Campus Digest

Financial Secretary John Tsang speaks on spirit of martial arts at HKBU Symposium

23 Sep 2016

Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies organised a Symposium on Traditional Chinese Martial Arts and Modern Society on 21 September at which Mr John Tsang, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, shared his experience and views on learning Chinese martial arts. 

In his address, Mr Tsang made reference to the profound, long standing and well-established tradition of Chinese martial arts. He said that there are many denominations of martial arts, each with its own uniqueness based on the regional culture, custom and religion in which it developed. These were then integrated into a flourishing mechanism, which is a crucial essence of Chinese traditional culture.    　 

Mr Tsang recalled that he had first learned about Chinese martial arts when he was young, and this experience enabled him to experience Chinese culture, build inner and bodily strength as well as develop more patience. He also came to appreciate the importance of being humble as “there are always people better than you”. He said this lesson proved to be beneficial to how he viewed life.

The Symposium, with an aim of demonstrating that the traditional fighting styles can be a fashionable and relevant activity in present-day Hong Kong, explored the development of Chinese martial arts from different perspectives, including the Chinese martial arts scene in Hong Kong; the new image of traditional martial arts; analysis of traditional martial arts from the viewpoint of modern sports science; and exploring the theory and techniques of tai chi.