The Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), led by Chairman Mao Zedong 毛澤東, aimed to purge ‘old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas’ – collectively known as the ‘Four Olds’ 四舊. This era of socio-political upheaval marked one of the most intense periods of cultural destruction in modern Chinese history. Mao Zedong 毛澤東 envisioned a radical restructuring of society that would eliminate feudal and capitalist influences, but his campaign resulted in widespread violence, suppression, and a near-erasure of China’s cultural and spiritual heritage. This essay explores the specific impact of the Cultural Revolution on the arts, religious practices, and martial arts traditions in China, drawing from both Chinese and Western sources to present a balanced perspective.
The Destruction of Arts and Cultural Heritage
The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) unleashed a fervent wave of destruction upon traditional Chinese art forms. Visual arts, literature, and historical artifacts were often the first targets, deemed ‘bourgeois’ and ‘feudal’ by the Red Guards, a youth paramilitary movement supported by the Communist Party. Historical monuments and ancient relics were demolished in their quest to uproot cultural elements that they felt glorified past dynasties or contradicted communist ideals.
One notable instance was the destruction of the Confucius Temple 孔廟 in Qufu 曲阜, the ancestral home of Confucius 孔丘. In 1966, Red Guards invaded Qufu 曲阜, vandalising the temple, smashing its historical tablets, and defacing statues. Similar fates befell Buddhist, Daoist, and other culturally significant sites, resulting in the destruction of invaluable relics, manuscripts, and architecture dating back thousands of years.
Chinese artist and scholar Wang Guangyi 王廣義 observed that during this period, ‘art was not merely for politics – it was politics’ (Wang, 2006). Art was transformed into propaganda, as traditional subjects and methods were banned in favour of socialist realism that glorified Mao Zedong’s 毛澤東 ideals. Many artists and intellectuals were sent to re-education camps, subjected to brutal conditions and political indoctrination. As noted by historian Julia Lovell, the Cultural Revolution ‘forced creative figures to abandon their identities in favour of becoming foot soldiers for Maoist ideology’ (Lovell, 2019).
The Assault on Religion and Spirituality
Religious beliefs and practices were a primary target of the Cultural Revolution. Maoist ideology demanded the eradication of ‘superstitions’ and ‘reactionary thought,’ effectively outlawing any form of religious expression. Temples were defaced, scriptures destroyed, and religious leaders imprisoned. Atheism became the official stance, with religious followers often publicly humiliated and coerced into renouncing their beliefs. Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, which had shaped Chinese spiritual and ethical traditions for centuries, were especially targeted.
Despite the intensity of the persecution, pockets of religious resilience persisted. In their detailed analysis, Chinese historians Chen Xiaojian 陳曉健 and Chen Ming 陳明, citing interviews with survivors, documented how certain Buddhist monks covertly preserved scriptures and conducted rituals under extreme secrecy. ‘The faith of those involved was severely tested,’ they wrote, ‘but they persisted to preserve a fragment of their spirituality’ (Chen & Chen, 2007).
Martial Arts in the Cultural Revolution: Suppression and Survival
Chinese martial arts, deeply entwined with the country’s philosophical and spiritual traditions, were equally impacted. The Cultural Revolution saw martial arts labelled as ‘counter-revolutionary,’ primarily due to their association with ancient philosophies like Daoism and Buddhism, which were viewed as antithetical to communist ideology. Martial arts practitioners, especially those associated with traditional lineages, faced scrutiny, and many were forced to cease their practices.
Western sinologist and martial arts expert Ben Judkins notes that ‘martial arts schools were dismantled, teachers were harassed or forced into hiding, and training spaces were often repurposed or destroyed’ (Judkins, 2013). Public demonstrations of traditional martial arts became rare, and some styles, particularly those closely tied to religious or philosophical sects, risked extinction.
Nevertheless, a few masters managed to safeguard their arts by adapting them to conform with communist values. Notably, the government allowed the practice of wushu 武術, a sportified version of martial arts that was stripped of its philosophical depth and presented as an exercise program for health and discipline rather than a traditional art. Wushu 武術 was officially recognised by the government and standardised, contrasting sharply with the historic forms of martial arts that prioritised self-cultivation, self-defence, and spiritual discipline.
Some masters, like the renowned Tai Chi Chuan 太極拳 instructor Chen Fake 陳發科, courtesy name Chen Fusheng 福生, continued teaching under the guise of promoting physical fitness, aligning their teachings with state-sanctioned values (Wu, 2012). These adaptations preserved the physical techniques but, according to traditionalist voices, stripped the arts of their essence. Western historian Stanley Henning critiques this dilution, remarking that ‘what was preserved was a shell, with much of the philosophical substance forcibly removed’ (Henning, 2010).
Legacy and Reflection
The Cultural Revolution’s destruction of China’s arts, religious practices, and martial arts marked a tragic era of cultural erasure. The fervour to create a ‘new China’ came at the cost of priceless cultural heritage. While much of the damage is irreparable, the perseverance of individual practitioners and scholars – both within China and in the diaspora – has allowed fragments of these traditions to survive. (Warrior Heart 戰士心 is one such lineage that survived, as the entire lineage had left China long before that time).
Recent decades have seen efforts to revive and restore what was lost. However, the scars left by the Cultural Revolution remain visible in both the fragmented continuity of Chinese traditions and the scars of trauma on practitioners who endured those times. China’s cultural heritage continues to evolve, marked by resilience as well as a deep-seated awareness of the losses suffered during this turbulent decade.
In summary, the Cultural Revolution’s assault on China’s arts, religion, and martial traditions reflects both the vulnerability and endurance of cultural identity under political duress. For Chinese arts and martial traditions, the struggle for preservation continues to this day, bolstered by a global resurgence of interest and respect for these enduring legacies.
Authors Notes:
- Through our experience, we have witnessed the profound difference between two martial cultures: the diminished martial arts within China and the remnants of complete systems preserved outside China during the Cultural Revolution. Both have suffered, though for different reasons, and both now face terminal decline. To recover these traditions, we need an approach that is both academic and practical, fostering the rebuilding of respect, tradition, and high-level skills. Furthermore, Chinese martial arts need the rigorous academic study that has been denied them for millennia.
- In the late 1980s, it was a widely accepted reality, and our personal experience, that authentic, effective Chinese martial arts had all but vanished within China. Yet, through remarkable perseverance, the Chinese have begun an extraordinary revival. Today, we witness a dynamic rebuilding process, with many once-forgotten skills re-emerging against all odds.
References
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Xiaojian Chen and Ming Chen, Voices from the Forbidden Path: Oral Histories of Religion during the Cultural Revolution (Beijing: Renmin University Press, 2007).
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Stanley E. Henning, ‘Traditional Martial Arts and Communist Ideology in the Cultural Revolution’, Cambridge Journal of Chinese Studies, 45.3 (2010), 213–34.
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Ben Judkins, ‘The Martial Arts of the Cultural Revolution: Suppression and Survival’, Journal of Asian Martial Arts, 22.1 (2013), 95–112.
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Julia Lovell, Maoism: A Global History (London: The Bodley Head, 2019).
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Guangyi Wang, ‘Art as Politics: The Cultural Revolution and Its Legacy’, Contemporary Chinese Art Review, 12.4 (2006), 47–53.
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Xia Wu, Tai Chi Chuan: Resistance and Survival during the Cultural Revolution (Shanghai: East China Normal University Press, 2012).
