The School
"A Time Honored Tradition"
Unless the would-be student meets his teacher on the road, he'll most likely get his training at a school. At the school the student will practise along side others, the same techniques until he advances in his training. As he advances, he'll learn weaponry and advance techniques, with the possibility of teaching the the class while the teacher is resting, ill, or away.
Yet, in the beginning, he will have to work his way up to even being taught. His main job will be to clean the schoool, polish the weapons, and possilbly help out in the kitchen. After perservering numerous hardships, insults, and ridicule (which only serve to toughen him up), will he be taken as a fulltime student. He is to also practice on is own (when there's time), to refine his movements and hone this techniques. It is usually during his solo practice that the teacher might notice true potential in the student and teach him specialized techniques.
The Grand Opening
A teacher, secures a bulding in town, hoping of teaching his style of martial-arts, to those interested in learning it. he might found someone worthy enough to pass on his style. By teaching in this way
During the grand opening of a school a large string of Fire-Crackers are lit in celebration, as people gather around to learn more about a new instructor in the area.
The new teacher may even be heckled by students of other gyms / schools who may not have heard of him (or his style). Most felt that their style (whether superior to other styles or not), had something to offer students, if they stuck with it and obeyed their teacher. This gathering, was more of a "Meet & Greet' and a good way to meet the new teacher in town and to possibly get a glimpse of his style in action, during possible demonstrations for the public.
Films that showcase this
- The Deadly Challenger
- Kung Fu Genius
Tradition & Succession
All teachers, inevitably, want their students to become more successful at the art, in order to pass it on (correctly) to the next generation.
The Sign-Board
This is the most important single item that a school possessed (other than the students), as it usually represents the very day the school opened and the ceremony that went along with it. This was a big thing as everyone got to meet and know the Master of the school, which sometimes helped his standing in the community. This recognition also spreads to other places, allowing other fighters to hear about the school and the Teacher's prowess.
It is here, where challenges are issued to Teachers (and schools) to fight and see which style is the best. In kung-fu films, villains are synonymous with trying to close down schools after they've beaten the teacher. To totally humiliated a school, the villain would jump up and pull down the school's sign-board, then break it in two. Destroy the sign-board, meant some serious fighting was about to take place. This, was the one thing, that will always set a fight with students, into motion. Yet, it was really the Teacher, that they were trying to provoke into a fight.
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Hanging Portraits
Within each school, you will find a portrait of the Si-Gung (teacher's Master and sometimes founder of the style practiced). This is done to pay homage to the Master's teacher as well as the style the students are learning, and to honor the school. It is also a great way for future students to learn more about the man behind the style that they have chosen to learn. With a picture of him, it is also another way to chart the linage of the style, as those who knew him can give you a different perspectitve of the him.
Training Area
The Courtyard (Outside)
This is the part of the school, where the students will receive the bulk of the instructions. The walkway is, usually, long, permitting one to see those who come for instructions, to see the Master, or for any approaching danger (challengers or enemies). It must be wide enough to handle a large number of people (just in case enrollment increases) and still have room for a weapon's rack and training dummies. Even with all of this taken into account, they still has to be room enough to practice without bumping into each other (during wide movements or kicks).
Here is where most would learn "Special Techniques" (i.e., the Essence of their Style), but away from prying eyes. Remember, most teachers didn't want certain elements of the styles revealed to others, because if other fighters knew their techniques, that information could spell the difference between life & death in battle.
The Training Hall (Inside)
When it rained, training students outside, could not only cause a disruption in the flow of the practice schedule, but, you don't want your students becoming sick (colds, flu) and risk infecting others. For this reason, many schools were equipped with "Training Halls" as well. These had the equvalient of the space outside, but, most importantly, it was inside and away from the elements of wind, rain, or snow. The floors were, usually, made of hardwood (where dust spurts out, when someone is slammed to the floor) and had to be cleaned and polished, by the students on a regular basis.
The Garden Area (aka Backyard)
While the Front yard may hold a number of students, the Back Yard, was a place where a student might get a Private lesson from the teacher. This was often a Garden Area, free from most foot-traffic around the school. A teacher may spend his time relaxing in this area, as he leaves the bulk of the training to his top student(s). Here, is where a student may learn the finer points to a technique, something he may have missed in regular class, or have certain questions that he may have, answered by the teacher.
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Weapons Rack
At most kung-fu there will be a rack of assorted weapons displayed in the courtyard of the school. Each weapon in the rack, has it's own history and use, making them independant of each other. Depending of the film, the students may never use them, whereas, they're just used for background scenes.
If you're lucky, you'll get to see these weapons in action. During a fight at the school, someone may grab a weapon and use it (because of it's availability), villains also have this luxury. One of the best uses of a Weapons Rack, is in the film Kung Fu Genius . Here, star Cliff Lok uses a variety of weapons from the rack against Wilson Tong, who just uses a Fan.
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Weapons Usually Consist Of
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Training Fee
Many people wishing to learn martial-arts from a local school, was, usually, met with the price of enrollment. These schools often doubled as the residence of the teacher (and his students), which meant, they had to be able to afford the upkeep of the place, as well as keep food on the table. For a student who didn't have any money, it was up to the teacher to decide if he wanted to take him as a pupil. Those take as students for free were (often) resented by the other (paying) students. Students that lived there, all had chores to do.
The Students
At a school, most students are taught the same techniques and movements as everyone else. New students start at the bottom, as far as rank is concerned, advancing at his own pace, in most cases. The Teacher will let one of his advanced students instruct the class, correcting them, himself, as needed.
Teachers will also train a student that has true potential, in advance techniques of his style. Students who have been taught different techniques than other students, actually may hold key information on a given style --- that may be omitted from the school's manuals, becoming lost forever. After years of training his students, the teacher would learn various things about them -- their potential, their faults, their habits, and most importantly, their temperment. Knowing these things, helped when it came time to choose a possible successor, to carry on the name of the teacher's method of fighting. Choosing the wrong person, could be detrimental to the teacher, the method, and/or anyone the new successor came in contact with.
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Regional Contests
This is where various schools will participate in a number of contests, where the rewards can be much more that just prizes. Winning a Regional Contest let's everyone in town (and the surrounding areas) know that you have the #1 school (in whatever you've won), and all the prestige that goes along with it. This can be in Lion Dancing, Fighting Tournaments, Fire-Cracker Festival, or anything where schools would compete against each other.
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School Flag
All schools also have a Flag, which is used to represent the school. This is to let people know the name of the school at various contests and also to spread the their name in unknown counties. The flag is compact and replaces their Sign-board (which they'd only take down, if they closed) on the road.
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Challenging The Teacher
The more skillful a master was, the more he would receive challenges from other teachers or students from different styles. Challenges could not be refused or a teacher could "lose face" (respect) from his own students or surrounding schools. A formal challenge would, usually, come by way of messenger and delivered to the home or school of the person challenged. It was up to the challenger, to decided whether it was to be armed or un-armed combat.
He, also, chose whether it would end in life or death. The winner of a Death Match, was, usually, immune from legal actions. If the teacher didn't want to face a challenger (because he was a stranger or his technique wasn't known to him), he would let his senior student take his place. This helped the teacher to study his opponent's technique (and mount an early defense against it). If the student lost, the teacher had no choice, but to face his challenger.
If the student won, then, the challenger would leave in disgrace (if he couldn't beat the student, chances were, he couldn't beat the Teacher, either). This ploy was used to stop hot-headed challengers from constantly trying to make a name for themselves. If a challenger lost, he wouldn't try again for a few years, giving him a chance to train and better his technique, for their next encounter.
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School Rivalries
I promise you, you will regret this...!!
Tension Between Schools
There are a variety of reasons why there were so many School vs School types of fighting in kung-fu films.
Here are some of the more popular reasons
- Schools become enemies because of a regional contest (Fighting, Lion-dancing, etc..)
- The teacher may receive a formal Challenge from another school.
- A student will beat up a rival student, which will start a "School vs School" war.
- Attacking schools were usually the work of the Japanese, in about 50% of movies.
- Students of a school are usually targeted and killed away from the school.
- One school might go to another school and start an argument; ending in a big fight.
- Visiting Japanese experts want to test real Chinese Kung-fu against their Karate style.
- A teacher will hire Specialists (usually Japanese) to destroy a rival school.
- Friends from rival school are pushed into fighting each other for the school's sake.
- A student likes the sister or female student from a rival school, thus causing tension between both schools.
Tension Within The School
(Passover)
This usually, happens, when one student has been passed over, in favor of another,who is "lower" in rank, to succeed as master of the school. As in these films, the elder, is usually, the person who is left in charge of things. It was felt that, by having been with the teacher the longest, that he would know what was best for the school. He knew the teacher's method of training and how best to pass it on. If the teacher felt that someone else was more qualified to uphold the position, he could change his wish, for the eldest to receive ownership after his death. This is what has caused a number of fueds between classmates (and/or relatives) in the same school. The elder would feel "slighted" -- thinking that after all his years with his teacher, that he wasn't trusted.
His hurt and humiliation would cause him to strike out at the person, he feels was the true cause of his pain - his classmate. To target his teacher, would show the deepest "disrespect" and (also) prove that the teacher had made the right decision, all along. The heir to carry on the school was sometimes, chosen by who has (and could be) fair, honest, and could uphold the teachings, the way that the teacher (himself) had. Temperment was, also, a key factor, in the choice of the new head of the school. Without the right temperment, he would easily cause trouble by hurting others, and bring shame to himself, the school, and his teacher's art.
His contempt for everything associated with his former school, may turn him into a renegade, who out to prove his teacher and classmates wrong, about what he perceives as them turning their backs on him. This may entail him becoming a "Gun-for-Hire" so-to-speak, where his motives have him floating about one-rung from becoming a full-fledged villain -- and one who wouldn't have any problem, if it came down to fighting against his former classmates and teacher. In this way, he feels he can prove who should have been the teacher's true heir, be fighting those he once saw as friends. Injuring his former teacher [ in his mind ], shows his skill-level is superior and that he should be seen as the style's new leader.
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The Ultimate Insult
(Destroying A School's Sign-board)
To totally humiliated a school, the villain will destroy the school's Sign-board. This is usually the one thing that will always set a fight with teacher and students, into motion.
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Fighting The School
(A Warning | Intimidation)
When there is a misunderstanding in someone else's school, most are usually attack by the whole school (regardless of Why you came there). They feel that when you disrespect one person at the school, you disrespect everyone in the school. And even if you came to fight just the Teacher, you'll have to go through countless students, before he'll even come out to greet you. This applies, whether, you are the hero or the villain and regardless, if this was to be a friendly match or an outright challenge. Certain challengers go so far, as to want a school, to stop teaching a certain method of style, to the students. This was another way, various styles went "underground" or became extinct.
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Destroying The School
This is where NO ONE is meant to live and everyone at the school that day, will be killed. Usually, someone escapes the onslaught (or was away from the school at the time of the carnage). Those who have come to the school, have one thing on their minds and that is that they want to destroy the school and everything that it stood for. It's in their best interest that they don't live any witness alive, for the possibility of being identified, later. If the sole survivor can't defeat those that were responsible for the carnage at his school, then, he must train (or find someone to train him) until he can bring honor to his fallen teacher and classmates.
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