In which dynasty did fencing in China rise?

The most popular fencing should be from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period to the Tang Dynasty, when China's martial spirit was the strongest. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the sword was still an important weapon on the battlefield, and its position was far better than that of the sword. It was not until the Han Dynasty that it was gradually replaced by military use. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Tang Dynasty, the literati took the sword as the trend, and many literati also liked fencing. On many elegant occasions, sword dancing and sword fighting are used for entertainment, and swordsmen are also respected.

China has a long history of fencing. As early as 2500 years ago in the Spring and Autumn Period, fencing and martial arts have become a social fashion. "Tao is small and easy, meaning is deep and deep", "inner spirit is solid, and external escape is obvious. See it as a good woman, take it as a fear of tigers ",this is the exposition of Yue Nv in his Sword. There are many generalizations about swordsmanship in ancient times, such as "the sword is like a tiger, the sword is like a phoenix", "just but not clumsy, Rou Er is not weak", "the combination of body and sword, and the combination of sword and god is a shortcut". Throughout the ages, fencing has been widely spread in urban and rural areas with its unique charm and skills and high military, sports and artistic values, and is deeply loved by the people.

First, the development of ancient fencing

Sword is a kind of cold weapon in China. It was once known as "the king of hundreds of soldiers".

China has a long history of fencing, according to historical records? Chronicle of the Emperor records: "The emperor cast bronze swords from the first mountain and carved ancient Chinese characters", "Guan? Chapters: Records: "In the past, the mountain of Ge Tianlu was regarded as gold, and Chiyou made it, thinking that the sword, armor, spear and halberd were the beginning of this sword. In the later emperors of Xia, Shang and Western Zhou, there were historical records of sword casting: for example, Yu Xia cast his sword in Huiji Mountain, Kong Jia cast his sword with the iron of the first mountain, and King Zhao of Zhou cast five swords in the Five Mountains, which was called "above Yue Zhen" and so on. Of course, many of the above records belong to legends and need to be verified. At present, the earliest bronze sword unearthed in China is a dagger with a head pattern in Shang Dynasty (BC171-BC 1066), which is 25.3 cm long and looks like a dagger. It can be seen that metal swords have a history of at least 3000 years in China.

Before the Western Zhou Dynasty, the war was dominated by vehicles, and long weapons such as halberd, spear, spear and battle occupied an important position. The sword is only used by a few rulers as a symbol of power and protection. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, wars were frequent, cavalry and infantry appeared, and weapons were constantly developed and perfected, so the position of sword in weapons became more and more important. At this time, the variety, quantity and quality of swords have been greatly improved, and a number of skilled swordsmen and numerous "swords", "swords" and "good swords" have emerged. For example, Mo Xie, the general of Wu Guogan, was once made into a male and female double sword with magnetism. With superb technology and perseverance, Yue Guo and Ou Zhi forged five alloy swords, which are rare in the world with exquisite craftsmanship and different shapes. Up to now, more than 20 wuyue bronze swords have been found in archaeology, some of which have been buried underground for more than 2,000 years. Up to now, there are still exquisite patterns, sharp blades and no rust, which shows the superb casting technology.

At the same time, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, fencing technology and theory also developed by leaps and bounds, and the wind of "sword-wearing" and "fencing" was very popular. The development of fencing in this period was mainly in the form of fighting skills. This kind of fencing, which looks like actual combat, is very different from today's routine fencing. Zhuangzi? "On the Sword" records: "Yesterday, Zhao Wen and Wang Xijian, the swordsman was behind closed doors, with more than 3,000 guests, fighting day and night. There are more than 100 casualties, and they are never tired. " According to Hanshu and Guanzi, many people in the State of Wu left scars and spots on their faces because of the good swords of the King of Wu. People know that life and death are impossible. At that time, there was no safety protection equipment for courseware sword fighting. However, the wind of practicing swords spread throughout the ruling and opposition parties. With the improvement and development of fencing technology, fencing theory is becoming more and more mature. "Zhuangzi on the Sword" says: "A husband is a sword, showing his weakness, opening his sword for profit, then issuing it, and then reaching it." . In fencing, techniques such as the combination of reality and reality, the late arrival and the change of the enemy's situation are summed up very well. In the Spring and Autumn Period of Wu and Yue Dynasties, the story of a famous female swordsman was vividly recorded: once, the King of Yue went to Gou Jian to discuss the strategy of strengthening the country with a minister, and the doctor Fan Li recommended a woman with superb martial arts and excellent swordsmanship, and suggested that the King of Yue hire a warrior to tutor her martial arts. After seeing the King of Yue, the woman accurately expounded a set of fencing theories. It is believed that "the Tao is extremely small and easy, and the meaning is extremely deep." "Anyone who fights with a halberd has a solid internal energy and a relaxed external appearance. See it as a good woman, take it as a tiger. The weather was good, and I went physically and mentally. If it is a day, it is like taking off a rabbit; Chasing the shadow, as if; Breathing is not as good as law; Vertical and horizontal disobedience, straight reply does not smell. " Not only that, women also dance swords on the spot. I saw her dancing up and down like a meteor. The King of Yue saw it, praised it and named it "Yue Nv". This story vividly reflects the development level of fencing technology and theory at that time. At that time, fencing went deep into the people and was widely practiced by men, women and children.

Second, fencing from Qin and Han Dynasties to Tang Dynasty

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, fencing developed further. The story of Jing Ke stabbing the king of Qin is a struggle between a dagger and a sword in terms of weapons. Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, "Take the world with a sword of three feet." . In the Han Dynasty, "from the emperor to the hundred officials, all wore swords" (Book of Jin), which formed a strict sword-wearing system. At that time, a number of famous swordsmen emerged, such as Zhong Zhang, Shi and so on. Many famous scholars, such as Sima Xiangru and Dong Fangshuo, also learned sword from childhood, and their skills are quite exquisite. As a generation of emperors, Cao Pi was a swordsman. In The Preface to Classics, he said that he had learned fencing from a teacher when he was young. He heard that Deng Zhan, a general of the Northern Qi Dynasty, was outstanding in martial arts and had the ability to win swords with his bare hands, so he and Deng Zhan talked about fencing while drinking. When the wine is cooked, the ears are hot, and the two men compete with sugar cane as a sword. After several rounds of competition, Cao Pi won the third prize. Deng was not convinced and asked for another match. Xelloss readily agreed. In the process of fighting, Cao Pi was so elusive that Deng was arrested and hit Deng on the forehead, showing superb skills. In the Han dynasty, in addition to the form of duet, single dance practice was also very popular. At the famous hongmen banquet, xiangzhuang "invited" the sword. Among the popular "hundred operas" in the late Western Han Dynasty, there are also sword dances, such as sword and halberd dances. There are 38 kendo lists in the History of Han Art and the History of Literature, which is a theoretical summary of fencing at that time. Unfortunately, it has been lost now.

After the Jin Dynasty, Buddhism and Taoism rose, but the legacy of practicing fencing still exists. For example, Zu Di in "Smelling Chicken Dancing" and Ruan Ji who "learned swordsmanship as a teenager and was good at acrobatics" were all swordsmen at that time. On the other hand, the combination of religion and sword began. In the later period, Taoist fantasy reached the fairyland of immortality through alchemy and sword practice, which cast some mystery on China's swordsmanship.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, fencing was revived. Up and down in the ruling and opposition, civil and military officials, Confucianism and Taoism are mixed, and learning martial arts and swords is a necessary function. Li Bai, a famous poet, claimed: "The fifteenth is to learn the sword. . . . . 30% of articles. " Lu You, a famous patriotic poet, claimed to be "fond of learning swords for ten years" and "traveled around the world with few swords". Wang Wei claimed to be "riding and shooting after learning, traveling in Huaiyin with a sword". Du Fu took the sword as his companion all his life, "draw the sword with courage and resourcefulness" and "draw the sword or fight with the dragon". They are not only a generation of writers and poets, but also fencing enthusiasts who "raise their eyebrows with swords". Wu Daozi, a famous painter, and Zhang Xu, a calligrapher, were deeply inspired after watching the sword dance, and their painting and calligraphy skills were greatly improved.

This proves that fencing is not only unique in fighting and attacking, but also has special attraction to people's spirit and art.

Folk fencing activities did not develop greatly in Tang and Song Dynasties. According to records, the people at that time, as long as there was a gap in their work, "tried fencing, and the audience was in an endless stream." Su Dongpo, a poet in Song Dynasty, gave great support and praise to the development of folk Wushu. He once wrote: "Tijian is a tiller, but what's wrong with running around the world?" During this period, fencing was also widely carried out among "Hundred Dramas" and street performers. Gong Sundaniang and Li Shierniang were both famous street actresses and sword dancers at that time. The poet Du Fu once described it like this: "A long time ago, there was a beautiful Gongsun who danced her dagger from all directions. The audience is like a mountain lost between them, and the world moves back and forth with her movements. Huo Ru filmed nine sunsets, and at the end it was like the sparkling calm of the river and the sea ... "The above situation shows that fencing, as an offensive and defensive technology, tends to be more fitness and artistic at this time, and is increasingly combined with sports and entertainment activities.

It is worth mentioning that in the process of combining fencing with religion in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the absurd and superstitious side also developed. At the same time, there are martial arts novels with the content of flying swords, which have played a role in promoting supernatural superstitions and fooling the masses.

Third, the development of fencing in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties

After Yuan Dynasty, Wushu experienced a bumpy road of development, so did the development of fencing. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty prohibited the folk from practicing martial arts and collecting weapons, and stipulated that "teach people martial arts and be good at it." The spread of fencing was restrained.

In the Ming Dynasty, when Wushu was reborn, many schools of Wushu appeared. Although firearms were widely used in the war at that time, the military value of Wushu did not disappear. For example, the famous war generals Yu, Qi Jiguang, He and Mao wrote various military works, specifically discussing various martial arts equipment and boxing methods, including fencing. On the other hand, the sports function of Wushu is becoming more and more obvious. As a martial arts fitness method, fencing is more widely spread among folk monks and customs. When the famous martial artist Wu Yi was 50 years old, he also learned swordsmanship from the old man in Yuyang, and wrote "Swordsmanship".

Although the Ming and Qing Dynasties also banned folk martial arts for many times, with the growth of people's anti-Qing and regaining sight, martial arts became more hidden and spread widely through various forms and channels. At the same time, there are many schools in society, and then there are various schools of fencing, such as Taiji sword, Dharma sword, Wudang sword and Bagua sword. Swordsmanship presents a new situation with a hundred flowers, various poses and unique features. Although the martial arts in Ming and Qing Dynasties had further development and improvement, and many famous schools and schools were formed, the status of fencing was far less remarkable than that in ancient times.