With Taekwondo finally qualifying as an official Olympics game in 2000, Taiwan has already upset Korean and China in this game by snapping two gold and one silver medals in Athens 2004. Taekwondon’s been one of Korean traditional martial arts as well as a national game, first introduced to Taiwan in 1967. It was initially practiced solely in the army. (http://www.taekwondo.org.tw/) Over the time, Taekwondo's become popular among the youth and Taiwan has produced numerous outstanding Taekwondo practitioners. For decades, China’s been trying to exclude and isolate Taiwan from international games. As a result of the political status of Taiwan, the Republic of China (ROC) competed as Chinese Taipei at the 2004 Summer Olympics. However, the victory brought by Chen Shih Hsin and Chu Mu Yen, the gold medal owners, not only has proved their skills but also brought Taiwan to the spotlight in an international stage.
Brief History of Taekwondo
Tae-kwon-do literally means “fist, feet and way”. "Tae" means "foot," "leg," or "to step on"; "Kwon" means "fist," or "fight"; and "Do" means the "way" or "discipline.”Most people might associate Taekkwondo with violence because of Hollywood movies, it is actually “a right way of using all parts of the body to stop fights and help to build a better and more peaceful world." (http://www.wtf.org/) The historical background of Taekwondo development can be traced back to 5000 years ago. In the early days of the Korean peninsula, there were three tribes, enjoying warrior's martial art contests. It is believed that this was exactly the true grounding of today's Taekwondo, A known martial art book of the days, called "Muyedobo-Tongji" wrote "Taekwondo is the basis of martial art, enabling one to build strength by using the hand and foot freely and training arms and legs as well as the body to adaptable to any critical situations," Thus, it can be easily assumed that Taekwondo was originated from the days of tribal communities on the Korean peninsula. In Korea, Taekwondo began as a defense martial art and in the course of its evolution; it has developed similar features to the ones in other Oriental countries surrounding Korea, like Japan and China. However, Taekwondo has gained its fame for its employment of kicking techniques, which distinguish itself from the other martial arts.
Facts:
In WTF Taekwondo there are 10 Geups, starting from the 10th Geup (white belt) and ends with the 1st Geup (red-black belt). The term "Geup" means degree. The term "Dan" means phase. There are 9 Dan degrees, starting with the first and ending with the 9th. All Dan-degrees are represented by a black belt. (http://www.barrel.net/belts-exams.php) Exams usually involve forms, foot skills, sparring and the breaking of boards according to the degrees.
Taiwan or Chinese Taipei
When Taekwondo was first introduced to Taiwan in 1967, nobody would have expected that Chinese Taipei (Republic of China or Taiwan) would have won itself two gold medals in the 2004 Olympic game. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and declared as the legitimate government, Republic of China, which was recognized by the United Nations until 1971. Republic of China was kicked out of UN with the passage of Resolution 2758, which restored "the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China -- as the only legitimate representatives of China" despite that ROC was one of the founding members of UN. (http://www.taiwandc.org/un-2001.htm) Because the PRC claims sovereignty over Taiwan, the ROC's diplomatic recognition has suffered since the 1970s as a result of the One-China policy. Most states switched their recognition from the ROC to the PRC because of diplomatic maneuvers by the larger and more economically-significant PRC. Currently, the ROC is officially recognized by 25 states, though it maintains unofficial relations with most major powers. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China) Nevertheless, the triumph from the game unquestionably brought instant recognition to Taiwan as well as boosted the morale for people living in Taiwan.
Taekwondo in Taiwan
Taekwondo was first practiced as part of the army training. Three years after it was introduced to Taiwan, Taekwondo private schools were set up one after another by both Taiwanese and Korean instructors to cater to the growing demand. With government’s promoting, “Strong Body, Strong Nation”, Taekwondo has slowly reached every corner of Taiwan. Taekwondo’s been included in the club activities from elementary schools to Universities. It’s also listed as a required course in the department of physical education. In addition, Martial arts have been widely applied in lots of Hollywood movies, such as Matrix, Kill Bill and of course, Jackie Chan’s movies. And if you have seen one of James Bond’s series, Tomorrow Never Dies, you must have been impressed how fast and high Michelle Yang kicked. “More and more people are taking up this sport because Taekwondo offers work opportunity,” says Monica, possesses a four Dan certificate. She’s been coaching Taekwondo at various Elementary Schools for 2 years. She hopes that her students can join the Olympics in the future. “I don't know much about politics, but I do know that I was really touched to hear the National Banner Song played at the Olympics awards ceremonies,”says Monica. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Taipei_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics)
The Philosephy of Taekwondo
The philosophy of Taekwondo can be explained in three principles, “Sam Jae" [Three Elements], "Eum" [the Negative or Darkness] and "Yang" [the Positive or the Brightness]. "Sam Jae" refers to "Cheon" [the Heaven], "Ji" [the Earth], and "In" [the Man] and the principles concerning them. Hongik-Ingan" means universal welfare of mankind. It clearly means to suppress fighting and induce peace. (http://www.wtf.org/) In light of the principles, thousands of Taekwondo practitioners shouldn't be dismayed by whether it is Chinese Taipei or Taiwa while attending international games. It is a sport to promote peace after all and most importantly, we want to have fun not war.
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