Best of Wave Three- Top Five Highlights

# 1 ~ Shaolin Kung Fu


The origins of Kung Fu, an art still practiced by people today's origin dates back to the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Shaolin Temple, 30 miles from the capital of Luoyand (at the time), was given to Batuo (a wandering Buddhist) by the Northern Wei emperor, Xiaiwen in 496. The name was drawn from the word "Shao", as in Mt. Shaoshi, and "lin", meaning "grove. Ever since these early times, the Shaolin monks have practiced great skill in areas such as meditation and fighting. The reason that this particular aspect of Wave Three fascinated me, was because of the great skill these Shaolin monks posses. Not only can they break bricks with their bare hands, break wooden poles by smashing them on their heads, then can be held up by another man by spears without having any break of the skin. How can they do this? Because when they attempt these daring things, they are in a deep state of long-practiced meditation. Also, Shaolin Kung Fu is not something practiced in early centuries and never re-discovered, it is still practiced today and is something that came to be well known throughout the world. For further information and history of the Shaolin monks, go to http://asianhistory.about.com/od/warsinasia/p/ShaolinMonksPro.htm. Or, to see a video of one of the most difficult Shaolin monk abilities, watch this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAAr66GH7hA&feature=fvwrel.


#2- Calligraphy During the Tang Dynasty


The reason that I chose calligraphy as a most interesting topic of Wave 3 was that as I was reading, I discovered that calligraphy was not only a writing style, throughout China's history, it has always been closely related with political power. Tang Taizong was an enthusiastic collector of calligraphy, (specifically Wang Xizhi's works), during his time. Each historical period of Chinese calligraphy had its own unique style and "attitude"-this I found to be particularly interesting. Usually when you think of calligraphy, you think of communication and writing. However, during Chinese history it was associated with much more than that. To the right is a photo of calligraphy during the Tang Dynasty. To hear more on Tang calligraphy, go to http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/callig/7court.htm. 






#3- Tang Dynasty Sculpture 

Sculpture, although it really began to develop during the Sui Dynasty, flourished most during the Tang. I found the specific style of sculpture during the Tang Dynasty to be interesting, because it was precise and particular; sculptors favored and emphasized sharp, clear forms and exact proportions (as you can see in the photo, the human figures are quite proportional).. To read further on the history of sculpture during the Tang Dynasty, go to http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/art/tang.htm.

#4- Tang Dynasty Painting 

I found the flourishing of painting during the Tang Dynasty interesting along with the sculpture because similarly, it was unique in this era. In the past, most paintings had been of Buddha. However, now paintings depicted events or eras of history, such as an emperor or a battle. Also, nature grew in importance as a subject of art during the 700's. To read further on Tang Dynasty Painting, go to http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/china/art/tang.htm. 

#5- Industrial Revolution of the Song Dynasty 


Like other nations, China had its industrial revolution. However, it was centuries before nations such as Europe and the West caught up technologically. During the Song Dynasty, some of the biggest technological advances in Chinese history were made. These advances were made by talented people who were drafter in through imperial examinations. The application of moveable type printing promoted the already popular woodblock printing. Also, the application of gunpowder furthered the development of weapons such as cannons. I found this interesting because even in the one of the shortest dynasties of them all, the most significant technological advances were made. To read further on the Song Industrial Revolution, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_of_the_Song_Dynasty.