videos: top 10 kung fu weapons

this is a video from National Geographic called "Top 10 Kung Fu Weapons."

swords, sabres, ropes, chopsticks, oh my!

check it out:

• part 1 of 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHB_qak4lVE
• part 2 of 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CFQB9rOC9E
• part 3 of 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv8Bd6Ny3fg
• part 4 of 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5aMo8dpBrc
• part 5 of 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjNhMWDK72I

it always amazes me that there is such a variety of weapons in traditional Chinese martial arts. i suppose it's just a reflection of the cultural history, and the various creative minds who sought to find new weapons for very distinct purposes.

from a certain point of view, the apparent variety is probably also a function of the fact that they are so distinct from those in Western societies, and hence tend to stick out more to Western eyes accustomed to seeing ancient European weaponry. to someone raised in Asian societies, the panoply of ancient European weapons (such as broadswords, longbows, spears, mace, chain-mail, plate armor, daggers, etc.) probably appear to be full of unusual and distinct weapons, while the ancient Asian weapons (such as the grain-leaf saber, miao dao, deer-horn knives, rope dart, 3-sectional staff, etc.) are simply droll.

having said that, to this Westerner, some of the weapons featured in these videos are very strange. a number have Western analogies, but some have no comparable equivalent. it's fascinating to see the permutations of weaponry created in comparison to Western history, particularly for cases where different weapons were created to fulfill similar purposes. just goes to show you how much culture can play a role in the expression of creativity--the spark of invention is the same, but the manner of manifesting it can be unique.