Ashura Posted February 4, 2003 Posted February 4, 2003 Well I was wondering if anyone that uses these forums have anything on Chinese Fan Dancing, I know it's not really martial arts but, hey some chinese people use to fan dance Yup
monkeygirl Posted February 6, 2003 Posted February 6, 2003 Actually, the chinese "fan dance" is a martial art of itself. It was a disguised martial art, (like capoeira, disguised as a dance) seemingly slow and soft. But if you speed up the movements, they can be pretty powerful. Most people practice with a bamboo fan, but in combat a metal fan would be used, with silk over the metal spines. The fans (or "tessen" as they are called) were considered a mark of high skill, and samurai (even men!) carried them. When I joined these forums (almost a year ago! ), it was to learn more about the fans. If you are interested in learning techniques for the fan, call (518) 459-6869. They have a website but it doesn't seem to work. I got a tape from there for Christmas, titled "Essence of 5 Tai Chi Chuan: Tai Chi Double Fan" taught by Shifu Jiang Jian-ye. He is a Master Tai Chi and Kung Fu Instructor, as well as Master Chinese Calligrapher. The tape is $44.99 retail, and about 2 hours long. The first hour is pretty much his resume and biography, so I fast-forward through that After that, though, it teaches some pretty good technique. As far as purchasing actual fans themselves, I got mine from AWMA... for Christmas, too https://www.awma.com Their fans are pretty cheap, come in several patterns, and they have bamboo and metal styles. Start out with bamboo to practice with, since this will be easier to open and close. However, once you advance to tossing the fans, you'll want the metal ones, since they have the proper weight needed. You can start with metal ones, but it would be a little difficult. One note about the fans: (metal ones anyway) you kind of have to break them in. Not only will you get used to the skill of opening and closing them, but the spines will become less rigid and tight. The best way to learn to use the fans would be to find a kung fu school near you that teaches weapons...they just might teach the fan/double fan. However, I know how difficult that can be...during my search for information on kung fu fans, I realized that NOBODY in my area teaches them! I find it rather surprising that it is SO difficult to find information on this particular weapon, since it was so popular and held in such high regard in the age of the samurai. It's very difficult to find even any historical information, let alone instructions on using it. The video tape is pretty good, though, and provides some background to the fans, as well as the techniques to using them. I believe Shifu Jiang Jianye also has a Single Fan tape, which may be a little easier to practice. I don't know, I just have the double fan tape. Hope that helps! 1st dan & Asst. Instructor TKD 2000-2003No matter the tune...if you can rock it, rock it hard.
jmd161 Posted February 8, 2003 Posted February 8, 2003 monkeygirl, You did a great job of explaining that i was surprised.How do you know so much about Chinese War Fans from a TKD background? jeff The Basics Are The Hidden Secret To Kung Fu Master The Basics.
monkeygirl Posted February 10, 2003 Posted February 10, 2003 Thanks for the compliment, Jeff. Well, for about a year now, I've been interested in learning how to use the fans, and broaden my understanding of weapons. We only learn 3 weapons at my dojo: bo staff, nunchaku and kama. My instructor is a pretty reasonable guy and he supported my interest, especially if it could be added to our demonstrations. I don't really remember what sparked my interest in the first place, except that I thought they looked kinda cool. What I didn't know was how difficult it would be to find information on the Internet...or in bookstores...or anywhere. So, over the past few months of searching, I've acquired a small amount of information regarding the weapons. I imagine, however, that it's just the tip of the iceberg. 1st dan & Asst. Instructor TKD 2000-2003No matter the tune...if you can rock it, rock it hard.
jmd161 Posted February 10, 2003 Posted February 10, 2003 monkeygirl, Hey war fans are very cool and you're right not much info on the web.Im impressed you sound very mature for 15yrs old.I must be getting old? I have a 14yr old who instant messages everyday about kung fu and he knows so much.He's also from a TKD background.I guess the web has alot to do with that these days.It brings so much info to you that you'd never get otherwise. Keep us posted on how the fan form is comming along.I have a video here somewhere of our Black Tiger War Fan Form.Maybe i can upload clips of it so you can see? jeff The Basics Are The Hidden Secret To Kung Fu Master The Basics.
spin_kick Posted July 29, 2004 Posted July 29, 2004 hey all a very good friend of mine has been searching for info on fans for the past few months, with very little success. very frustrating! all we have been able to track down is a vid of tai chi fan dancing. is this the same thing as fan fighting (tessen-jitsu?)?
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