In the latest issue of the New Yorker, there's an article about the man whom Charlie Chan was based on. He was Chinese, he was a cop, and he was a small but very tough fellow. No word on him spouting corny aphorisms, though.
I have got to hit the library and find a copy of that. I had heard that Chan was based loosely on a real Hawaiian police officer but that's all I ever knew about it.
"...only sure way to get proof of guilt was to have murderer reveal self by making mistake that trap self!"
Such an approach to crimefighting is neatly reflected in Chan's practice of Tai Chi, which relies upon turning an attacker's own momentum against him, as well as being in keeping with certain of the precepts of Sun Tzu.
There is a related long-established principle in the West as well. A Sherlock Holmes story ("The Speckled Band?") has the great detective quoting the Old Testament, "The schemer falls into the pit he has dug for another."
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Such an approach to crimefighting is neatly reflected in Chan's practice of Tai Chi, which relies upon turning an attacker's own momentum against him, as well as being in keeping with certain of the precepts of Sun Tzu.
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