Quote:
Eric Hodge wrote:
At work I was having a disscussion with one of my co workers about martial arts. it came up that chinese martial arts tend to be more attractive and fancy were as japanese martial arts are strong and effective, I agreed with my coworker because he gave the reason for his answer, which was "japan has conquered china many a time" which is true. but if anyone has further insight into this topic please provide it.
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Eric... History lesson ahead...
Starting from late 19th Century, China was always in constant internal strife. Starting with the Taiping Rebellion, Boxer Rebellion, Three Opium Wars, The Overthrowing of Imperial Manchu Rule by The Most Honourable Sun Yat Sen, The Power struggle between successor of Sun Yat Sen the Genrelassimo Chiang Kai Shek vs the Northern Overloard Yuan Shi Kai. Followed by the peasant revolt (Communist movement) led by Mao Zedong. China was in civil war for half a century. Any country with such devastating internal strife will be unable to resist foreign invasion. Forget Japan, even any country can walk over China at that time. It was like hitting a handicapped person, nothing to be proud off.
When the Sino-japan war started, the then ruling government under Gen. Chiang Kai Shek, had to fight two fronts: agaist the communist movement from the west and Japanese invasion from the east. He was sandwiched. Mao Zedong's powerbase was with the peasants in the interior of China, so what if he lost some coastal cities to the Japanese. It was Chiang Kai Shek's subject anyway.
Looking at the disadvantages position Gen Chiang have at that moment in time, it was not surprising that he lost some coastal cities to Japanese invaders. I learned somewhere (Discovery Channel), the invading Japanese army lost some 200,000 good soldiers in the decade long war.
I believe wjy China lost some ground to japan has little to do with the superiority of Japanese style MA, more of good opportuniy.
Why China never invade Japan? If you've read the War Manual of Sun Tze (Sun Zi Pin Fa), go to war only if there is absolute gain. In this case, Japan is a small strip of island majority made up of volcanoes, liitle agriculture land, no natural resources, few human resource. Why invade a land with so little to gain?
On the other hand.. Japan has so much to gain by invading China for the reverse reasons stated above.
So Eric you see, it was not the superiority of Japanese MA that won Japan some land in China.
Damm, thank god I paid attention during History class during my hi-school period. I thought I would never have any use for such information.
Truly,
Boon