European and Asian Martial Traditions and Their Cultural Impact A Look at Sword Culture from Several Angles

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The proceedings of the third International Martial Studies Conference offer a unique opportunity for broadening our historic perspective, drawing focus in particular to the role of martial activities in intercultural exchange. First of all, it analyzes a field of study that receives scant attention from both the general public and historians. It also offers the possibility of comparing scientific, historical, and cultural data belonging to two geographical areas that have played a fundamental role in developing universal civilization. Finally, it presents such knowledge and notions not as relegated to a distant past but still present and alive in contemporary Masters of martial arts. The promoter and curator of the conference and its associated exhibition Way of the Sword: Warrior Traditions in China and Italy, Hing Chao, is a highly successful entrepreneur, a profound scholar of Chinese culture (and especially of traditional martial arts), and a cultural operator with a marked propensity for intercultural dialogue: he is, in fact, not only the author of numerous books on martial arts but also the founder of the International Guoshu Association-an organization dedicated to safeguarding the heritage of Chinese martial arts-and of the Hong Kong Culture Festival. The level of specialization reached by many scientific disciplines and research sectors makes it difficult for a single scholar to make comparisons and parallels with other fields of study and with scholars who, in different latitudes, carry out similar research. Such comparisons, however, are often helpful not only to recognize the imprint of common humanity but also crucial to better understand notions that have already been acquired and to renew the perspective in which we analyze them: as Klukhohn (2018, 18), the American anthropologist, said: "The longest way round is often the shortest way home." The papers presented at this conference are significant because they offer updated information about weaponry and martial art research in Europe and China. They also provide international scholars with knowledge that sometimes has a limited circulation outside the country of origin (in this case, Italy and China).