Imagine a martial art with pressure-testing drills, improvised weapons, multiple opponents and scenario training. You might think of krav maga or an entry in the category that’s come to be known as reality-based self-defense. In short, something that’s decidedly modern probably popped into your mind.
Turn back the dial a hundred years, however, and you’ll find all those ingredients in 1920s Shanghai and well into World War II. So jump in your time machine because you’re about to learn how to fight like your grandfather.
The Origin
When you entered Shanghai in the early 1900s, you knew you were in “vice city.” It was managed by foreign interests, throwbacks to a decaying empire and, most of all, cold, hard money. For some, it was a place to run to; for most, it was a place to run from. It was part paradise and part hell.
There were the triads, vicious gangs that specialized in drug running, kidnapping, extortion and murder. Add to the mix representatives of colonial militaries and police who hailed from the United Kingdom, France and the United States, all vying for power and influence. On top of all that, you had opium usage, prostitution, forced labor, protection rackets and insurgents. The mob scene of historical New York or Chicago would pale in comparison.
The Shanghai Municipal Police was one of the few organized bastions of law and order. An international force composed of Western, Indian, Japanese and Chinese constables, it became one of the world’s first SWAT-style organizations. The SMP’s riot squad is regarded as the blueprint for how police units
