August
Drunken Fist
Thursday, August 7
5 to 9 pm
FREE with museum admission ($5 after 5 pm)

You’ve seen Jet Li do it in movies—now watch former champion US World Team Member, Philip Wong and former Bejing Wushu Team champion Zhang Hong Mei lead members of Bay Area martial arts school Pacific Wushu in a dynamic, jaw-dropping demonstration. View the museum’s summer exhibition Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty, jump on guided gallery tours of Asian weaponry, try out a hands-on art activity, tune in to an in-depth talk on shaolin martial arts, or “kick it” with the DJ Phatrick, a drink, and friends.

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Learn more about Drunken Fist and Contemporary Wushu

event Schedule

6 pm: Learn some moves! Drop-in participation Tai chi group

7 pm: Live demonstration by Pacific Wushu (approx. 20 minutes)

8 pm: Live demonstration by Pacific Wushu (approx. 20 minutes)

6:30 - 7:30 pm: The Shaolin Fusion – Epitome of China’s Spiritual and Physical Culture? An in-depth talk by scholar Andrew Ferguson. This program is part of the Society for Asian Art First Thursday Lecture Series

Times TBD: Docent Conversations in the special exhibition Power & Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty

5-9: Forbidden Discovery Room, hands-on art activities

Ongoing: Free raffle drawing, music by DJ Phatrick

Featured Artwork

The guardian Weituo, 1500-1600
Transfer from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Albert M. Bender, B80D3.

The Buddhist deity Weituo is shown as a young warrior clad in armor and holding a weapon across his hands. Chinese Buddhist temples sometimes feature a statue or a painting of this temple guardian and protector of books and libraries at the back section of the temple facing the main hall. In this example, Weituo is portrayed as a young warrior with a white face. Dressed in armor, he stands in a martial pose with feet apart, resting his hands on his weapon. Epaulets with lion masks decorate his shoulders and boots. Similar masks with pendant ornaments hang over his thighs. His chest is protected by a mirror, known as the “mirror for protecting one’s heart,” which deflects arrows aimed at one’s chest; the mirror also reflects light into the enemy’s eyes. A fish hangs below the mirror. Ribbons and scarves billow from the deity, giving the image a sense of movement. Weituo is the leader among the thirty-two warriors serving the Guardians of the Four Directions, who are seen at the main entrance to Chinese temples, and he is one of the eight warriors serving the Guardian of the South in particular. It is said that Weituo is a form of Skanda, the god of war, who is the son of the Hindu deity Shiva.

Background information

Pacific Wushu

Representing the excellence in modern Wushu training in the Bay Area, Pacific Wushu is coached by international champions Phillip Wong and Zhang Hong Mei.

Phillip Wong

Founder of Pacific Wushu and Stanford University Wushu Club, Phillip has 13 national and international Grand Championships. He won the all-around silver medal at the 2nd International Wushu Games, second only to China. Named by Inside Kung Fu Magazine as Competitor of the Year. In the computer world, you may recognize him as Lei Wu Long in Tekken I, II, and III; he performed the motion capture for this character. This is just one of over a half-dozen video games Master Wong has to his credit. He has also been featured on a variety of magazine covers in the USA, China, Italy and Japan. In the film world, he has starred in films in Asia and choreographed feature films in the USA.

Zhang Hong Mei
Born in Beijing, China, she began studying Wushu at the age of 9 after being selected from literally thousands of children to join the Beijing Wushu Team. Soon afterwards, she became one of the country’s elite athletes. At China’s National Games, she captured gold medals in Bagua, sparring routines, and Double Straight Sword. In recognition of her skills and dedication, she was selected to China’s National Team to compete in the 1st International Games held in Xian, China where she captured a gold medal in the Women’s Straight Sword competition. To this day, her team is still considered to be one of the best teams fielded by China. Master Zhang has traveled the world over as an ambassador, performing and teaching the art of Wushu and spreading Chinese culture. By invitation, she taught Wushu and Tai Ji in Yokohama and Tokyo, Japan. She has appeared on dozens of international magazine covers and has been featured numerous times on TV, film and video.

The Shaolin Fusion – Epitome of China’s Spiritual and Physical Culture?
The talk will explore the fusion of China’s spritual and physical culture in the Shaolin tradition. Bodhidharma is credited to be the father of both Chinese kong fu and Chan Buddhism. What are the historical facts behind Bodhidharma’s legend and why is Shaolin culture often described as the “epitome” of Chinese culture in China. What is the relationship between Shaolin Culture and Chinese art? What is the role of Shaolin Temple in Chinese society today? Also, has the essence of Shaolin culture been lost in the popularization of kong fu in the mass media and spurious modern adaptation?

contemporary wushu

Contemporary wushu first became a competitive sport in China in 1949. It was incorporated into the physical education curriculum in schools during the 1950s. In 1958, the China Wushu Association was established in Beijing. The Association went on to establish compulsory forms and required sets of specified movements such as Chang Quan (long fist) and Nan Quan (southern fist). In 1992, sword and staff weapon forms were added. In 1991, Beijing hosted the first Wushu World Champhionship.

While traditional martial arts emphsize the art of fighting, contemporary wushu is more performance-oriented with greater complexity of movements. Though based on traditional movements, wushu accentuates the athletic challenges inherent in the height of jumps, speed, complexity of movements, physical stregth, and artistic expression. Contemporary wushu encompasses both a competition of different forms, as well as full-contact fighting, which takes place on a raised platform where fighters gain points with punches, sweeps, throws, and forcing the opponent off the platform.

Today, official compulsory routines include Chang Quan (long fist), Nan Guan (southern fist), broad sword, straight sword, staff, spear, Tai Ji Quan, Tai Ji sword, and Nan Dao (southern sword). Wushu competition routines are continually reviewed and updated by the China Wushu Research Institute, the Chinese Wushu Association, and the Beijing University of Physical Education, in concert with top wushu professionals, teachers, and athletes.

Drunken fist

Zui Quan (Drunken Fist) is used both for fighting and for maintaining health. Martial artists of the drunken fist form stress the combatitve side of their style, blending a series of movements, actions, and martial arts skills to confuse their opponents. The main feature of Drunken Fist is to hide combative moves in drunken-like, unsteady movements and actions while maintaining a clear mind. Drunken Fist is considered to be among the more difficult wushu styles to learn due to the need for powerful joints and fingers.

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