When the Fists of Righteous Fury (義和團), or Boxers, rose up to kill the foreign devils and overthrow the Qing Dynasty of late 19th century China, they did so believing they had magical powers and were impervious to bullets.
It seems a silly thing to believe, but a visit to the Taiwan Martial Arts Festival, running through the end of the month at the Taipei Youth Activity Center, lends it currency.
The festival is scattered across several floors of the youth center, but the best of it is found in the various performances being held in the third floor auditorium. This past week, the venue hosted martial arts troupes from both Taiwan and China.
These were not the martial arts that fly across the screen of Hong Kong films, but troupes of acrobats and daredevils whose artistry included an ability to walk atop balls and lay atop spears. Traditional lion dancing, you learn from the festival's exhibits and performances, is as steeped in martial arts as fighting itself.
The Chinese troupe that performed this past week had teams of two-man lions who, balancing on giant balls, could walk across a teeter-totter. Impressive enough, but when the lion costume came off the real show began.
The troupe consisted of a young man who could flip incredible heights, a woman who could mysteriously change masks while dancing, and several men who proved their mettle against the sharpness of swords and spears.
Like the Boxers, these men seemingly felt no pain. One could bend swords against his throat. Another had bricks smashed over his head. Another balanced himself on the sharp end of a spear while three others held him aloft. Were they impervious to bullets? Likely not, but they nearly had the audience believing as much.
If the performances sharpens your interest in martial skills, you can take a look at the tools of the trade in the festival's fifth floor exhibit. Here you'll find row after row of traditional swords and spears. The exhibit's curator, Wang Hung-lung (王宏隆), is full of gory facts on how each instrument is used.
"With this one," he says of a long, curved ax, "you slash your enemy with the first swipe, then take his head off coming back." Also on display is a device for locking up prisoners and several other devices used later cut them in half.
"We have more traditional weapons on display here than you'll find at the National Palace Museum," Wang said. The weapons aren't limited to those used by Han Chinese, but include knives and spears from Taiwan's several Aboriginal tribes. At another display, you learn how a Hakka farmer could use a rake for a lot more than turning soil. Books and martial arts manuals fill another display.
The exhibit finishes with a display of dozens of the heads used in traditional lion dances. With a few exceptions, each of the heads are from Taiwanese performance troupes and often date back several decades.
Unfortunately, neither the lion heads nor weapons on display are accompanied by written information describing their use or history, and what little information that is provided is all in Chinese.
Performance notes:
At a glance:
What: Taiwan Martial Arts Festival
Where: Entrance to the exhibition and to most performance activities is NT$150, payable at the door, at The Taipei Youth Activity Center (
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