Kung fu is an umbrella term for many Chinese martial arts, each with its own technique, philosophy, history and mythology. The word Kung fu comes from the Cantonese language and actually means ‘accumulated skill’. This can be about anything, not just martial arts. Through the martial arts films of Bruce Lee and others, the term kung fu has gone all over the world.
But in Mandarin, the umbrella term for Chinese martial arts is wushu, literally meaning ‘martial technique’. Various ornamental weapons such as sticks, (double) swords, knives, halberds and axes are used in wushu. These weapons all have a long history in China, appearing in famous war stories from hundreds and sometimes thousands of years ago.
For the exhibition, the Wereldmuseum collaborated with several specialists in wushu / kung fu in the Netherlands. They lent their personal (practice) weapons for display. The lion costume is also part of it. You might see a lion dance at many festivities such as Chinese New Year. There are similarities between the movement in wushu / kung fu and that of the lion dance. To make the lion do its acrobatic feats requires hard training for the two dancers wearing the costume. That is why you often encounter the costumes in wushu / kung fu schools.
