Everybody loves kung fu fighting with China these days, it seems
- Yonden Lhatoo is intrigued by the martial arts motif that keeps surfacing at every political battlefront for China, whether it involves Hong Kong, India or America
Has anyone noticed the recurring martial arts theme when it comes to China versus the world these days?
First we have the whole fallout over “kung flu”, a racial slur against Chinese people – and Asians by extension – that US President Donald Trump has legitimised as America vents its frustrations over becoming the Covid-19 basket case of the world.
While the coronavirus crisis has seen a surge in hate crimes against Asian-Americans, Trump and his cohorts have no qualms about race-baiting to blame China for the scourge of our times. And this particular schoolyard taunt resonates with humour at a primal level of pathological xenophobia.
On another battlefront, you may be seeing some real kung fu fighting at China’s disputed Himalayan border with India. Following the deadly mass brawl between Chinese and Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley last month, Beijing has incorporated a squad of mixed martial arts fighters into the ranks of its border militia, according to state media.
The interestingly named Plateau Resistance Tibetan Mastiffs, based in Lhasa, are tasked with training Chinese border-patrol troops and special forces in hand-to-hand combat.
Not to be outdone, India’s military has sent its Ghatak or “killer” commandos, who also specialise in martial arts, to the border region, according to subcontinental media reports. Never mind the derogatory jokes about Indian yoga versus Chinese kung fu – India has a rich history of martial arts, too, and legend has it that the great 5th century Buddhist monk Bodhidharma taught hand-to-hand combat techniques at the Shaolin Monastery.
On the entertainment battlefront, Beijing’s critics in South Korea are still having conniptions over Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei’s open support for Hong Kong police in their crackdown on anti-government protest violence last year. They continue to boycott and protest against Liu, who plays Mulan in Disney’s live-action remake of the tale of the martial arts heroine of Chinese folklore.
Hong Kong’s own celebrated kung fu movie star Donnie Yen appears to have alienated a substantial proportion of his home fan base for expressing his patriotic sentiments online. He posted a message on his official Facebook page on July 1 to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule, along with a video of himself playing the piano for President Xi Jinping back in 2017.
Those who feel he has betrayed the “revolution” they are fighting against Beijing’s tightening grip over Hong Kong are particularly upset that he was insensitive to their emotions on the day that the central government imposed a pretty draconian new national security law upon the city.
Speaking of martial arts heroes who are still alive and kicking, I can’t help wondering what it would be like if nations such as the US and China could settle political scores by pitting their respective kung fu champions against each other, winner takes all.
We have the likes of Yen and Jackie Chan to fight for China, but they would not stand a chance if the US were to bring out the human nuclear weapon who goes by the name of Chuck Norris. Sure, he may be 80, but this is Chuck Norris we’re talking about – he doesn’t age, every birthday is just another year added to his existence.
Somebody sent me a WhatsApp-forwarded message just the other day reporting that the great martial artist and actor had died of Covid-19. I dismissed it instantly as fake news and was right to do so, as the internet later told me that Norris had indeed tested positive for the disease, but they had to quarantine the coronavirus instead.
Of all the Norris memes online, the best in a long time has to be the one showing a white goat cutting a path through a gauntlet of crocodiles along a river bank. The caption says it all: “Chuck’s goat”.
Yonden Lhatoo is the chief news editor at the Post
