Get a load of THIS...

[Jay Vail]

Qi Jiguang--a 16th-century Chinese general--once wrote an extensive body of rules and regulations that included a martial arts manual for use in training his soldiers. Unfortunately, it's a bit hard to get an adequate English translation of the whole stuff. Just look at this Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji_Xiao_Xin_Shu

No info about any transcriptions or translations whatsoever!

According to Kenney and Guo, "Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals," ( p. 99), General Qi Ji Guang's "New Book on Effective Military Techniques" was published in 1584 and is the oldest existing Chinese martial arts manual. General Qi described an unarmed combat method consisting of 32 movements (which later became known as Qi family boxing), as well as methods for using the spear, staff, saber, shield and other weapons. He also discussed tactics and strategy both for land and sea warfare.

[Sripol Asanasavest]

Qi Jiguang--a 16th-century Chinese general--once wrote an extensive body of rules and regulations that included a martial arts manual for use in training his soldiers. Unfortunately, it's a bit hard to get an adequate English translation of the whole stuff. Just look at this Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji_Xiao_Xin_Shu

No info about any transcriptions or translations whatsoever!

According to Kenney and Guo, "Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals," ( p. 99), General Qi Ji Guang's "New Book on Effective Military Techniques" was published in 1584 and is the oldest existing Chinese martial arts manual. General Qi described an unarmed combat method consisting of 32 movements (which later became known as Qi family boxing), as well as methods for using the spear, staff, saber, shield and other weapons. He also discussed tactics and strategy both for land and sea warfare.

We have similar thing in Thailand. It's called Krabi Krabong which include Muay Thai in the training. I hear it has the toughest training of any martial art. It was believed that King Narasuen the Great who was the first to come up with the technique of fighting with two swords, spears, shield and others that we know about Krabi Krabong today... King Narasuen was a military genius much like that of King Richard the Lion of England and Alexander the Great of Mecidonia. I think it may have change and evolved from the original art as the art is refined and tested in real fight to the death in the ring...kindda like gladiators...over the centuries. Right now, it going through another transformation by also including Brazilian jui-jit-su as grappling techniques, although it does have grappling techniques of its own, influenced by Indian martial art, Kali. I wonder if they have something like this in the west, too, and how would they comapred to others.

[Sripol Asanasavest]

My friend is absolutely convinced that the Chinese stuff is superior to anyother martial art especially European and Thai.

[Jonathan_Kaplan]

Hmmmm. Maybe I can find some academic treatises or translations at the local campus library...

[Richard Strey]

I think it may have change and evolved from the original art as the art is refined and tested in real fight to the death in the ring...kindda like gladiators...over the centuries. [...] I wonder if they have something like this in the west, too, and how would they comapred to others.

We have. That's why our martial arts include guns, tanks, planes and smart bombs now. From what I hear, other cultures have adopted this idea, it seems to be quite popular with the military these days.
You see, the western European fighters always updated their arts. We had about a thousand years of professional warriors ruling the lands and there was competition all the time.

My friend is absolutely convinced that the Chinese stuff is superior to anyother martial art especially European and Thai.

So, he knows all the European and Thai arts? Knowledgeable man, your friend. Maybe he can help me our with some of the more difficult to read treatises. Even though it's my mother language and I have access to originals (no bad photocopies or messed up transcriptions, yay!), there are some passages that are really hard to read.

[Rod-Thornton]

My friend is absolutely convinced that the Chinese stuff is superior to anyother martial art especially European and Thai.

Well...how does that relate to the study and advancement of Historical European Martial Arts though? No offense meant to you, but this simply seems like an irrelevant "My kung-fu is better than your kung-fu" opinion of no value.