Where did Muay Thai originate? Thai Buddhism? China Nanquan?

Muay Thai (Thai:? ; Latin transliteration: Muay Thai) What is Muay Thai? More and more documents about Muay Thai appear in martial arts publications or travel notes in Thailand. Most of these articles try to introduce and comment on the techniques or characteristics of Muay Thai, but unfortunately they can only outline the outline of Muay Thai. Some so-called experts only care about its appearance and are not familiar with its subtlety, while others vigorously describe its primitive, rough or gloomy side.

There are literary practice and martial arts practice in Wushu, and Muay Thai is horizontal practice, which is very lethal. In recent years, due to the weight loss craze, some people use the high calorie consumption of Muay Thai instead of butoh with oxygen, which not only helps women lose weight, but also enables them to acquire a skill for personal defense purposes.

Some people say that Muay Thai is nothing more than Thailand's national martial arts, and there is no mystery at all, but any kind of world-famous martial arts must have its unique nature and individual value. Muay Thai is world-famous and has a glorious history. Its preciousness can never be said in a few words. People who practice Muay Thai are generally from poor families.

[Edit this paragraph] The meaning of Muay Thai title

According to the citations of historians, there are many different translations of the word "Thai" in Thai, and there are two common broad meanings: "(1) Thai or Thai, and Muay Thai is" Thai-specific boxing "; (2) Freedom-"Thailand" means peace and freedom, and Thailand is also called a free country. The name of Muay Thai, so it can be interpreted as "free boxing".

Xu, a native of China, made a thorough analysis of the meaning of the word "Tai" in his book "A Textual Research on the Tongzu of the Thai and Cantonese". He concluded that the word "Tai" actually means "local" or "local". Although this conclusion cannot deny other interpretations, it has also been supported by some Thai ethnologists. Therefore, when Thai people say Muay Thai, it may mean "indigenous boxing".

But the word "Tai" has another narrow sense, which can be used in Chinese, and transliteration can also be linked with the word "Tai". It means "Tai Chi" and "Supreme". If this is the intention, the real meaning of the name of Muay Thai is "Supreme Boxing". Legally, the definition of Muay Thai is quite intriguing, but little known. According to Tim Wen, a celebrity who has participated in Muay Thai for 30 years, "In Thai law, Muay Thai is a kind of gambling. Boxers fight each other, win lottery tickets and share a program with cockfighting and fish fighting. " On the other hand, if a boxer puts his life and death at risk, isn't he risking his own life? So it makes sense to say that Muay Thai is gambling.

Muay Thai is at its peak. As the saying goes, "Ten people fight, nine people fight." This shows the prevalence of fist fight in Thailand. Although the progress of the times and the commercialization of society have corrupted boxing atmosphere and morality, its boxing spirit remains unchanged. Especially in rural areas, the practice of martial arts has never changed. Whenever there is a grand temple fair or a major celebration, boxing match is not only an indispensable program, but also often listed as the axis of the conference. Thai people like boxing, watching boxing and gambling. In other words, Muay Thai is a kind of entertainment. This wind has a long history. In ancient times, princes supported warriors and let them fight for drama, which is the same psychology as Thai boxing fans love boxing matches today.

Muay Thai is of course a martial art, and it is the best in fighting skills. A skilled boxer can knock down his opponent in an instant with all his weapons. The decisive condition of Muay Thai is the sum of skill, strength, ingenuity and spiritual strength, and its highest field is cleverness, flexibility and impermanence, which is not limited to any boxing methods or tricks. It can be seen that Muay Thai is a unique, profound and complete martial arts system.

Muay Thai is closely related to Thai traditional culture and has a strong religious color. For example, the introduction of apprentices, competitive etiquette and boxing and dancing ceremonies all have religious and artistic backgrounds. As for Thailand's classical poetic drama and dance art, many movements and details are integrated into boxing. For example, all kinds of boxing moves and boxing dances must be the art of drama and dance. From this perspective, Muay Thai is regarded as a national art in Thailand, which is by no means far-fetched, and is a very representative skill.

Finally, what must be discussed is the sports value of Muay Thai itself. Aside from the actual competition, the training of Muay Thai is undoubtedly a good sport. Anyone who formally practices Muay Thai should follow strict rules, listen to the teacher's guidance and accept systematic practice procedures, so as to have a strong body and quick response, thus improving boxing level. So Muay Thai is a strict sports discipline. Based on the comprehensive technical requirements of Muay Thai, the physical development of boxers is balanced and beautiful because of training methods. Thai professional boxers are often praised as the best athletes in various sports, which is the result of high sports discipline.

To sum up, Muay Thai is a combination of evolution, entertainment, martial arts, art and sports. Therefore, Thais are often proud of their boxing skills.

The most appropriate description is as the late Thai boxing master Azanjie said: "Muay Thai is a unique treasure of the Thai nation."

[Edit this paragraph] The origin of Muay Thai

Muay Thai, literally speaking, is a boxing sport that originated in Thailand (formerly known as Siam). Although its real origin is still controversial, according to reliable historical data, Naikenongdong of Dacheng Dynasty in18th century should be the ancestor of Muay Thai. He was captured as a slave when the Burmese army invaded the big city, but in a celebration, the king of Myanmar arranged for Burmese boxers to compete with him. As a result, he hit nine people in a row, and the tenth man dared not go on stage to compete with him. Even the king of Myanmar couldn't help but admire: "The master of Muay Thai has extraordinary martial arts, but his king is weak, and his generation can avoid the pain of losing the country." Therefore, Weizhen Myanmar has written a glorious page for the history of Muay Thai.

Recently, however, some materials and books said that Muay Thai originated in Shaolin, China. It broke bricks with one hand and broke blocks and routines with elbows. Because the Thai people saw this scene, they kept practicing their fists. Later, boxing was unsuccessful, and I only practiced my elbow in a fit of pique, but the routine didn't really come down, so I created a horse-shaped old Thai routine.

[Edit this paragraph] The development history of Muay Thai

Since the emergence of human beings, there has been the bud of unarmed combat skills. In primitive society, in order to survive and obtain the means of subsistence, people gradually learned to use basic fighting actions such as punching, kicking and wrestling, and constantly refined and developed fighting skills in the long-term productive labor and struggle with nature, making them increasingly profound and perfect. Muay Thai has a long history, just like other national martial arts events. Regrettably, when the Burmese army captured the Thai capital in 1767, the early historical materials and documents of Thailand were destroyed in the war. Today, most of the Thai history we know is patched together by the only remaining records of Thais, the works of early European travelers and materials from Myanmar, Cambodia and China. Naturally, there are many different opinions about this mixed historical materials, which brings certain difficulties to the research of historical materials of Muay Thai. However, you can still have a general understanding of the development of Muay Thai.

According to textual research, although Thai culture is deeply influenced by China and Indian culture, the Thai people are closely related to the Chinese nation. But for hundreds of years, the Thai people have been living and breeding in Indochina Peninsula. In the long-term struggle against foreign aggression, they gradually formed their own unique boxing methods. Therefore, we can say that Muay Thai came into being under the historical background of long-term resistance to foreign aggression.

Thais originally lived in the southwest of China, which was called "Nanman" in history. According to records, in 649 AD, the ancestors of Thais still lived in Yunnan Province, China, which was called "Six Imperial edicts" in history. After Fine slaves ROM unified the imperial edicts of the six countries, it became king on its own and established Nanzhao State, which was later renamed "Dali". Later, according to the ground, the power became stronger and stronger. According to the new Tang book "Biography of Nanman", Nanzhao's political organization was quite sound at that time, and its achievements in culture and art could even be comparable to that of the Central Plains. In terms of military system and armament, there is a saying that "learning to fight after the mulberry in the sky", which shows that there have been martial arts activities in Nanzhao in ancient times. Nanzhao became a vassal of China in Song Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, China became more and more powerful, and Dali was destroyed by the Yuan Army and became the administrative region of China. Thais gradually moved south to northern Thailand and gradually descended the Mekong River. By AD 1275, they merged into a powerful country, with Sukhothai as its capital, and established the kingdom of Siam. After the founding of the People's Republic of Thailand, wars continued for years, and they were frequently harassed by strong neighbors. Therefore, emperors of all dynasties advocated the use of force to consolidate their dynastic rule and deal with frequent civil strife and foreign invasion. Most of the kings of ancient Siam personally went to the battlefield and led the troops to kill the enemy. So many princes themselves are masters of Muay Thai. Soldiers use swords, guns and arrows in long-distance combat on the battlefield, and fists, elbows, knees and feet as offensive weapons in close combat.

The earliest record of Thai people practicing boxing and martial arts can be found in the Chronicle of the North, which is an early book describing Thai people from Sukhothai Dynasty to Dacheng Dynasty after they entered Indochina Peninsula. According to reports, fist fight activities were already in the army at that time, as a pastime for the princes during the truce. Although boxing did not become a professional competition, the princes trained warriors to fight in order to please the king. With the return of wage boxers and retired soldiers, boxing was gradually introduced to people. According to historical records, the laws promulgated in the early Dacheng Dynasty have already exempted those who killed or injured their opponents in fist fight from punishment. During the heyday of Dacheng Dynasty (A.D. 1350), the wind of fist fight became increasingly popular all over the country. Thai people gradually realize that new technology can protect their country and defend their country, so the wind of practicing martial arts is very strong. Not only adults are good at martial arts, but also Thai children can punch, kick and practice boxing. Boxing has developed into a popular recreational activity.

During the period of 14 1 1, the king of Chiang Mai died, and the two princes were at loggerheads for the throne. Finally, they decided to send a martial artist as a representative to fight for the final victory and agreed to fight until one side bled. After several hours of fierce fighting, Nanwushi was defeated because of bleeding from a foot injury, and Beiwushi won. This is the first boxing match in Thai history. 15 18, the king of Siam reformed the military system and issued an order to compile the book "The Art of Winning", which included weapons, martial arts and military equipment. In the era of "Pai Li Na Xuan" (A.D. 1555 to 1606), Muay Thai was included in military training. Emperor Li Xuan, known as the "black prince" in history, was brave and good at fighting. He led the Thai people to liberate Siam under the occupation of Myanmar and restore Dacheng Dynasty. After years of war, Pina Li Xuan knew that to maintain national security, he must have a brave and skillful army, so he specially included boxing in military training and named it "South Run". "Running South" is a local boxing method in Siam, which is fierce and vicious. Its moves include hitting the head, biting the mouth, punching, kicking, kicking, sweeping, elbows, knees, shoulders and arms. Push, grab, hit, fall and so on are all around. Any part of the whole body can be used, which is a kind of boxing used in actual combat. After practicing boxing, the ancient Thai soldiers were all strong and brave.

The era of "Tiger King" photographing Buddha and Zhao (1662 to 1708) was the heyday of the development of Muay Thai. The whole country is devoted to boxing. In the form of fighting, at first, boxers tied their fists with strip-shaped horse skins to fight. Later, we wrapped our fists with hemp rope, which is the so-called "hemp bag" fist fight. I will wrap my fist with a cotton swab in the future. The surface of cotton sliver can be soaked with sticky essence mixed with stones, which makes the surface rougher and harder and greatly increases the lethality. Boxers are often beaten with blood all over their faces in battle, which is terrible. At that time, the activities in fist fight were described in the book "The Kingdom of Siam" written by Simon Lubir, the special envoy sent by the French emperor in 1687: "In the grand performance of the big city dynasty, the programs were colorful, with wrestlers and warriors fighting with their elbows and legs. In boxing, they use three or four rounds of hemp rope to protect their palms, instead of the copper ring used by Laos (Khmer) to play the same way. "

According to historical records, "Tiger King" loved martial arts, personally sorted out and summarized the increasingly complex boxing methods, and formed the basic system of Muay Thai. Today, some Muay Thai techniques still follow the fighting system summarized by "Tiger King". As the king of a country, "Tiger King" often dresses up in the afternoon and participates in the challenge competition in the Buddha's grand event as a civilian. Against mainland fighters, he won two consecutive battles and quietly left after winning the grand prize, which became a story in the history of Muay Thai.

According to the historical records of Myanmar, at the end of Dacheng Dynasty, the famous Muay Thai teacher Naik Nong Dong was captured and imprisoned in Myanmar when the Burmese army conquered Dacheng. In A.D. 1774, Monglala, king of Myanmar, held a ceremony to cap the Giant Pagoda in Yangon, the capital of China, during which a contest between Thai and Burmese boxers was arranged. Naik Nong Dong was forced to compete with the Burmese samurai in command and defeated nine Burmese masters in a row, which deeply touched the king of Myanmar: "The master of Muay Thai has extraordinary martial arts. With the courage of one man, he defeated nine people in a row. Ten men dare not fight the enemy. If his monarch is weak, his generation can avoid the pain of losing the country. " The story of Naikenong's great shock to Myanmar is not recorded in the history of Thailand, but it is recorded in detail in the history books of neighboring Myanmar, so it is true. The deeds of Naikenongdong have written a glorious page for the history of Muay Thai. Boxers in Muay Thai Hall have always regarded Naik Nong Dong as their ancestors. It was not until 1950s, at the suggestion of Captain General Pichai Junlawa, that the day when Naikenong spread to Myanmar (March 16) was designated as the Boxer Day in Thailand to commemorate this great national hero. This is another story.

After China hero Zheng Zhao led many warships up the Chao Phraya River, defeated the Burmese army, recovered Thailand and established the Wu Li Dynasty, the Thai people still remembered the pain of national subjugation and deeply felt the great role of boxing, and martial arts became more popular. There are also many people with high martial arts who are greatly admired by the generals. For example, Naihao, the boxer of Dacheng, and Monet, the boxer of Huangfu, were all famous figures at that time. It is reported that Cheng Yifu's young boxer, Nai Tongli, was nicknamed "White Teeth". He loved martial arts since he was a child. As an adult, he visited famous teachers and challenged masters from all walks of life, and was known as a wizard in Wulin. In AD 1762, Tongli went to Xuanmangma, the old city of Tafu, for a boxing match. First, the famous Tacheng teacher Naihao was defeated and appreciated by Huang Zheng. Then, he was ordered to compete with the imperial boxer Monet and win again. He was dubbed "random guessing" by Huang Zheng. Thomas lee followed Huang Zheng's crusade to the west all his life, fought in the battlefield, and fought until the sword broke and the horse turned over. He was able to kill the enemy heroically and returned home in triumph. For Thailand to recover losses and strive for independence, it has made great contributions and left its own name in history. Today, there are still several bronze statues of Cheng Yi in the official workshop, and he is praised by historians as "the famous broken arrow". By the time of Bangkok dynasty (1782), the contacts between western European countries and Siam were increasing. During the period of 1788, a French wrestler went to Thailand to compete with the new division of Thailand, and was arranged by the imperial government to fight with the praetorian guard boxer Wan Pailan. Rama I and Buddha Jehua personally watched. The bet reached 50 pounds, which was a sensation.

There are many supporting historical materials to prove that Muay Thai was very popular during the Bangkok dynasty. 1860, the emperor sent Sir John Baoning to Siam. In his memoir "The Country of Siam", Bao Ning described the popular entertainment activities in Siam at that time, including boating, acrobatics, magic shows and frequent boxing matches. At the same time, the English Teacher at Siam Court, written by Anna Lian Luyunsi, an Englishman, also recorded Thai wrestling at that time. The book says, "Siamese people are bellicose, their wrestling style is rough and monotonous, and their strength is dominant, which is more than skill and style." In boxing, Siamese people used to tie their hands with pimps, occasionally mixed with copper wire and tied their heads with leather rings. Boxers concentrate on attacking the enemy's head and have strong resistance. Those who lose power, overthrow, or give up their hands are considered failures. "

The fifth emperor of Rama, Chulalonggong, learned martial arts from a famous teacher when he was a child, and became famous all over the country. He once performed in front of his father at the royal celebration. After he ascended the throne, his interest in martial arts remained unchanged. 1898, the imperial boxer system was established by decree. Led by skilled people, there are important activities such as state banquets or soul-fixing ceremonies, tonsure ceremonies, tea ceremony, etc. Members of the boxing group can get an annual salary without paying taxes. The following year, the royal family held a grand ceremony in Feng 'an, in which the boxing match was a confrontation between experts from North and South. The winner was awarded the title of "Wan" by the fifth emperor (the title of ancient Siamese general). There are three people who have won this honor, namely the boxer Naibang Zhannongtong of Tea House in southern Thailand, who is known as the "famous military commander"; Lopburi in the central part is the imperial palace, and it has the title of "General of Quasi-Boxing". The owner of Kelai in the northeast part is Ling Taiba Shuo, and it has the title of "General of Wonderful Skills". During this period, Wushu prevailed in the northeast and south. They all enjoy the reputation of "Boxing City". At the beginning of this century, the activity center of Muay Thai was still famous for the above two "Boxing Cities".

In A.D. 19 17, Siam Volunteers made an expedition to Europe and participated in the Allied invasion of Germany. When he was stationed in Fort Maine on the French border, he performed Siam Boxing, which was well received by French sports newspapers. The French commented that although Thai soldiers are short in stature, they are extremely athletic and agile, and their mastery of martial arts is fierce and rare. It's really incredible for westerners. Its ferocity fully shows the strong character of the Thai nation. 1920, Tai Huang Mongolian Nine strokes (Rama VI) raised money for the Wild Tiger Army, and specially appointed Nan Tiesheng, commander of the Wild Tiger Army, as the director of boxing affairs, and held an unprecedented boxing match in the Rose Garden Academy Square. Famous teachers from all over the country responded in succession and entered Beijing to participate in the competition, such as Naikun Zhanluo, Naiyang, Naitali, Naibensela, Naitong, Ganha, Naipeng, Yansong, Yinkong, Yinjia, Naigai, Sufu, Naixiao, Hebi and Naiye Eight Stations. Among them, "Copfrey" experts were invited to participate. Known as the "boxing city". This boxing match has caused quite a shock in the boxing circle of the Imperial City. Many famous places in Beijing have set off a wave against foreign boxers, which is very popular. Among many famous teachers, there are the naval instructor Luan Pippo Peng Raju who is good at western boxing and wrestling, the famous teacher Quan Cheng, the ancestor of western boxing in Thailand, the martial arts teacher Meng Zhaowei, Prince Wang Li of Wenshayue in Rose Garden, the master of the Five Emperors, and the "Master of Knife" Kunyi Shashan School.

With the introduction of western culture, Thailand's traditional culture has also been affected. Western Boxing was introduced to Thailand in 19 12, and its competition forms and techniques were gradually adopted and applied by Muay Thai. Especially in the early period of the ring (1928), after the kick of "King of Thai Northern Legs" by Peng, for the sake of safety, he began to use "wearing a condom" in the Thai boxing competition, gradually replacing the traditional "wrapped hemp" boxing competition, and the number of rounds was gradually reduced to five. On April 1937 and 1 day, the Ministry of Education and Sports of the Thai government promulgated the rules of the Muay Thai competition for the first time. At this point, the system and form of the national challenge have finally been improved and unified.

After the outbreak of World War II, Thailand was affected by the war, and the Muay Thai competition was once in a downturn. In recent years, boxing competitions have only been held occasionally in Buddhist temples in mainland China. After World War II, the famous "Ranlong Boxing Field" was built, and Muay Thai entered the modern standard competition. Boxers from all over the world have come to Beijing to show their talents for fame and fortune, making the once deserted boxing world more active than ever. From 1946 to 195 1 year, it is known as the "Lainan Dragon Boxing Field" period, which can be called the golden age of modern Muay Thai development. Later, the "Longpini Boxing Ground" was built in 1956, which further promoted the development of Muay Thai and opened up a new situation of Muay Thai.

The establishment of two modern boxing fields has provided many muay Thai fighters with opportunities to display their skills. At the same time, it strengthened the communication between boxers, promoted the further improvement of Muay Thai technology, and made Muay Thai develop vigorously. Muay Thai has developed from traditional folk martial arts to modern professional boxing for more than 60 years. It has experienced the rose garden, Zhu Guo Temple, wood factory, paradise, Xuanzhaoce and modern boxing ring era. Muay Thai has evolved into the national skill of the Thai nation and is a symbol of the Thai nation's courage and unyielding. Thai boxers have competed with foreign boxers for many times, winning many battles, and are famous in the international martial arts world. This is purely the result of the actual combat training of Muay Thai masters, and it is also the result of the vigorous implementation of emperors and modern rulers. Twenty years ago, Tai Huang Pumeipeng visited the Lumpini boxing ring, which fully demonstrated this fine tradition. In his words, he said: "Muay Thai is a resolute and successful boxer. Muay Thai benefits the country, the people and the body, so that our people can make full use of it to carry forward their traditional skills."

Today's Thai Wushu has been gradually divided into two forms. One is the martial arts of dance performance, including sword to sword, stick to stick, double knife to double knife, double knife to double stick, long stick to short stick, double knife to shield knife, double crutch to long stick and so on. The other is a purely antagonistic performance or competition. During the performance, each other can be true or false, just like professional wrestling, in order to perform cruel play. In recent years, karate, judo, wrestling and western boxing have been gradually absorbed in order to cater to the thrill-seeking tastes of western tourists and influenced by gamblers. Muay Thai is not only popular in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries, but also brought to Europe by French sailors more than 100 years ago. After 1830 was introduced into France, it evolved into a kind of "kicking". From 65438 to 0964, Muay Thai was introduced to Japan by Japanese boxing agent Noguchi, and it was renamed "Kicking Boxing Road", which was all the rage. With the development of internationalization in 1980s, Muay Thai became more and more popular all over the world. People pay more and more attention to its unique practical value. Recently, in Nan 'an, Fujian, China, a self-contained [He Quan Road] based on Muay Thai appeared.