Kung phooey
A fist-fight in China turns into a clash between tradition and modernity
Why the government got scared
散打斗太极
1）MOST lovers of Chinese martial arts take the magical aspects of kung fu, as demonstrated by the flying fighters of legend and film, with a pinch of salt. But Wei Lei built his career in China on a claim that his mastery of tai chi, a branch of kung fu, had given him supernatural power. In a programme about kung fu that was broadcast on state television in 2015, Mr Wei demonstrated that he could keep a dove standing on his hand with an invisible force-field and smash the inside of a watermelon without damaging its rind. The broadcaster itself appeared to be among the credulous.
1）中国武术的大多数爱好者并不完全相信功夫的神奇方面，如传说和电影中出现的飞行武士。但是，魏雷声称太极拳（功夫的一个分支）给了他超自然的力量，以此在中国开启了自己的职业生涯。2015年在中央电视台播出的关于功夫的节目中，魏先生表示，他可以用一个看不见的力场让鸽子一直站在他的手上，并能不破坏西瓜皮而打碎里面。该传媒机构本身似乎容易上当。
2）There were many sceptics, too. Earlier this year one of them stepped forward to challenge Mr Wei: Xu Xiaodong, a practitioner of mixed martial arts—a fighting form drawing on Eastern and Western traditions that began to take off in America in the 1990s (and is picking up fans in China). Mr Xu mocked tai chi as a slow-motion form of aerobics. Last month the two men decided to settle their argument in hand-to-hand combat. The fight on April 27th was quick and decisive. Just 12 seconds in, Mr Wei ended up on the ground, his nose bleeding.
2）也有许多怀疑论者。今年早些时候，他们中的一人站出来挑战魏先生：混合格斗的练习者徐晓冬，此种格斗形式吸收了东西方传统于1990年代在美国开始流行（并正在中国吸引粉丝） 。徐先生嘲笑太极是一种慢动作形式的健美操。上个月，这两名男子决定用肉搏战解决争执。 4月27日的战斗是快速果断的。只在12秒钟内，魏先生最终倒在地上，鼻子流血。
3）A video of the clash spread rapidly online. Some commentators in China sided with Mr Xu, and urged him to expose other kung fu “masters”. Mr Xu promised to do so. His aim, he said, was not to disparage Chinese martial arts, but to expose deceitful practitioners.
3）打斗的视频在网上疯传。中国的一些评论家支持徐先生，并敦促他揭露其他功夫“大师”。徐先生答应这样做。他说，他的目标不是贬低中国的武术，而是要暴露欺骗的从业人员。
4）But many netizens accused Mr Xu of trying to besmirch the country’s ancient fighting techniques: how, they asked, could a single fight prove anything? Ye Yincong of Lingnan University in Hong Kong wrote that the reaction demonstrated a common tendency in China to view the world in terms of a struggle between Chinese tradition and Western influence.
4）但是很多网友指责徐先生试图污蔑这个国家古老的格斗技巧：他们问，单打一场能够证明什么呢？香港岭南大学叶仁聪写道，这种反应呈现出中国普遍的趋势：把世界看作中国传统与西方影响力的斗争。
5）Some kung-fu fighters have expressed willingness to take up Mr Xu’s challenge. But faced with a barrage of hate messages, Mr Xu appears to have lost his zeal. On May 4th he appeared in a live video-stream, looking stressed. “I have lost my career and everything,” he said, implying the pressure had been affecting his work as a mixed-martial-arts coach.
5）一些功夫斗士表示愿意接受徐先生的挑战。但是面对连珠炮似的仇恨的消息，徐先生似乎失去了热情。 5月4日，他出现在一个直播中，看起来很紧张。 “我已经失去了我的职业生涯和一切，”他说，暗示压力已经影响了他作为混合格斗教练的工作。
6） On May 7th Mr Xu’s Weibo account was deleted, as was some of the online reporting and commentary about his fight with Mr Wei. Mr Xu told the BBC that he would keep quiet from now on, and study traditional Chinese martial arts.
6） 5月7日徐先生的微博帐号被删除，有关他与魏先生的战斗的网络报道和评论也是如此。徐先生告诉英国广播公司，他现在将保持安静，学习中国传统武术。
原文出处：经济学人
翻译：七呵夫
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