A documentary entitled “Die Kämpfer der Pflaumenblüte” (“The fighters of the plum bloom”) is being shown at Bluebox Portstraße, located near the U-Bahn stop “Altstadt”, on Thursday, 23rd May, 2013 at 8pm.

After the showing there will be a chance to talk to journalist Diana Zimmermann.

About the film

Money rules in China.  The upward trend in the economy in recent years has changed people, and yet there are still people who have not been so lucky.  In the village Gucheng in Hebei province the farmers live by the ancient philosophy of their ancestors – Meihua Quan.   Plumbloom boxing is not just a sport, it is a type of religious cult.

The name comes from the winter plum trees and the boxing is more than just a defensive martial art.  It describes a doctrine that influences social life in particular.  It is about the unifying fighting and thinking, physical training and philosophy.  Those that practise it are seen as a counterweight to the fast lifestyle of modern China.

They learn both loyalty to their master and discipline, but also respect for their parents.  In the middle of the 20th Century they attempted to prevent the communist takeover of the country.  The sport was banned for considerable time, but not forgotten.

Since 2006 children in all parts of China have been training in Meihua Quan.  The film shows 19-year-old Xuena, one of the first young women in her village to do so.  She has learnt not only fighting techniques and how to handle weapons, but also the basics of philosophy, influenced by Confucius, Taoism and Buddhism.

Capitalism may have left its mark in the village, but it is not the desire to earn more money that motivates the inhabitants.  Instead they value the chance to celebrate and pray together.  It may sound old-fashioned, but it makes the strong in coping with modern life.