time when Chinese sovereignty was being eroded by foreign concessions and spheres of influence.
[edit] Republic of China
- 17th generation Chen Style Taichi Master Chen Fake (1887-1957), became famous in his hometown of Chénjiāgōu (陳家溝) for his victories upon the lei tai.[22]
- 18th generation Chen Style Taichi Master Chen Zhao Pi (陈照丕) (1893 – 1972), Chen Fake's nephew, was hired to guard a famous Beijing pharmacy in 1928. He kept a low profile, wishing to avoid conflict with other martial artists. However, Master Chen was challenged after a local newspaper printed an unauthorized article about his martial skills. As a result, he set up a lei tai by one of the city gates and, over the course of 17 days, defeated over two hundred people.[23]
- Seven Star Praying Mantis Master Ma Cheng Xin (馬成鑫) won the grand championship of lei tai at the national Chinese boxing competition in 1929.[24] Ma was a student of famed Mantis boxer Luo Guang Yu (羅光玉), who later taught his style at the Chin Woo Athletic Association.[25]
- Xinyi Liu He Master Shang Xueli won the lei tai competition in Kaifeng where he used a combination of "Back Power" (Bei Jin) and knee strike (Ti Xi) defeating Shaolin expert, Zhang Qilin (who died a few days later of internal injury). He was the disciple of Mai Zhuangtu (1829-1892) and Yuan Fengyi, master of Grandmaster Lu Songgao (卢嵩高) (d. 1962). [26]
- Zhaobao Taichi Master Zheng Bo Ying (鄭伯英) (1904 – 1961) became famous after winning the 1931 lei tai compeition held in Kaifeng.[27]
(See also National Boxing Competitions.)
[edit] People’s Republic of China
- Hui-Muslim Grandmaster Ma Xian Da (馬賢達) (1932 - present) defeated Tongbei master Deng Hong Zhao and Chuojiao master Li Xue Wen to win the lei tai championship of 1952.[28] Ma is the youngest of the four living top-ranking masters in China. He is considered a “National Treasure in Wushu”.[29]
If the examples of Wong Yan Lin and Chen Zhao Pi are used, it took anywhere from 17-18 days and at least 150-200 consecutive wins in order for a fighter, who set up his own lei tai, to establish his style's dominance in that area.
[edit] Media
[edit] Film
- Fearless (2006). This film was loosely based on the life of Huo Yuanjia, a legendary Chinese martial artist who challenged foreign fighters in highly publicised events. The first part of the film evolves around Huo Yuanjia's ego-driven challenges on the lei tai.
- Da Lei Tai (a.k.a. “Da Lui Toi, Future Flash Kung Fu, Digital Master, Health Warning”) (1982). A dystopian sci-fi kung fu film set in the future.[30] It was nominated for best picture in the 3rd Hong Kong Film Awards.[31]
- Lei Tai (1972). This Hong Kong Cinema movie (also known under the English titles "Blood on the Sun" or "The Big Fight") involves a Lei Tai competition held by the occupying Japanese in World War II in order to cripple the local martial arts fighters to prevent them from joining the resistance. [32][33]
- Huang Fei-hong lei tai zheng ba zhan (1960) - "Huang Fei-hong's Combat in the Boxing Ring". This Hong Kong Cinema movie was apart of a long series starring Kwan Tak Hing as Hung Gar Master Wong Fei Hong.
- Huang Fei-hong lei tai dou san hu (1958) - "Huang Fei-hong's Battle with the Bullies in the Boxing Ring". It starred Kwan Tak Hing.
- Huang Fei-hong lei tai bi wu (1956) - "Huang Fei-hong at a Boxing Match". It starred Kwan Tak Hing.[34]
- Ge Chang Fang Shi-Yu Da Lei Tai (歌唱方世玉打擂台 – “Fang Shiyu's Challenge on the fighting stage") (1952). This was a black and white cantonese film about Shaolin Master Fong Sai-Yuk and his fight with a lei tai champion.[35] Its most common english rendering is "Fong Sai-yuk Challenges the Boxing-stage Champion.
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[edit] Video games
A computer role-playing game better known as "刀剑 Online" (Daojian Online) features a series of lei tai matches between characters. The game was developed by souhu.com. The large Chinese character in the middle of the platform is Wu (武 – “Martial”).[36]
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ a b Wushu History
- ^ a b c Shuai Jiao History
- ^ a b c d Hard Qigong and Water Lei Tai Fights in China's Amazing New Tournament
- ^ Chinese Dictionary
- ^ a b c all about Leitai
- ^ The Toughest Tournament In The World
- ^ Nine Suns Mountain Sanda Leitai
- ^ THE 8th WORLD WUSHU CHAMPIONSHIPS
- ^ Leitai rules
- ^ Sanda: Free Combat in Wushu
- ^ A Brief History of Chinese Kung-Fu: Part 2
- ^ a b Sports, Blood Sports and the Mixed Martial Arts
- ^ Gu Ruzhang article by Chen Xianmin in Wulin Magazine, Feb. 1984, Vol #29.
- ^ Origins and the development of Praying Mantis Boxing
- ^ Yang, Jwing-Ming and Bolt, Jeffery A. Shaolin Long Fist Kung Fu. Unique Publications, Inc. 1982 by ISBN 0-086568-020-5
- ^ [ http://www.wusociety.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=35 A Brief History of Sanshou]
- ^ This Song dynasty general is believed to be the founder of the style.[1] According to the folk manuscript Luóhàn Xínggōng Duǎn Dǎ (罗汉行功短打), he is listed as the 2nd of the "18 Masters" who gathered at the Shaolin temple at the request of Abbot Fu Ju (福居), a legendary persona of the historical Abbot Fu Yu (福裕) (1203-1275), during the early Northern Song Dynasty. Wang Lang was listed as the 18th master to attend.[2]
- ^ SHANDONG WUSHU TAIJI TANGLANG QUAN (French-English Mix)
- ^ According to Hop Gar Grandmaster David Chin, "Either the challenger was maimed or killed. [Wang] never let one challenger leave his school without injury. He was a master of using the technique of cruelty."[3]
- ^ The Lama Style
- ^ The Story of Tee Ley & How Tiger-Crane Kung Fu Became Famous
- ^ Interview with Mr. Feng Zhiqiang, Chen Style Taijiquan expert from Beijing
- ^ Tales of the Masters: Chen Zhao Pei
- ^ This fight was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. It is the largest modern "bare-knuckle" lei tai tournment to date.[4]
- ^ HISTORY OF QIXING TANGLANG QUAN
- ^ Xinyi Liuhe Quan - the secret art of Chinese Muslims
- ^ Wang Chang'an: "Traditional Zhaobao Taijiquan"
- ^ This was the first martial arts tournament to be held since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
- ^ Grandmaster Ma Xian Da
- ^ Da Lei Tai IMDB
- ^ Hong Kong Film Awards: Best Pictures
- ^ H.K. Cinemagic
- ^ Lei Tai IMDB
- ^ Huang Fei-hong IMDB
- ^ Fang Shiyu CNMDB (Chinese only)
- ^ 刀剑 Online
[edit] External links
Both of these manuals feature regulations ranging from fighter weigh-in to equipment used by the referee.
- Official TWKSF Kuoshu Competition Rules - See Chapter 3
- Rules for International Wushu Sanshou Competition - "Lei tai" is never written. However, Chapter 8 describes the fighting area as a raised wooden platform without railings, which is a lei tai.
