The japanese have it for their karate




The koreans have it for their tae kwon do




Wheres in Kungfu School,you have this for Training,a western T-shirt,and an ugly pants









even worse in China,you have this for chinese kungfu
















What the hell is going on with the Chinese government? don't they see how important to have a unified kung fu clothing that every kung fu student can ware it? Whenever i see a TV program about kung fu,the first impression i get is that,what an ugly training outfit. it looks so improfessional.
The chinese government better do something about it.






BTW: what do your guys think about those kung fu outfits?

Why would it be important to have a unified Martial Arts clothing?

I see no practical point in it.

No one back then walked around in a uniform, and you shouldn't need a uniform to do things well.

its not like what you think.to have a unified kung fu clothing could give kung fu a sense of unity,pride and neatness and perfessional. for instance:there were a martial arts party,the karate students all came dressed in karete clothing, all tae kwon do students dressed in tae kwon do clothing and chinese kung fu students all dressed differently from eachother,what a joke isn it?
ofcause its important and practical to have a unfied kung fu clothing,would you dress in tight jens with a flip flop while doing kung fu? would you dress in jens and sneaker to an wedding?NO. every perfessional settings need an particular outfit or clothing...but the thing is that there is no one unified clothing for chinese kung fu,its such a shame to know that China was the homeland of martial arts,yet china doesn't even have an traditional kung fu outfit. look,i have been to a lot of kung fu schools,to be honest with you,it was a mass,everybody dressed in different outfits,it seemed like a party rather than a perfessional kungfu dojo.

I kinda of agree with you... in any case the 'ugly' pants was meant for easier and quicker movements. As for t-shirts?? I recall having to spend a bomb on some judo gi and the just $5 for the kungfu pants and nothing for an old t-shirt!

Chinwoo has their own interlocking fasteners uniform.

武当山精武学校

I like those uniforms

I hope you are not suggesting we take on these costumes? I wonder if you know how hot and difficult it is to execute the movements in these clothings?

I agree with centaur

i said i like it doesn't mean i want it to be the ideal uniform,actually it is good for ceremonial use.

I'd like to see something simple like the karate and tae kwon do uniforms.

You have some image issues ?

i have OCD problems

The uniforms and coloured belt gradings in Japanese karate/judo/aikido is a relatively recent phenomena (late 19th century) which meshed in with the dominant philosophy of organising things into clear categories and orders, a kind of obsession when you consider the grading system was extended into penmanship, go (weiqi) etc.

While Chinese martial arts include the notion of advancement, it was not along the same lines of thinking.

Hence, it makes no sense to impose similar uniformed belts system since the whole philosophy behind Chinese martial arts in general is different from that of the Japanese. Heard of forcing a square peg into a round hole?

If you personally find the Japanese way of doing things more attractive or understandable, perhaps it just means your natural aptitude and inclination, philosophical outlook or way of thinking, is more suited to learn the Japanese martial arts instead of Chinese martial arts.

I agree with Snowybeagle - to each his own, from each his best. I does not matter what we wear, it is what we do that matters most.

nope,you have a great imagination tho
All i want is to have a unified uniform,nothing else,let alone belts and such,actually there are belt systems in chinese martial arts,i know this because i've sudied chinese martial arts back in china. My proposal is similar with the case of hanfu movement.

From all the responses i get,it demostrates that most of us chinese often lack of details when doing things specially in important setting. When i graduated from J.H school in ny,almost all the chinese students wore jens,sneakers and a white t-shirt undernearth the graduation uniform.
we just never take on fashion or to put it simple we don't know how to dress well.
In this case of kungfu uniform,its very much alike the situation with the hanfu movement. we want an identity and a sense of pride,and unity,something we all can agree unpon on it

And I've taken karate into my university years, where the Nanhua Pai club practiced in the next hall.
They didn't have belt systems.

To be more accurate then, I should say while some Chinese martial arts schools adopted the belt system, it is a relatively recent change rather than part of a long tradition.


BTW, you'd know that kungfu is just an umbrella term for various Chinese martial arts.

As to whether each school have its own unified uniform, it'll depend from school to school.
The NanhuaPai club I mentioned had a uniform outfit somewhat similar to Lion Dancers.

From what I understand of your posts, it seemed that you are complaining about the sloppiness of certain Chinese martial arts schools in their attire.

While I agree some instructors are plainly sloppy, others might be actually due to the philosophy of putting the emphasis on something more important rather than clothes.

Of course, wearing uniforms help to instill certain sense of discipline or purpose, but that might not be what some schools want to do.

There's no excuse for plain sloppiness of course, but we really shouldn't impose personal expectations on those who are different, right?

Actually, he was right on the mark



No, it means most of us prefer practicality over superficiality. Doing our best to think like a Chinese rather than pretending to look like one. There are more to a culture than the five Fs (Flags, Festivals, Fashion, Food, Folktale). These are only manifestation of a culture. Not the culture itself.

The Chinese have always been a culture of practicality. Lets put it this way, the stealth fighter wasn't designed to 'look cool'. It was designed for avoiding radar detection. It just happens to look cool. This is the same for everything in Chinese culture. If you are proposing to do certain things for nothing more than 'we are chinese' than you don't understand the first thing about being a Chinese. Identity comes second compared to practical benefits of something. This goes for ceremonial things too. If one does not do something primarily because of the practical reason behind it, then they are nothing more than feeding off a gimmick just like a caucasion or african wearing a Qing cap.

Malay Martial Art (PENCAK SILAT) Uniform


Silat Gayong Uniform






Silat Cekak @ Silat Cekak Hanafi Uniform






Ancients Malay Warrior (Pendekar) Clothing Influence Hanfu

Illustration...

Taoist Student Uniform ????

Korean Haedong Geomdo @ Haidong Kumdo Hanbok fabrication




Kumdo Uniform in Japanese Hakama

Genki Sudo wore that in his latest match, he won

Actually Cool Z,

The Chinese government DID address this exact issue. Competitive Wushu requires a performance uniform meeting the following International Wushu Federation specifications:

Article 17 Specifications of costume for competition
(See Fig. 2)

17.1. For changquan, daoshu, jianshu, qiangshu, gunshu, taijiquan and other routines

1) A jacket with a Chinese-style upright collar and seven toggle-like buttons down the front and short or long sleeves; and for taijiquan and taijijian routines, a long-sleeved jacket of a length not exceeding the performer's middle fingertip when the arms are straightened and hanging down;
2) Bloomerlike sleeves gathered at the cuffs;
3) Chinese-style knickers;
4) Of any material in any color, which shall be uniform;
5) Trims 1 cm in breadth for the whole garment, maybe of different material and in a different single color; and
6) A soft belt (except for taijiquan and taijijian), maybe of different material and in different single color.

17.2. For nanquan routines

1) A collarless jacket with seven Chinese-style cloth buttons down the front, and with short sleeves for women and no sleeves for men;
2) Chinese-style knickers;
3) Of any material in any single color, which shall be uniform;
4) Trims 1 cm in breadth for the whole garment, maybe of different material and in a different single color, and
5) A soft belt, maybe of different material and in a different single color.

These regulations are enforced at all Chinese wushu competitions including the East Asian Games and will be used in Beijing 2008 Olympic games. I know that many here do not consider wushu to be kung fu but I post this because Cool Z in his original post asked what the Chinese government was doing to address this issue. In the eyes of the Chinese government contemporary wushu is kung fu so since they didn't like either the t-shirt and muscle pants nor the Shaw Brother movie costume cast-offs options, they came up with these regulations.

You don't learn martial arts in order to look good. Neither should you judge a person by appearance. These are some of the lessons you would have learnt if you learned Chinese martial arts from a good teacher. As Wujiang has mentioned, clothing should be a matter of practicality as well as pragmatism. Some learners may not be able to afford fancy uniforms. If they have the right attitude and are sincere, they can practice in the clothes they have. By not enforcing a uniform instead emphasizing on what are appropriate clothing, CMA is sending a message one which I find pleasant to my ears. What is perhaps important is to ensure a certain amount of tidiness in your attire as a respect for your sifu and fellow students. You are focusing on the image rather than the essense of Chinese martial arts as relates to virtue.

I do not disagree with the intent to project a good and correct image of CMA to the public to encourage people to learn it or find out more about it. Hopefully not because you get to wear nice looking uniforms.


The clothes does not maketh a man. I know who I am, I dont need some silly throwback clothes to have an identity, a sense of pride or unity.

There is no unified kung fu uniform because kung fu is not unified. Why should there be? In fact I think it s pretty cool for most kung fu schools to just have the school shirt and watever pants, pretty non-conformist.

If it was up to me, I would go in all tournaments with a t-shirt and my jeans. Why? Coz its comfortable and natural for me. If I can I'll even fight in them in matches. On the otherhand if I were wearing a cheong-po, any kind of Hanfu, or even a Zhongshan suit I would feel out of place and fight even more sloppily. Again I'm down for the t-shirt and jeans.

Dingzhong, those 'regulations' that beijing started is as bad any anything. Those clothes rip so easily that they won't last 1/10 of a second while crossing hands. If you guy look at some of the older Duanda that people of the early republican era wore, they are actually quite nice for fighting it especially when they really tie up the sleeves (which of course is what duanda is all about). Modern day duanda are made of such thin cotton that it is pathetic. I risk ripping it just by making a forward roll on concrete.


This is irrelevent. You prefer Jeans and T-shirt not because they are indeed better, but because you are used to them. You have never trained in any of the clothing you stated which is why you get sloppy in them. This is nothing more than a personal habitual preference.

Given the seemingly disproportionate amount of dilution that kung-fu has suffered from in general, I think that the issue of uniforms is the last thing that practitioners need to be concerned about.

While I wouldn't use the phrase 'seemingly disproportionate amount of dilution' I do agree with your point and part of it is due to the sheer variety in Chinese Martial Arts. There are what we call 'compeitition Wushu' which has been standardised but they represent only a part of CMA and I do not agree with their emphasis. The essence of CMA has not been captured, only the forms.

I guess part of it is also down to what you as an individual expect out of CMA, and I guess for most folks you can get that from what is popularly available out there. Even fancy uniforms if you want it.

For me learning martial arts once begun becomes a way of life and to a certain extent similar to Sunzi's Art of War, the actual combativeness is only a part of it. Ultimately to have to resort to fighting may actually indicate a failure to understand the spirit of CMA.

Nice discussion, it has been going from uniforms to sashes or belts. I agree with the point that clothing it is not relevant if you are really going for Kung Fú and not for fashion. I also support the fact that Chinese Martial Arts are diferent styles, and (following the japanese example) a Kendo practitiones doesn´t dress like a Karate´s one. Isn´t it???? In my school I vote for simplicity: white t-shirt, black pants and red belt. Here in Cuba all the traditional schools use that kind of clothing or a similar one. Martial artists are warriors no models.

Ok, since I guess we need to show it just to balance things out, here are a few examples of CMA uniforms.

(1) Your average 唐裝 which are originally not martial arts uniform but just common clothes. It just somehow got linked to CMA by the westerners


(2) Chinwoo uniform. Probably the only attire designed for martial artist. Note the interlocking fastenings and the buttoned sleeves. For this and the previous 唐裝 style, there exists examples that doesn't have sleeves or collar.


(3) Something Leung Ting designed so that Wing Chunners could be different from the rest


(4) Shuai Jiao clothes. Long history. Definately some of the more 'traditional' clothes used for combat.


There are generally a heck of alot more than these. Especially when you look at some of the photos taking in the north during the early republican era. Unfortunately, most of them such as the Duanda are not online.

I think every school or system should have a uniform based on its own needs. For example: Choy Gar is a short range style, for me, using long sleeves is not practical due to the constant contact of the forarms for attacking, blocking or grappling. Those sleeves would be a serious restriction and I would have to buy a new shirt after every training because it will get all ripped once you finish a three hours training. I think it would be the same for Hung Gar practitioners, so used to grab. Not the same for the Tai Chi or other internal styles, or the northen long styles with more emphasis on hight kicking or long arms.

Looked at from a combat point of view, what practical uses does sleeves have? I don't see any except to give something for your opponent to grab onto.

This doesn't make sense.
Whether a uniform rips easily is based on the material that is used. Not the design of the uniform itself. The fact is, as far as design is concerned (leaving out the question of material) the design of the uniform serves no tactical purpose at all. All sparring is done better with short sleeve than long for both trousers and clothes. But this point is completely pointless because in the past, China never had a 'martial arts uniform'. Everyone just trained in what they wore on a day to day basis. And people mostly wore long sleeve clothes and pants. Which is what they will likely to be fighting in should they be required to fight. If you live in Russia and you don't wear long sleeves, you will freeze to death before you even have a chance to throw a punch. The question of what system you practice is pointless.

Martial arts uniform is not based on the martial art. But the lifestyle of the people who practices it.

That is a good point, I agree about the material, I was thinking on an specific one. Yes, in the past, there were no martial arts uniform because people lived, trained and battled, with its ordinary clothes. That was their lifestyle, but, if I am going to choose a suit I will select one which is more accurate to the use I will give to it. Of course there are other facts that have influence on that selection, but a very important one is practical use of the uniform. Using an example: In the european middle age, even if there were hot a knight went to battle with his armor, and why???? because that was the suit designed for that specific use. You may say that the knight didn´t train his spear, axe or sword techiniques wearing a heavy armor. Probably no, but I think that in martial arts, you have to be simple, and go an axhibition or a fight with the same clothes you use for training.
So, if I have to choose a uniform for training CMA I will select that which is better to the characteristics of the exercises I will perform, and those excersises are not the same in diferent styles.
You say that "Martial arts uniform is not based on the martial art. But the lifestyle of the people who practices it", I think that it is not only based on the martial art, but it is a relation and that more than ..."the lifestyle of the people who practices it" it would be "the lifestyle of the people who practices it and the people who created it" at least for the traditional styles. I don´t think it is appropiated to perform a CMA form wearing a thipical cuban suit. It just doesn´t fit.

Why do you keep on saying 'if I was to choose' ? This isn't a choice. If you are going to have the correct form of practice clothing, you need to look at how people dressed in the past and learn from them. Follow the specific system to the region where it was practiced most and then study what was worn.

Uniform has nothing more than aesthetic values. There are no practical benefits at all from having clothes specificly to practice in. So to say that "I am going to choose a uniform design based on practicality" is an oxymoron. Practicality of a system of fighting IS using the techniques in a fight. Unless you are wearing the uniform 24/7, the only 'practical' clothes to train in would be your day-to-day attire. Uniforms serves anything BUT a practical purpose but everything to do with unity, dicipline, identity, all pretty much everything that is not martial arts based. You can't modify something which's very existance is impractical to something that is practical.

People don't 'create' things from out of thin air. They modify what they already know. You are almost saying that sometime in the past there wasn't martial arts and then suddenly someone created it. It doesn't happen that way. The idea that when people create a system of martial arts would somehow explicitely think about what to wear when using it is absurd

Your example of armour is irrelevent. Uniform and armour are two different thing. Clothes my of fabric have little to no protective purposes. The need for armour is based on something relatively independent of martial arts.

I don´t understand wich is the disagreement point????? You say: "you need to look at how people dressed in the past and learn from them" and that is what I mean when I say: "the lifestyle of the people who practices it and the people who created it". Of course that "People don't 'create' things from out of thin air", when I speak about "people who create it" I mean the people who established the specific system, if they are from southern China or Northen, or Tibet or wherever, and I think you agree with me in that point.
You say: "Why do you keep on saying 'if I was to choose' ? This isn't a choice." But there is a choice, if there wasn´t. What are we talking about here???????
Yes, uniforms have an aesthetic purpose but it also have a practical purpose too. And let us use a chinese example: people from northen China deserts don´t dress like people who lives in torrid zones of southern China (and I am using here your analisis about the lifestyle of the people) it is more or less like your Russia example.
And for the other side: a chinese opera suit is aestheticly beautyfull, but I don´t think a CMA practitioner would wear it unless he is going to be part of the opera, so I have to disagree with you in this point: "Uniform has nothing more than aesthetic values" I don´t think that you have to choose a uniform based only on practicality, but you certainly have to
seriuosly think about it.
But please, I think this is just two diferent points of view.

The disagreement here is your claim of having to 'choose' a uniform. This isn't a matter of choice. This isn't a matter of a number of options and you can pick any one. It is a matter of whether you are doing it correctly or not. If you are practicing a southern system, you have no choice but to pick clothes worn in the south. If you choose a karate gi for it, you are very much doing it wrong.

Look at this picture. Does it even make sense ? A karate gi is 'practical' by your sense of the word. But doesn't this picture strike you as being rather wrong ?

Woah!!!
and what's this guy demonstrating? Some savate-judo-shaolin hybrid?

My dear friend, you have missunderstood my words. I have never said that the "practical" aspect is the only one in the uniform selection. I have just said it is one of them, and it is a very important one.
Let´s put something clear. I have been training traditional southern kung fu, or wushu, for the last 10 years. And it´s been not only practicing, it´s been a real battle for keeping traditional chinese MMAA alive against modern wushu intentions to make it disappear.
So that picture you posted has nothing to do with me or my way of thinking about CMA, on the contrary, I have spent all this years trying to rescue the legacy of the old masters of traditional kung fu in my country.

I will try to be as simple as possible in order to avoid any confusion:

I think that you DO have the CHOICE to select a uniform. Otherwise every practitioner from southern styles would ware the same uniform, and it is not like that, people from southern China dressed in diferent ways.

In order to do it, you have to watch for three main aspects:

1 - The origin of your style (northen, southern...)
2 - Your aesthetycal desires (colour combination... etc)
3 - The practical needs you have ( wich kind of design is more comfortable for your specifyc style)

Uniforms (besides the sense of discipline and uniformity) have to be practical, because it have a practical use: practicing MMAA. It doesn´t matter if you are wearing a very traditional suit if it makes you slower or you feel uncomfortable with it. But you can wear a very traditional uniform perfectly fitted to your training needs, this is what I mean.

Saying that uniforms have only an aesthetycal porpuose is having a narrow view of that point.

repeat: ORIGIN, AESTHETYCS, PRACTICITY

And this is where it makes no sense. The clothing of Chinese martial arts does not portray any form of tactical advantage for any particular system whatsoever. One set of uniform would work just as well for any system. Short sleeve would always be more 'practical' than long ones, no matter which system you practice. You are still holding on to an illusion that the uniform can be adapted so that it 'fits better' for some system than others. It doesn't happen. There are no such thing as 'training needs' that is somehow unique in certain systems that can be adapted by the uniform which will not fit for other system's 'training needs'.

And why do you bring up the 'traditional uniform'. There is NO SUCH THING as traditional uniform. People in the past wore whatever they pleased. A tradition of uniforms never existed. These common clothes are no less practical when it comes to practicing martial arts. Uniforms have no advantage over them whatsoever.


No, it means people understand what 'uniform' and 'clothes' means.

Lets sum up what I am trying to say

(1) There is no such thing as 'traditional uniform' The fact that something looks Chinese doesn't make it traditional.
(2) If it is practicality you are looking for, you then you have to drop the whole notion of 'uniform' because there is nothing practical about it. You wear whatever is useful, not what is assigned. And uniforms are anything but useful because you never have the chance to change into the uniform just as you are about to have a with someone.
(3) Practice clothing, if it fits well for one system, it fits well for all. The idea that 'this uniform is best adapted for this system of martial arts' is complete nonsense.
(4) If it is the 'being traditional' part you are looking for, you will automatically have to lose the idea of practicality based on martial arts. Because related to the previous points, being traditional means using clothing suited for the people's way of life rather than the martial arts.
(5) If it is the unity and discipline you look for, there will be even less reason to be traditional or practical. Cause you might as well put the people in T-shirts and it will still have the same effect. As seen in Mainland China, their uniform are great for this purpose.
(6) If it is the aesthetic, traditional Chinese-ness you look for, drop the practicality and traditional pretense.
(7) If it is the 'we have a uniform' you are looking for, then the previous points become irrelevent. Since there is no tradition of uniform, actaully adopting one means you are starting something relatively new. And since uniforms are by their nature impractical as seen on point (2) there is no reason to be practical. You can put people in tu-tu and it will still be fine

Hence, this is not a question of choice of uniform. The choice is what the clothes are for and in this instant, the things are mutually exclusive. Practicality, Aesthetic and Illusion of Tradition does not go together. You choose one of them and thats it. It is a question of being correct or incorrect after you have chosen the purpose of the attire. And most people today are doing it wrong. And don't raise the 'you can choose to be incorrect' argument. Cause despite our disagreement, so far you are still worthy of respect.

I have got your point. I understand what you say about the divorce between practicity of a uniform and tradition. I think our disagreement comes for diferent concepts of uniforms, and traditional clothes(maybe my lack of knowledge about one of this topics) So, what would you call a "traditional uniform"
I would like to know which would be your propousal. For example in my school we wear the uniform that was designed in 1930 when the school was founded. It is a white T-Shirt with the school logo on its front, pants and belt colour has been diferents through years.
Sorry I don´t have here another pictures, this is from 1947

This discussion has brought some queries to me, please check: http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/index.php?showtopic=11216

Sorry for bumping a 2-year old thread...but I really agree with this post.
I don't see why a 'kungfu' uniform is important. One does not need a uniform to do kungfu...and one would be expected to do kung fu in ANY clothing. It's the practice that's important. Anything else is, more or less, just for Show.

Similarly, a person may look at the Japanese tea ceremony and then ask the Chinese why we don't go through a process like that.
I've watched my Japanese friend perform it many times and I respect that. But just because I don't do something similar when I serve my friends/family tea doesn't mean I care any less about what I'm doing. It's already known in our culture that to pour tea for someone shows respect. I don't have to do a whole performance to show that. Practicality.

I agree with both Wujiang and KaLing. To quote one of my more extremist friend's words, "The complex and impractical ceremonies of Japanese are pretentious and not practical at all!" She should know because her father is a master in Chinese tea ceremonies of Fujian and Guangdong (Chaozhou) areas, especially the so-called kungfu tea! The tea ceremonies in these two areas are not the only kinds of the tea ceremonies in different Chinese regions.

One of my other friends, a teacher from Taiwan, also knows a bit of the usual customs and traditions of some of the Chinese ceremonies. She demonstrated for us one time, and I could only remember 1/10th of what she had said.

A few years ago when I went to Hangzhou, one of the holy cities of the Chinese green tea, I went into a tea shop for fun and had the chance to witness the Hangzhou style of tea ceremony. The young sales lady dressed in the traditional Chinese clothing sat me down at one of the tables and showed me how it should be done. She explained to me the different types and characteristics of the local and nearby green teas. The temperature of the water for each types of the tea might be a bit different. She showed me the correct method to enjoy the smell of the tea and also why is it that the first half cup of the tea should be poured out and not drunk as well as how to show respect to one’s guests – I think there are also subtle differences toward people who are older than the person who pours the tea or younger, but I am not quite sure.

Every step of the ways of the Chinese tea ceremonies my friend from Taiwan, my friend’s father, and that young Chinese saleswoman in Hangzhou had shown me has a very practical reason to make sure the taste and the flavor of the tea would be fully enjoyed by the people who drink it and the host’s respect to his/her guests are fully expressed. There are certain attitudes and mannerisms the people who join the Chinese ceremonies should be aware, but there is no need to closely follow them because Chinese attitude in the area such as these enjoyments are more based on the enjoyment of the mind and senses and NOT the forms themselves. If one emphasizes just the forms, one would totally miss the true meaning of the real Chinese tea ceremony or other such ceremonies.

My father and his friends had told me the essence of Chinese manners and Chinese ceremonies over cups of teas at my home as well as cups of wines and hard liquors in many formal Chinese banquets and other informal gatherings of various social occasions. They liked to teach their friend's young daughter the many unwritten rules of the Chinese social manners. These people were born in the late Qing dynasties or the early Republic eras and was brought up and trained in the most traditional Chinese households and under the traditional masters – Xiucais or other Chinese Confucian scholars who had passed the Chinese Imperial Exams, late Qing or early Republic government high officials, traditional Chinese Kungfu Masters who still remembered the ancient art of Qinggong (Lightening Skills) and Neigong (Inner Skills), Chinese Herbal Masters, as well as Masters in disciplines in the areas of Chinese Feng Shui, Yi Jing, and other Fortune Telling techniques and skills. My father and his friends themselves were also Masters in their own fields of Laws, Chinese Literatures, Political Science, Yi Jing, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and others similar disciplines in the area of Humanities and Social Sciences, especially related to Chinese. They came from various Chinese provinces, and some were in very high places of the government or was born in very traditional and prestigious Chinese families that kept many strict traditional Chinese rules, so I have to believe that they knew what they were talking about. They told me that there were only two words to the basis of any Chinese ceremonies: Feeling (as in enjoyment for the happy ceremonies and showing true feelings for the sad ceremonies) and Respect! If one could follow these two words, he/she would not do too wrong even if he/she did not know the real Chinese manners or customs. Any other forms are all superfluous, including the uniforms for certain ceremonies. It would be nice and customary to wear certain clothing for certain Chinese ceremonies or in Chinese Kungfu practices. However, those details are all superfluous to someone who truly understands what it means to be a Chinese!

If you like to dress in a certain way, do so. If not, don’t do it. I usually choose to don’t do it and follow my heart. My junior high school teacher described me in the following words, “大節不虧, 小節不拘!” ==> It is translated as, “She is not lacking in her principles or integrities, but she does not follow the little rules and regulations!” That is/was the exact effect I want to achieve, and I was quite happy when I saw that description of me at 14 years old! I think my father was very happy about it as well -- If little Johny only knows how to study and not play (or break the rules), little Johny would be a very dull boy, same with one little Chinese mouse!

I will add one more thing regarding the ritual suicide. Japanese would go through a lot of ceremony, making poems, etc. before their ritual suicide. Chinese would just cut their own jugular veins or stab right at their own hearts and be done with it immediately – a very practical method. When the Chinese want to kill ourselves honorably, we would kill ourselves and not going through ceremonies hoping someone would come to stop our suicide!!! I feel Japanese women’s ritual suicide method is much closer to Chinese ones and more practical and gutsy than the Japanese men’s method!

Not to be rude, but I would that modern competitive wushu isn't a martial art by any stretch of the imagination. I would call modern CCP wushu more of a complex dance than anything else. I especially hate it when people like to pass off modern wushu as "real" Chinese martial arts (I'm not saying you are).

Most of the traditional martial arts were destroyed and their masters forced into hiding during the cultural revolution. Many of the kung fu masters and practitioners fled to Hong Kong and Taiwan, where they continued to teach. The cultural revolution left a huge void in the Chinese martial arts world that has yet to be completely filled. That is not to say that there are no good martial arts masters in mainland China today, however. Men like Chen Xiaowang (Taiji practitioner) are amazing.


Back to original topic: As for why Chinese culture doesn't have a set traditional uniform like Korea and Japan, I consider that a blessing, and actually one of the few good things traditional Chinese martial arts has going for it. Think of it this way. You are supposed to be able to fight and defend yourself using martial arts, correct? By that logic, the closer you are to street clothes, the better. No one goes around anymore wearing a gi (Japanese) or dobok (Korean) on a daily basis, therefore, they hamper the martial process. Sure, the Korean and Japanese dobok and gi (respectively) look nice aesthetically, they are impractical. If beauty is your main goal in learning MA, then you should probably find something else to do.



Really? I think it takes a lot of guts to commit seppuku!

When I was reading some of the people who were getting ready to commit seppuku and going through those preparations of making death poetries and washing the blades, etc., I have a very strong feeling that some of them might be extending their preparation time so that their lord would change his mind and stop the ceremony. It's just my personal feeling about that, but there were way too much poetry making before the actual commiting seppuku IMO. Also, in the later years, I think it became more of a ceremony than of heart. The thing about using the fan to point at one's belly and letting his second to cut off his head ... I think it lost its original meanings.

I believe it had the ritual meaning of showing the world one's red heart (sincerety) -- One of Wu Zetian's son's servant actually did that when someone accused his lord of treason, and Wu Zetian (Tang dynasty) actually let the whole thing go due to this loyal servant's action in front of her!!! I believe the servant was saved and lived. Sometimes, I wonder whether the Japanese decided this was a thing to imitate and thus created the ceremony of seppuku? Btw, the servant of the Tang Prince did not go through any ceremony. He just took out a sharp knife and started opening up his own belly to prove to Wu that his testimony about the fact that the Prince did not conspire against Wu was true! There was no ceremony, and he was so fast that the people around him was almost too slow to save him. That proved to me that he was determined. The later Japanese seppuku ... there were no guts ... just a lot of brains!!!

My post you quoted was actually a joke, fireball..think about it...


Anyway, here are some images of various "traditional" kung fu clothing...











Shaolin

I know, and same is mine! Also, think about it.

Btw, good pictures!

Another b.a. photo of a man performing a Hung Gar motion...





I wish I looked this toned without a shirt on.

Nice pics Polar....thanks for the effort....and reviving an old thread....

As long as Kungfu on a whole is not institutionalized....

I do not see a need for a common uniform....

Right. I don't even think Kung Fu needs to be institutionalized, or in fact can be...I mean, technically, Kung Fu itself is not a martial art. It is a generic name for Chinese Martial Arts in general.

Here is a list of Chinese martial arts from Wikipedia. As you can see, there is a wide variety. Many more than either Korea or Japan.

* Bafaquan (八法拳) - Eight Methods
* Baguazhang (八卦掌; Bagua Zhang) - Eight Trigrams Palm
* Bajiquan (八極拳) - Eight Extremes Fist
* Bak Mei (白眉拳) - White Eyebrow
* Black Tiger Kung Fu (黑虎拳)
* Chaquan (查拳) - Cha Fist
* Changquan (長拳) - Long Fist
* Chuo Jiao (戳腳) - Poking Feet
* Chow Gar - a form of Southern Praying Mantis (南派螳螂)
* Choy Gar (蔡家) - also known as Rat Kung Fu
* Choi Lei Fut (蔡李佛; Càilǐfó)
* Dachengquan (大成拳) - Great Achievement Boxing (Yiquan)
* Ditangquan (地躺拳) - Ground-Prone Fist, Ground Tumbling Boxing
* Do Pi Kung Fu (道派)
* Dragon Kung Fu (Lung Ying) (龍形拳)
* Duan Quan (短拳) - Short Range Boxing
* Emeiquan (峨嵋拳, O Mei Ch'uan)
* Fanziquan (翻子拳) - Overturning Fist, Tumbling Boxing
* Feng Shou - Hand of the Wind
* Five Ancestors (五祖拳) - Wuzuquan or Ngo Cho Kun
* Five Animals (五形)
* Fujian White Crane (白鶴拳)
* Fu Jow Pai (虎爪派) - Tiger Claw System (also titled Black Tiger Kung Fu or Hark Fu Moon)
* Fut Gar - Buddhist Palm
* Gouquan (狗拳) - Dog Fist
* Hong Cha
* Hop Gar (俠家)
* Houquan (猴拳) - Monkey Fist
o Drunken Monkey (醉猴)
* Heihuquan: see Black Tiger Kung Fu (黑虎拳)
* Hsing-i Ch'uan: see Xingyiquan (形意拳)
* Huaquan (華拳) - China Fist
* Hung Fut (洪佛) - Hung and Buddha style kung fu
* Hung Gar (洪家拳; also known as Hung Ga or Hung Kuen) - Shaolin Style and ancestor to many southern styles
* I Liq Chuan (意力拳) - Mind-Body Art, founded by Chin Lik Keong of Malaysia
* Jeet Kune Do (截拳道) - Way of The Intercepting Fist
* Jing Wu Men (精武門) - Jing Wu, a famous school founded in Shanghai that teaches several different styles.
* Jing Quan Do (精拳道) - a modern synthetic style
* Jow-Ga Kung Fu (周家) - Jow family style
* Kuntao - Way of the Fist
* Kuen-Do (拳道) - Way of The Fist
* Lau Gar (刘家) - Lau family style
o Lai-Ga-Sau - A recently created separate branch based in the United Kingdom
* Lai Tung Pai- Shaolin Style that mixes long and short fist
* Lama Pai
* Leopard Kung Fu (豹拳)
* Li (Lee) Family (李家) - Li Family or Lee Family style
* Liu Seong Kuntao (also Liu Seong Gung Fu, Liu Seong Chuan Fa) - A Chinese art with Indonesian influence, practiced primarily in the United States
* Liuhebafa Chuan (六合八法; Liu He Pa Fa, Lok Hup Ba Fa) - Six Harmonies, Eight Methods or Water Boxing
* Luohan Quan (羅漢拳) Arhat Boxing, Law Horn Kuen
* Mei Hua Quan (梅花拳 Plum Blossom Fist)
* Mian Quan (棉花拳擊 Cotton Boxing)
* Mizongyi (迷蹤羅漢拳; Mízōngquán) - Lost Track Fist (also known as My Jong Law Horn)
* Mok Gar (莫家拳) Mok family style
* Monkey Kung Fu see Houquan
* Nam Pai Chuan (南派拳)
* Nan Quan (南拳) - Southern Fist
* Northern Praying Mantis (北派螳螂拳)
* Northern Shaolin (北少林) - Bak Sil Lum
* Pai lum (白龍) - White Dragon, Pai Family Method, a modern style based on Kenpo with Chinese influences found mainly in the US and Canada
* Paochui (炮捶) - Cannon Fist, Sanhaung Paochui
* Piguaquan (劈掛拳) - Chop-Hitch Fist, Axe-hitch boxing
* Praying Mantis: see either Northern or Southern Praying Mantis
* Sanda (散打) or Sanshou (散手) - Free Fighting
* San Soo (散手)
* Shaolin Nam Pai Chuan (少林南派拳) - Southern Shaolin Boxing
* Shaolin Quan (少林拳)
* Shen Lung Kung Fu (神龍功夫) - Modern variations of Southern style Chinese martial arts based in the United States
* Shequan (蛇拳) - Snake Fist
* Shuai Chiao (摔跤; Shuaijiao) - Chinese Wrestling
* Southern Praying Mantis (南派螳螂拳)
* Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳 Tai Chi Chuan, Taijiquan) - Supreme Ultimate Boxing
o Chen style tai chi chuan
o Yang style tai chi chuan
o Wu/Hao style tai chi chuan
o Wu style tai chi chuan
o Sun style tai chi chuan
* Tantui (彈腿/譚腿) - Spring Leg style
* Tibetan White Crane (白鶴派)
* T'ien Shan Pai (天山派)
* Tongbeiquan (通背拳) - Through-the-Back Fist
* White Crane: see either Fujian White Crane or Tibetan White Crane
* Wing Chun (詠春 or 永春) - See also Wing Tsun
* Wudangquan (武當拳)
* Wu Wei Gung Fu (無為功夫)- "The Spontaneous Movement of the Gung Fu". A modern composite style containing elements of Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun and other martial arts
* Xingyiquan (形意拳; Hsing-i Chuan) - Form-Intent Fist
* Yau Kung Mun (软功門) - Flexible-Power Style
* Yingzhaoquan (鷹爪拳) - Eagle Claw Fist
* Yuejiaquan (岳家槍) - Yue family Fist/Boxing
* Yiquan (意拳; I Ch'uan) - Mind Boxing
* Zhuan Shu Kuan - A modern composite style containing elements of Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai and Changquan. It is based in the United Kingdom
* Zi Ran Men (自然门) - Natural Boxing or "fist of nature"
* Zui Quan (醉拳) - Drunken Fist

For comparative value, I found some photos of Vietnamese Kung Fu (Wing Chun) practitioners from this site: http://www.vietwingchun.com/indexe.shtml

Notice their uniform is derived more from Hanfu, while Chinese martial artists tend to wear either a modified tangzhuang or normal clothing.