Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 8:40:22 GMT
Mak, the designers who messed up the symbols simply don't know about Chinese philosophy. It would make sense with the correct yin-yang symbol that the Yang rises, being expansive in nature and the Yin descends, drawing inwards. With the bagua, they obviously don't understand what the meaning and significance of the trigrams are, and their relationship to each other is in the cycles of change, so they don't know understand the I Ching in that case... It all has its place in the world I imagine, without things done incorrectly, how can we know what is well made?  "Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other."
Tao Te Ching, chapter 2I just try to buy the decent stuff, there's so much to look out for to get something "right". Thanks for pointing these mistakes out! |
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Post by raf2 on Nov 17, 2012 10:24:33 GMT
Mak, don't let this guy get inside your OODA loop. :-)
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Uhlan
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Post by Uhlan on Nov 17, 2012 10:39:48 GMT
Hi Mak.
Yes, this really embarrassing in a lot of ways. Did you contact Hanwei about this? For a company that hypes their involvement with Tai Chi masters in designing their blades this is a major no-no. So, I would like to know Hanwei's reaction to this. Secondly, is there a way to repair this flaw? I was thinking about taking the symbol out and in- letting a ,,plaque'' with the right symbol? Maybe the man of Nine Dragons fame, Mr. Charles Wu has something to say about this? As any repairs will drive your costs up, maybe you should send the sword back? Furthermore, do not let people like this moronic Kumdoalan piss you off, that seems to be their purpose in live, they feed on your pissed off-ishness. Ignore them. I hope you will be able to turn this disappointment into a positive somehow. If you keep the sword, let's repair it if possible and turn it in the best Tai Chi sword ever made! Sod the flawed symbol and sod this Kumdoalan! Let's get to work on this thing!
Mr. raf2: I think you are the kind of person I can work with, excellent post!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 10:47:16 GMT
What's a "OODA loop"  :? |
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 17, 2012 11:25:09 GMT
Thank you all for your input!
Well i have not contact hanwei for this as I don't even think there is a need to teach people a free lesson anyway. It's just a blade not for me, that's all. I think this is better for me to express and explain it to those who are about tho buy the sword so they can keep this in mind and consider if they want a wrong tai chi diagram sword or not.
Based on the photos you can see from the internet, not even the tai chi diagram, but the whole sword is a mess with the designs on the fittings. Basically the pattern on the pommel, around the tai chi diagram and all the crap on the scabbard is all nothing but stupid scribbling that are really just seems like something but actually is nothing.. they just mean nothing and are random strokes to imitate the "cloud" pattern which is not right too. Tai Chi should not have "cloud" around it. Tai Chi is like talking about the way earth (planet) orbit around the sun, what the hell will there be cloud? The stuff around should be stares and gas, or even constellations!
There are 2 pieces on the handle (grip) that is just near the pommel and the guard (the small fittings that fit on the wooden handle) which have pattern that mean "prosperous" or "going on forever" which match the meaning of the tassel style. But then, if that is used, it means they want to mean something like peace to the world forever or something. That's the theme. Sure, if you want peace to the world, who bring that peace to the world?
As ancient design always use, they can change the engravings of the fittings and stuff to fit the theme.
First, the pommel should be turtle, the guard with tai chi diagram should have the dragon and tiger with head going upward and then the fittings on the scabbard should first have the phoenix on the opening, then the other 3 fittings can be fitted with 2 circular ones inscribed with the ancient character of 壽 which means "life span" for human but it can also mean for the nature. Then the last fitting on the end of the scabbard can be double dragon with head facing inward and meet up in the center with a pearl in the middle, forming a 雙龍搶珠 (double dragon race for the pearl) which means that a place or thing or person will be competitive to itself and keep on improving and growing or getting better all the time. This relate to a Chinese tale which is the original of this art design.
I know some tales are fake and BS but they already became the ART form of Chinese culture and if you wanna do an art, they are beautiful to look at and meaningful as well. Now this new design I put will fix the problem up, providing the right tai chi diagram.
If they REFUSE to change everything and still use the wrong tai chi logo, there is a cheapo way to change and fix the flaw too. With the wrong tai chi diagram, it means "evil tao" or "anti-nature"... okay, go cheap and put a lion biting a sword diagram on the pommel and then put 2 dragons surrounding the wrong tai chi diagram.
This will then mean you are anti the anti-nature (evil) tao... you are actually going to ATTACK it. meaning it's a sword for busting evils (exorcism) which now make sense and the blade should have a talisman inscribed or a word engraved like "斬妖降魔 meaning chop the "yiu" (spirit type) and tame the devil... or 剛魔護道 meaning tame the devil and protect the nature (or tao as in taoism). Which now make the whole sword have a theme that make sense.
Okay.. enough ranting.. I just wanna say that.. well, this is a shame to see Chinese can even get all these things wrong and all they care is money making,.. they can even put a wrong tai chi diagram, wrong bagwa, etc,.. I am speechless. The art of sword is not about the blade, or else we can all have plain swords with no fittings and design. This is a cultural art that involve many ancient science wisdom. All patterns have a meaning to it and if you research, you can find books that record all the meaning of these patterns which is very very cool. I have a few books here just about every patterns you can find in Chinese culture which all have a meaning behind them, like why they have a bat hanging down, the S shape looping pattern, what is that flower and circles around etc,.. it all have meaning. If you use it wrong, you are super doomed to be laughed at. Maybe I should get a photo up or something in the future to show a few examples. When you buy a piece of art, you want something done right.
Thank you for listening guys!
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Nov 17, 2012 11:33:11 GMT
Welcome to modern-day Earth. It makes me sad too, but all I can do is hope people can evolve past their selfishness someday, and focus on making the Utopian Earth Culture of Star Trek.
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 17, 2012 11:38:58 GMT
I don't mind if they make money, or make more money, but at least give people quality stuff with passion involved. Like artist who sell their artwork for a high price is not a problem as long they do things right and respect their buyers. Putting a "TAI CHI SWORD" with that theme out and not getting that stupid diagram right is just a disgrace to the culture and themselves. It shows the lack of knowledge to the sword smith, the company and even the buyer if they buy it and think that is a real tai chi diagram. sad....
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Nov 17, 2012 11:52:32 GMT
I'm with you on that. If I were a manufacturer, and I was going to label my sword with something cultural or traditional, I'd at least try to do enough research to get the symbolism right. It's just common courtesy to those who practice that culture.
It's like saying, "Buy our new Roman Zeus Gladius" and have an engraving of Odin on it in addition to the misnomer of "Roman Zeus."
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 17, 2012 11:54:30 GMT
So right! If that person know about Roman culture and art, they will really be pissed. For a Taoist master to see this happen to a TAI CHI SWORD, it's really sad too.I don't mind to see it happen to a cheapo $20-$50 range sword, cuz I know it's a choapo. But a $400 sword for a mistake? Sad.
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Nov 17, 2012 11:56:18 GMT
Or selling something as a "Union Army Cavalry Saber" and having the confederate army flag on it... :lol: Sorry... now your thread got me thinking of all the ways I can relate how they messed up on that Chinese sword, and related it to different cultures. Anyway, good luck on finding a better quality version of the sword you want, without mistakes. |
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 17, 2012 12:05:18 GMT
Hahahahaha... yeah if you put it in different culture, maybe you understand my sorrow abit more. I am a Taoist master and let me tell you this, Taoism is already screwed and messed up enough in China, it's totally demolished in China already. The crap that still exist for public is all crap and bullsempr!ni, especailly Quan Zhen Sect and Zhen Yi Sect. Now we can see the after effect of it.. a screwed up religion by the crooked politics, then lead to screwed up culture with these little things done wrong.
Tell you what, even the wu dang mountain draw their tai chi diagram wrong too and they call themselves a "TAOIST" in Quan Zhen Sect. No wonder I am always piss at their Taoism, they are really really really a virus in Taoism. BS crap sect from head to toe. I can only say their kungfu is good but Taoism is crap. Sadly to see.. most westerners just got fascinated by their martial art and then think their Taoism is the way to go too, thanks to novels and movies, sigh... BAD!
China is quite doomed. I am glad Cold Steel still did a good job on the jade lion which I am pleased with!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 12:23:28 GMT
You must admit the taoist magicians in the movies are cool though, like the ones in "A Chinese Ghost Story II", espcially the old guy who can control all those swords!  |
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 17, 2012 12:29:48 GMT
Hahahaha.. this is a movie that drawn one of my student now (a westerner) into Taoism searching!!!! He came to me and said, "I always want to find a true Taoism sect and none I found out there fit this requirement, now I found what I want because you make sense!" Funny enough, he was fascinated by the movie but also pissed at what the movie inspired him to think about. Did you realize the taoist master in the movie "Yin Chek Ha" is using a BUDDHIST SPELL "po ye po lo mi" in the fighting scene to "shoot out his magic"? Dang! How hard is it to get a real Taoist spell from a book?! Again, BS flooded the Chinese culture and it's a sad thing.. my student know this and so when he come to me and saw I am PURE TAOISM and AGAINST all Buddhism-blended Taoist crap, he know he found his paradise. LOL! This is the student, maybe you will know him too if you like jewelry, he is quite a famous Jewelry artist! www.chiinnature.com/studentprofile_Tinchuen.html |
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Post by K. Vander Linde on Nov 17, 2012 14:10:42 GMT
Wow, still reading this. 2 more things poped in my head.
1) I'm shure a good majority of people know of MLR's Ulfberht sword. A guy that works as a viking renactor had purchased one and had a custome one with the same inlay made, and he went into the history of the sword and why they were so awsome during his presentation. When he was done I aproched him and told him the wording on his sword was that of the fake type of Ulfberhts. Needless to say he was upset.
2) Unfortunatly, the film culture has damaged every sword culture. It leads people to the wrong conclusions about everything. Examples, western swords are heavy and can't cut good, katana are the best sword in the world, Chinese swords are flimsy and light. All of this stuff pisses diehards off. An of course are not true.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 15:13:17 GMT
Mak, that's funny, so the Daoist master in the movie is using a Buddhist spell! That's the movies for you! K. Vander Linde, I've been watching kung-fu films all my life, you mean Chinese people can't really jump from roof top to rooftop, jump from the ground to the top of a tree in a single leap, or fly? I'm disappointed! :lol: |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2012 15:24:06 GMT
You guys might like this film, "Seven Swords", really cool Chinese swords, sure it's fantasy, but these swords are not shown as being light or flimsy, that's for sure!
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Nov 17, 2012 15:28:16 GMT
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyd_ ... strategist) Observe, Orient, Decide, Act For someone to get inside your OODA loop is for that person to interfere with your decision making process and gain control of your actions.
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Post by K. Vander Linde on Nov 17, 2012 16:24:27 GMT
:lol:
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Kuya
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Post by Kuya on Nov 17, 2012 16:46:39 GMT
I think Cold Steel Asian style blades are made by Huanuo Sword Art in China.
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Post by Nox on Nov 17, 2012 18:59:12 GMT
I once had an "antique" (knock off) chinese sword that had a string of chinese writings engraved on the blade, now I can't read any chinese, but my uncle studies chinese martial arts and reads chinese and when he read it he said it was basically gibberish that didn't mean anything, not to mention there was both buddhist and taoist symbols on it, pretty sure those don't mix. Now I don't buy swords with anything engraved on the steel and prefer to have plain fittings over ornate. That being said I do love chinese fantasy stuff, but I can see how some of it can offend those who really know the symbols, language and culture.
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