Master, I want to learn Kungfu !! – immortal dialogue from a famous movie that ran for many days in 1980s !!
Kung. Fu. Master. – the words sum up ideas of limitless willpower, intense discipline, and superhuman self-control. At least if we believe what we see in the movies. Kungfu is not all about flying in air and attacking enemies - "In stillness, one finds the answers. In movement, one finds the path." In general, kung fu refers to the Chinese martial arts also called quanfa.
In a remote mountain village in Ming China, Gu Sheng-zhai is a well-meaning but unambitious scholar and painter, with a tendency towards being clumsy and ineffectual. A stranger, Ouyang Nian, arrives in town and agrees to his portrait painted by Gu, but his real objective is to bring a female fugitive back to the city for execution on behalf of the East Chamber guards.
That was the storyline of a famous 1971 movie – ‘A Touch of Zen’ co-edited and directed by King Hu, based on a classic Chinese story "Xianü" in the book Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling. The film is set in the Ming dynasty under the dominance of eunuchs and explores a variety of themes including the transcendence of dichotomies, Zen Buddhism, feminism, conservative female roles, and the ghost story. The film ends with the injured Yang staggering toward a silhouetted figure, presumably Abbot Hui, seen meditating with the setting sun forming a halo around his head, an image suggesting the Buddha and enlightenment.
This monkey exhibited its Kungfu prowess as it jumped from one vehicle to another. Well, if Master Body Soda came to your mind, you are a true Tamil cinema fan !!
Regards – S Sampathkumar
13.2.2025
