Kung Fu

" Why are Chinese martial arts not as widely practiced as before? The following are the reasons why ancient people liked practicing marital arts: (1) The recreational activities back then were quite limited, so practicing martial arts was a good choice to kill time; (2) Martial arts could be practiced for the purpose of self-defense, protecting families and helping others. (3) Practicing martial arts could help achieve individuals’ dreams. In the old days, one’s social standing was pretty much dependent upon their level of martial arts. The higher level they could reach, the more respect they would receive from others. Besides, one could also serve the army and achieve self-actualization in the battlefield. For this reason, practicing martial arts was more of a trend in society. Today, practicing martial arts has lost its ground for the following reasons: (1) In the battlefield, modern hi-tech equipments and weapons have rendered martial arts unnecessary. (2) People nowadays have a variety of recreational activities to choose from. If they want to do some exercise for bodybuilding purpose, then they can play basketball or football. And the society tends to be stable and safe when compared to that of the ancient times, so people are not motivated to practice martial arts."