During Qing Dynasty, the Ming rebels set up martial arts dens as
a front for their secret society members to gather and train up
themselves for the uprising. Alot of traditional lion dance sets
are usually based on stories and legends during that period. Ditto
for martial arts such as Shaolin Hung Quan and WuZu Quan, both have
triad history in the movements. Even the chinese MA salute, one
clenched fist and one open palm, used to mean something.
Nowadays, as u and i know secret societies are a farce. But there
is one troupe in Geylang...is one of the few so called "qing yi se"
troupes...which means all members of the troupe are also members of
the same SS. And this SS is also one of the few left in Singapore
that sticks to the old rituals and rites of the Hong Men...
Edit: Most modern lion dance troupes do not teach martial arts.
