archery from a chariot that set him apart from the commoners on the
battlefield. Third, I emphasized the significance of martial dances. Martial
dances were not just physical training but also emotional, mental, and
spiritual training as well. They served to legitimize certain groups by
creating lineages of practice, or physical histories, through the regular
repetition of orthodox martial arts patterns. All of these three aspects of
martial arts were present from the earliest times and have persisted in one
form or another until today.
Another characteristic of martial arts, even at this early stage, is con-
servatism in skills. This conservatism is not surprising. The archaeological
and historical record argues extremely consistently that martial arts are a
conservative practice. Dagger-axes were ubiquitous from the Stone Age
until the Warring States period. Chariots came into use for practical
reasons and then continued in use some time after they had been rendered
obsolete. Even as they faded from martial practice, chariots continued to
be used in literary expressions throughout imperial Chinese history (an
unsurprising linguistic or cultural conservatism). This conservatism is not
particularly characteristic of Chinese martial practice; it is inherent in all
martial arts, on and off the battlefield. Martial arts is a taught practice, and
when the legitimacy of a skill is based upon its proven, rather than
proposed, efficacy, the past is the best guide to what works. At the same
time, any new weapon had to become widespread enough, and someone
had tofigure out how to exploit its qualities in battle, before it could
challenge the established matrix of weapons and martial arts.
Martial arts did change from this early practice, while retaining the
general characteristics outlined earlier. The dagger-axe and the chariot
disappeared, the sword and spear came into use, and cavalry took the
field. Even as the weaponry and skills changed, however, their meaning
within Chinese culture still retained a memory of their past. As we will see
in thenext chapter, the association of chariot driving and archery with the
upper class would create a long-lasting connection between these partic-
ular skills and noble character. The teachings of such foundational
thinkers as Confucius, who was of the knightly class and looked back to
earlier times as a golden age, would permanently legitimize archery as an
ennobling practice. These thinkers would place an enduring stamp on the
Chinese understanding of martial arts as they used examples of martial
skills to explain moral concepts to other members of the knightly class,
while at the same time arguing that moral development was more impressive
and important than martial skills.
Conclusion 31