The following article from the BBC about the Barclaycard World Freerun Championships in London made me wonder whether le parkour, or free-running, is popular in Asia.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8203262.stm
http://www.worldfreerun.com/ (official website of the championships)
Le parkour originated in French military training of the first half of the 20th century and was systematized into a form of urban gymnastics by David Belle in the early 1990s in the suburbs of Paris. (In fact, the parkour scene in the film "Casino Royale" was performed by a childhood friend of Belle's.) Traceurs and traceuses, as they are known, practice their sport in urban environments, using buildings, stairs, walls, and railings in a manner similar to the ways in which artistic gymnasts use the balance beam, parallel bars, pommel horse, and springboard.
Below are some videos of traceurs from all around Asia. What information do they give you about the differences in urban environments?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXaOf5fXQSU (from China)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJsoQKcyB9U&feature=fvw (from Japan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVUbuLAtl7I&feature=related (from India)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRNZ6aH_Mi4 (from Vietnam)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJwGUyjd3Hg (from Singapore)
And that's just the tip of the iceberg!
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this is fascinating. do you happen to know what Parkour is in Chinese?
ReplyDeleteGood question! I did a little bit of digging around and found not a true translation, but a transcription, "paoku," although "pao" (to run) preserves some of the original meaning. Anyone in Beijing can join the Zhongguo Paoku Julebu (China Parkour Club): http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/listings/sports/other_activities/has/china-parkour-club/?most_viewed=1
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