Advertisement
The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

Everybody loves Kung Fu history

With the release of “Kung Fu Panda 2” this weekend, The DePaulia takes a look back at the history of this ancient martial art, leading all the way up to the movie.

509 BC: In a conversation with Chinese duke, Ding of Lu, Confucius advises that besides being versed in literary arts, people should be well-acquainted with martial arts as well. Thus, the earliest form of Kung Fu was born.

610 AD: Kung Fu and other forms of martial arts make their way into Shaolin monasteries, as a way of self-defense from the outside world.

900: We jump forward a ways in time, to when Kung Fu was used as a way to fight foreign invaders who we’re attempting to take over Christian monasteries. Around this period, many of the different styles of Kung Fu that are still commonly known today started to pop up, including Eagle Claw, Praying Mantis, White Crane, and Monkey.

1949: With the end of the Chinese Civil War, many martial artists decided to go abroad rather than stay under the regime of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). And so, Kung Fu began to spread to other parts of the world.

1958: The Chinese government starts to become more stringent on martial arts, regulating and largely suppressing them till the 1970s.

1966: Bruce Lee comes to the U.S. and assumes the role of Kato on the T.V. show “The Green Hornet,” exposing many Americans to Kung Fu for the first time. Up until this point, most Americans had just called martial arts Chinese Boxing.

1972: The television show “Kung Fu” premieres, furthering Americans interest in martial arts.

1973: After becoming a movie star and helping many Americans fall in love with Kung Fu, Bruce Lee dies at 32, of hypersensitivity to a muscle relaxant. Because of the strange circumstances surrounding Lee’s death, many continue to believe in elaborate conspiracy theories, including curses put on his family (which would in some people’s opinion also explain the death of his son, Brandon Lee, who died at only 28,) and murder plots against him by the Triads, for marrying a white woman and teaching Americans Kung Fu.

1978: Jackie Chan’s “Drunken Master” is released. It becomes his first mainstream hit, and he stays a major star in Kung Fu films and other movies for years to come.

1999: The Wachowski siblings release “The Matrix,” a hyper-action/sci-fi film that uses many martial arts, including Kung Fu (this is of course evidenced by the line, “I know Kung Fu.”)

2008: The original “Kung Fu Panda,” starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, and many more (including Jackie Chan) arrives to great reviews and a successful gross at the box office. The film also gets nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

2011: And finally, we get to “Kung Fu Panda 2.” The entire original cast is back in this one, as our loveable hero Po (Jack Black) prepares to take on an evil Peacock named Lord Shen, played by (who else?) Gary Oldman. Basically, if you liked the first one, you’ll like this one. It’s just as much, if not more action, laughs, and sweetness. Of course it’s in 3D, which doesn’t add a lot here, although it doesn’t take away from the film either. Ultimately, the real strength of “Kung Fu Panda 2” lies in the film’s artistic uses of animation (some sequences are actually hand-drawn! Hand-drawn!) and in the depth of exploration it gives its characters. He may only be a cartoon Panda, but Po is a great protagonist. His journey in this film is at once touching, heart-wrenching, and completely fun, and it ultimately, makes “Kung Fu Panda 2” one of Dreamworks Animation’s very best.

More to Discover