Articles written by Master Lailey
Here you will be able to read various articles I have written over the years.
As a full time teacher of the martial arts shall be expanding this section of the website as time permits. This may well be a slow process, but I shall endeavour to update this section of the website whenever I can.
DUAN WEI? NO WAY!
(This article was written shortly after my return from the named event.
Since then certain views of mine have changed somewhat!
This is all part of my own evolution
and that of my art, Sanshangong.)
Anyone that knows me will know that I do not believe in belts, grades and ranks. Indeed I have not done so for the past sixteen years. Master Miyagi Chojun, one of Okinawa’s most prominent karate teachers, once said (or said at least once),
“If you do not deserve a black you should not have one,
and if you do deserve one then you do not need one”.
I have always agreed with this but when I was invited, in 2004, to be graded by the “China Wushu (martial arts) Association” of Beijing under the new ‘Duanwei’ ranking system I thought to myself ‘Why not?’ (although I could, actually, think of a number of reasons ‘why not’).
As you can see I was, at first, rather skeptical if not cynical about this. “This is going be another one of those political issues driven by egos (from China) and money (into China)” I told Jane Zhu, wife of Master Zhu Chang Hai of Shenyang, China. It was Jane (more than likely with Master Zhu’s approval) who first emailed me the official Duanwei application. Prior to her email I had never heard of Jane Zhu but through regular emails and phone calls made by both myself and Jane we very soon struck up a sincere and professional friendship.
The ‘duanwei’ is an attempt by Mainland China to adopt a similar concept to the Japanese black belt dan-grade system. Jane assured me that this was not going to be what I thought it was and so, guided by her and the syllabus she emailed to me, I decided to apply for the grade of Seventh Degree Duanwei. This seemed to be an equivalent grade to the 7th Dan black belt of the Japanese Budo system, a conclusion I drew after having read the late Richard Kim’s classic and ageless text, “The Weaponless Warriors” wherein he explains the various ranks and requirements thereof for both the kyu grades (coloured belts) and the dan grades (black belt ranks) of Japanese Budo (Classical martial arts).
Attached to the Duanwei was a weekend of martial arts training and this was where and when I finally got to meet Mrs. Zhu. She was as lovely as she sounded on the phone and our face-to-face meeting just cemented our friendship (not that it actually needed cementing).
During the course of the weekend training programme there was a written examination – part of the Duanwei test - and although I thought that it was a good idea (to include this as part of the Duanwei test) it had not received the due care and attention at the planning stage and so came over as being something of a non-starter.
Also attached to this weekend of martial arts training were a number of lectures giving by the Chinese martial arts masters that would soon be conducting the Duanwei examinations. The leader of the pack was a Master named Kang Ge Wu who made it perfectly clear to us that the Chinese martial arts no longer “belonged” the China but now belonged to the World! (Something he was to forget a day or two later!)
Everything went rather smoothly until the Duanwei panel of martial arts masters – all from Mainland China – decided that I was not suitable for such a high Duanwei rank testing. They considered me too young. I was not flattered but offended. In fact, insulted! I guess they figured that in order to qualify for the 7th Level I would have to be quite old in order to have achieved all the necessary criteria, but when you dedicate your life to the martial arts then the time factor ceases to be an issue – at least, in my case it does.
Another factor that was against me was that I did not know a Chinese weapons form and so for this reason also I did not qualify. Thoroughly disgusted (not insulted just disgusted and let down) I packed my bags and was just about to leave the entire event when Jane knocked on my door and said that the masters wished to meet with me – meet with me behind closed doors!
It was already 10pm. I went along with Jane and met with the panel consisting of five men and one woman – all kungfu masters from the Beijing and Shanghai areas of the Chinese Mainland. Master Zhu and Jane were also present.
During this meeting – actually, more like an interview – I was asked about my background and my teachers and my teaching experience. I then brought into the conversation the time I had spent living in China and learning the language, my two years in Hong Kong and my ongoing research into the Chinese culture as well as my findings and my discoveries whilst travelling the World meeting, training under and interviewing many senior martial arts masters. I also highlighted my countless articles, interviews, and other writings that I have had published worldwide by way of the international martial arts magazine circuit. We also discussed the Duanwei concept and the attempt to implement and maintain standards within Wushu (Chinese martial arts) via the Duanwei. As you can imagine this meeting went on for quite some time, the outcome of which was that they all felt that I was, after all, justified in attempting the 7th Level Duanwei. “Such a high grade is normally for “older persons” (meaning grey-haired professors draped in black cloaks strutting around with their thumbs hooked inside the cloaks.” My response was that I was merely going by the syllabus – a syllabus that they, themselves, had drawn up. The meeting was then drawn to a close. We would all meet again the following morning – the morning of the actual Duanwei exam.
To overcome the weapons problem it was agreed that Master Zhu Chang Hai (himself a Level 5 Duanwei holder) would teach me a Taijijian (Tai Chi sword) form that I would perform during my Duanwei test. This I picked up amazing fast and had it looking as if I had been practicing it for years (so Jane Zhu told me) however…
Minutes prior to the Duanwei examination Master Kang Ge Wu, the ‘Head’ of the Wushu masters panel, intercepted me on the way to the examination room. His face was all smiles and he was very friendly. “I am very sorry” he said to me. “You can only attempt for the 4th Level Duanwei. But do not worry. You are still very young. You can test for higher later on.” And give us money. That was the concluding unspoken and silent sentence which I heard most clearly. I played the game and thanked him for telling me. “Our own national (Wushu) champion is only 5th Level Duanwei”, he went on to say (as if a foreigner could not be graded above their own champion). And there was me thinking that Wushu did not belong to China but to the World. Yeah, right”. So perhaps part of all this was for them not to lose that all-important ‘face’ although, by pulling such a stunt as this, they had lost a lot of ‘face’. As it turned out I did get the 4th Level Duanwei grade.
Another man also wanted to try for 7th level. He was a Wingchun kungfu man and because he knew a weapons form and had produced some DVDs he was, actually, awarded the 5th Level. Politics, BS, and materialism…even the Chinese Wushu ‘cream’ have it! How sad. During this event the late Yip Mun (the man that had brought Wingchun from China into Hongkong and who later taught Bruce Lee) was awarded a posthumous Duanwei Grade 9.
I left the event with a 4th Level Duanwei…and the feeling that I knew more about real Chinese Wushu than these masters. The ‘feeling’ has since gone because it is now my humble opinion that I do know about Chinese Wushu more than they do. In my opinion they only understand the physical aspect – the tip of the iceberg and not the iceberg, itself.
It seems to me that grades within the martial arts are only designed for those that kick, punch, and shout. There does not appear to be any grade awarded to those that seriously study Chinese martial arts in-depth and dedicate their lives in pursuit of these arts. Grades, rank and belts do not exist for them because, in essence, they do not need them for they are far too busy living the life rather than looking for recognition and reward. For them, walking the path is reward enough and is beyond any kind of external appreciation. Grades, belts and rank are for followers not leaders – for those that wish to belong to something rather than for those that see no reason to belong to anything! True martial arts was designed to create leaders not followers.
It also seems to be the case that grades are designed for those that follow the martial path rather than create their own martial path and for those that train once a week and have six off as opposed to those that train six days a week and have just the one day off – if that!
Ultimately, then, rank, belts and grades are of no consequence and of no importance. Either you are a student or a master. There is nothing in between. This is the reality. Ego-free and iIlusion-fee reality. This is Zen and the martial arts is precisely this: Zen.
And so this article comes full circle as I conclude with the opening quote:
“If you do not deserve a black you should not have one,
and if you do deserve one then you do not need one”.
