The Ming and Qing dynasties

The Ming and Qing dynasties marked a golden age of Chinese martial arts, widely practised by civilians for self-defence or as a hobby. Street martial arts shows were performed by martial artists during market days and festivals. Wrestling and hand-to-hand combat remained a popular form of entertainment in the army. The newly popular vernacular novels and operas served the construction of a martial arts culture. In the meantime, facilitated by warfare and benefiting from the voluntary recruitment military system, an increasing number of military texts and manuals were composed by military commanders and experts to standardise martial arts techniques and training. Various schools, sects and styles of martial arts had taken shape by the 17th and 18th centuries. As part of traditional culture, religion, philosophy and sport, Chinese martial arts is one of the shared values of the people, and seen as symbolic of the nation. Thus, in the early 19th century, Chinese martial arts came to be associated with politics, nationalism and national identity as the country was dragged into political unrest and economic hardship caused by domestic rebellions and Western incursion.