Community leaders in Taiwan’s Yunlin County are working to preserve Xiluo Qikan, a style of martial art that originated in the region.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00In southern Taiwan, a community re-learns part of their history, a traditional form
00:07of martial arts called shi-lo chi-kan. Once a necessary skill for defense against bandits
00:13and other threats, local organizations are hoping to re-spark interest and keep the tradition
00:19alive by integrating its movements into events and exercise classes.
00:24Whether it's elders or children, it's not easy, but it's not difficult. It's easy to learn.
00:33The martial art is unique to Yunlin County,
00:36documented throughout the community's history, and now passed on through children's books.
00:42It's a little hard to collect the history, because there's not a lot of information about it.
00:47In the future, community leaders are hopeful the martial art will spread,
00:59bringing movement and exercises to other regions, and even be recognized at the national level.
01:18The amount of people learning shi-lo chi-kan is dwindling,
01:25and its skills may no longer be necessary for self-defense.
01:29But community leaders say they're worth maintaining,
01:32for the benefit of the country's health and culture.
01:35Alex Chen and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.