Thomas Y.C. Chan

Chinese Kung Fu faces challenges in its practical applications in the globalized and digitalized era. However, a group of dedicated practitioners persists in transforming the techniques and principles of Chinese Kung Fu. This study explores the adaptations and integration of Chinese Kung Fu by these martial arts practitioners in their daily life and fighting practices, aiming to reimagine the values of Chinese Kung Fu within the Hong Kong context.

The new generation of Martial Arts Practitioners, characterized by their non-identification as Kung Fu Sifu, engage in the practice of both Chinese Kung Fu and non-Chinese martial arts. As such, they offer unique perspectives on the values of Chinese Kung Fu, challenging the dominant discourses that view it solely as an Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The ICH framework tends to focus on cultural inheritors, traditions, histories, and static representation, while the new generation generates critical views that comment on, criticize, and reconstruct the principles of “traditional” Chinese Kung Fu. These embodied experiences are often overlooked in the discourses of safeguarding ICH. The ideas put forth by the new generation contribute to strategies for preserving Chinese Kung Fu and address pedagogical issues within traditional Chinese Kung Fu practices. In-depth interviews and participatory observation are used to collect data in this study.