A hundred years or so earlier, practicing martial arts and studying had actually both been ways of making a living.
Scholars spent ten years studying through cold winters, while martial artists spent years training and seeking understanding. Both sought to rise above the crowd.
But martial artists had more options than scholars. The highly capable could take the military examinations; those a notch below could serve as household martial instructors for some Prince or Beile, or work as guards for wealthy merchants. Those with more spirit simply made their living in martial circles, escorting goods, living on a knife's edge, and roaming the martial world.
Of course, there were also the ruthless and blackhearted, who gathered in the mountains and forests to rob travelers, becoming powerful local bandits and mounted brigands.
Failing all else, they could do physical labor.
But all things considered, the word "kung fu" only truly rose to prominence during the Late Qing and Early Republican Era.
Master the arts of letters and arms, then sell them to the imperial house.
Beijing and Tianjin held countless powerful nobles and produced one capable figure after another. Untold numbers came from across the land in pursuit of wealth and fame, and over time, the two cities naturally became a lair of dragons and tigers.
This reached its peak when China fell into decline and the times grew turbulent, creating an unprecedented spectacle. Experts from every corner of the Northern Martial World gathered in Beijing and Tianjin. A hundred flowers bloomed and every school contended. Everyone wanted to rise, none would yield to another, and they fought for supremacy with fists and feet.
Thus emerged a hometown of martial arts whose name rang throughout the martial world: Cangzhou.
Not only was it close to Beijing and Tianjin, but it had