The Path of the Chinese Arts to America
Many historians believe that the Chinese Martial Arts were first brought to the United Sates in the mid-1800’s. It is about this time in history that the U.S. began to open up trade with various sections of Asia including China. US trade representatives convinced many Chinese citizens to immigrate to the West Coast of the U.S. They lured the un-expecting Chinese to the U.S. with promises of a better life and unbelievable riches in a new land. Upon their arrival they were sold and used as slave labor to build the Trans-Continental Railroad. These Asian slaves who secretly practiced their martial arts, continued to do so along with their religious beliefs here in the US. The Chinese immigrants did this as a way to hold on to their culture and their traditions. They would not show or teach non-Asians their martial skill.
Around the time of WWII, U.S. military personnel became stationed in Okinawa and other islands of the Pacific. It is here where American service men were introduced to Asian martial arts styles such as Judo and Karate. At the end of the war, when these military personnel returned to the United States, they served as a large part in helping to introduce the Asian martial arts to other military personnel and the general public. The Chinese Arts continued to elude the view of the mainstream public until such pioneers such as Bruce Lee helped break the non-Chinese culture barrier and secretive tradition of the Chinese Arts in the early 1960’s.
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