Speakers
Description
Transcultural communication of Chinese martial arts inevitably encounters the interpretation of "qi"(energy/l’énergie) which is extremely complex and associated with physical practices. However, the relationship between conceptual translation of "qi" and embodied practices remains to be analysed. The study explores the traveling concept of "qi" as mediated by bodily practices in Meihuazhuang practice in France through interviews and participatory observations. The transcultural communicators first drew on established French translations, thus creating a cultural interface towards French practitioners. The shaping of the form based on the initial contact concept is the next step which places emphasis on learning, adjusting and correcting the body movement, while not neglecting the requirement to find inner feelings. Thirdly, the body is transformed into a context for understanding "qi" when French practitioners are guided to perform body movements and achieve postural accuracy and fluency, allowing them to understand, experience and accept a set of concepts concerning human body (dantian, jingluo, qixue, etc) and a sense of "qi". Finally, the perception of "qi" contributes to understand the usage and connotation of movements more accurately and a better physical experience; "qi" is interpreted with the help of their experience under the French context and applied to their physical practice and cultural communication. In conclusion, the concept of "qi" in transcultural communication is the result of a mixture of initial concepts, bodily practices and contextual information, rather than being static. The result may shed some light on the transcultural communication practices of Chinese martial arts.
