What is Chinese Martial Arts or Wushu?

Wushu is the official name for martial arts in China. The definition of Chinese martial arts or Wushu in today's Wushu text books for physical education college students who major in Wushu in China changes slightly from time to time. But the majority of text books include the following:

1. Wushu is a China national and traditional physical education activity or sport.
2. Wushu contains various fighting skills and is carried out in Forms (Taolu), Sanshou, and so on.
3. The purpose of Wushu is to strengthen one's physical condition, develop one's will power, and train one's fighting skills."

What is the history of Chinese martial arts or Wushu?

Chinese martial arts has a long history. There are two major opinions concerning the origin of Chinese martial arts. Some experts, on the one hand, say that the buds of Chinese martial arts started during the period of Primitive Society. In order to survive, humans had to fight against animals and against each other, and sometimes had to use simple "weapons" such as rocks, tree branches and so on to fight. On the other hand, there are some experts who do not agree. They do not think human natural instinct (for instance, trying to kill an animal for food) or natural reflex (for instance, closing ones eyes when an object moving rapidly gets close to the eyes) are martial arts. They believe that "martial arts" did not exist until human beings used their intelligence to create a form or forms of fighting techniques. So, what do you believe? We would appreciate your opinion. CMAI@Worldnet.att.net

Why do we call Chinese martial arts Wushu?

The term Wushu appeared as early as the sixth century and was used at various times over the following 1400 years. Since the late nineteenth century the term has been popular among Chinese martial artists. However, there are a lot of other names that were used in history, such as Jiaodi, Shoubo, Xiangpu, Shibang, Wuyi, Jiji, and so on. Since the 1950's martial arts has been officially promoted in China and at the same time the term Wushu was officially adopted by the government. Gongfu (Kungfu) and Guoshu were also very popular names during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term Guoshu was widely used during the Republican period (1911-1949), especially when the China Central National Martial Arts Academy , the most influential institution in martial arts history, was established in Nanjing in 1928. The term Gongfu, which literally means effort or accomplishment, has been and is sometimes still used to refer to martial arts. Gongfu (or Kungfu in the old spelling) has also been adopted in the West to refer to martial arts.

How many kinds of Wushu are there? How are they classified?

As one can imagine, there are many different styles, groups, families, and systems among Chinese martial arts. Currently there is no specific number of how many groups or families or systems are out there. Yet, in China Wushu can be divided geographically as Northern style and Southern style. From the way to practice, Wushu can be divided as internal and external. Wushu also can be divided according to major groups, such as Shaolin, Ermei, Wudang, and so on.

What are contemporary Wushu and traditional Wushu?

Contemporary Wushu started when China began to promote Chinese martial arts in the 1950's. The China State Physical Education and Sports Committee (CSPESC) gathered martial arts experts in China in 1954 to "unearth, reorganize, and develop" Chinese martial arts. In 1957 CSPESC organized experts to develop the Simplified Taiji (Taichi) Form (24 movements). They also developed forms of Chang Quan, Broadsword, Straightsword, Staff, and Spear and divided them into three levels, Level A (Jia Zu) for advanced, Level B (Yi Zu) for intermediate, and Level C (Chu Ji) for beginners. In addition, they developed Wushu competition rules and judging methods. For the purpose of competition, Taiji compulsory forms were developed for all five major Taiji styles in 1987. In 1989, however, these five forms were combined into one compulsory form for competitions. Also in 1989 compulsory forms of Chang Quan, Nan Quan, Broadsword, Straightsword, Staff, and Spear were developed and used at the 11th Asian Games. Today, the compulsory forms represent modern or contemporary Wushu. There are more and more people joining in and learning these forms for the purpose of participating in competitions, the most important of which is the World Wushu Championships, which is organized by the International Wushu Federation (IWF) and held every two years. The First World Wushu Championships took place in Beijing and the second was in Malaysia. The third one was held in the U.S., and more than fifty countries participated. The fourth Championships were in Italy. The coming Fifth World Wushu Championships will be in Hong Kong. Currently, there are more than seventy IWF member countries.

Modern or contemporary Wushu forms are all based on traditional Chinese martial arts. Besides Nan Quan ("Nan" means southern), which is based on traditional southern style, all other compulsory forms (Chang Quan, Broadsword, Straightsword, Staff, and Spear) are based on some of the traditional northern styles, such as Cha Quan, Hua Quan, Hong Quan, Pao Quan and so on. However, recently Southern Broadsword and Southern Staff were added as parts of compulsory forms. Contemporary Wushu requires practitioners to be more athletic and in some ways more artistic. Contemporary forms have more choreography and require practitioners to devote more time and effort to learning and perfecting the numerous movements and making those movements fluid.

Traditional Wushu is handed down from generation to generation. It is more than just fighting skills, self defense, or forms. It is related to various fields, such as Chinese philosophy, traditional medicine, classic arts, and even Chinese religions. Different Wushu groups or families have different focuses, training methods and requirements. There are many more styles of forms and weapons in traditional Wushu than in contemporary Wushu. For example there are five major styles of traditional Taiji Quan--Chen, Yang, Wu, Hao, Sun--each of which has its own characteristics. However, the compulsory or contemporary Taiji form is a combination of all five.

What are the contemporary Wushu competition rules?

The rules were first established in 1957 for China domestic competitions and have been modified over the years. Based on China's domestic rules, the International Wushu Competition Rules were set by the International Wushu Federation (IWF) which was established in 1990. There are rules and scoring methods for Chang Quan, Weapons (including Broadsword, Straightsword, Staff, and Spear), Nan Quan, and Taiji Quan, as well as performing events.

Sanshou History

Sanshou, also called Sanda or Da Leitai, is a Chinese martial art that was revived as a government sponsored competition sport in 1979. It is a bare-handed fighting sport between two competitors that utilizes a variety of martial arts and fast wrestling skills. Sanshou has been part of traditional Chinese martial arts for centuries. After 1949, Sanshou was first included in a national formal competition at the Tianjin Minority Sports Meetings in 1952. Before the Cultural Revolution, Sanshou was practiced by individuals at the local level. Beginning in the mid-1960's, all sports were sidelined while China went through a decade of political movements and turmoil. In 1979, the Chinese government decided to revive Sanshou, and since that time it has become a well-organized competition sport. In 1979 the China State Physical Education and Sports Committee (CSPESC) designated three institutions to start training Sanshou competitors. The three institutions were Beijing Physical Education University, Wuhan Physical Education College, and Zhejiang Training Center. The first competition rules were drafted in January 1982, and the First China National Sanshou Competition took place later that year. Only the top ten teams in China were selected to compete in the tournament. Today, Sanshou is also a competition event in the World Wushu Championships, which is organized by the International Wushu Federation and held every two years.

Although Sanshou's history in the US is not long, it is getting more and more popular every day simply by the number of competitors participating in domestic and international competitions in the U.S. There are more and more great potential competitors entering the Leitai to participate in the enjoyable and challenging sport, which requires a high level of physical and psychological training, as well as good athletic spirit.

Sanshou Competition Rules

According to International Sanshou Competiton Rules set by International Wushu Federation, the competition takes place on an 8 x 8 meter open platform (called Leitai) that is 60 centimeters above floor level and surrounded by protection mats that are 2 meters wide and 20 to 40 centimeters thick. In a competition, there are usually five sideline judges and a referee on the platform. In addition, there are a head judge, an assistant judge, a recorder, and a timekeeper at a table on the side line. The athletes are divided into ten categories by weight. The competition bouts are made up of three rounds, each round lasting two minutes with a one minute break between rounds. An athlete needs to win two rounds out of three to win the bout. On the platform, athletes must wear competition committee approved helmets, gum-shields, chest protectors, cups, shin guards, instep guards, and boxing gloves. Competitors can use various martial arts techniques, including hand techniques, foot techniques, and fast-wrestling moves that must be completed within two seconds. No elbow, knee, hip, head techniques, or joint locking are allowed.

Sanshou Training

Although training methods vary in different martial arts schools, good systematic training should include: 1) physical training--such as endurance, speed, strength, flexibility, reflexes, coordination, physical tolerance, and relaxation; 2) techniques training--such as hands, legs, and fast wrestling skills, and the skills of using the Leitai; 3) strategy; 4) psychological training; and, 5) Sanshou rules. Often, competitors realize that what they are fighting on the Leitai are not their opponents, but themselves. The control of the time (or opportunities) and the space (or positions) are crucial.

Brief History

"Taiji", or "Tai Chi" is a Chinese classic philosophical term meaning "the Universe." Taiji Quan is an exercise based on a series of martial arts movements combined with "internal movements" to keep fit and heathly, as well as for self-defense. It is a part of Chinese martial arts. Often people call Taiji Quan "Taiji" for short in the martial arts field.

There are several people in history who are considered the creators of Taiji Quan. Among those are: Gongyue Liang who lived during the period 420-589 AD, Xuanping Xu of Tang dynasty (618-907), Sanfeng Zhang who lived near the end of the Yuan dynasty (1206-1368), and Wangting Chen who lived at the end of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). The most dependable source shows that Wangting Chen was the Taiji Quan inventor. Today, there are five major Taiji Quan styles--Chen, Yang, Wu (or Hao), Sun, and Wu (the two Wu styles are different and in fact the Chinese characters for the two are different. Chen style is the original one; the others are derivations of Chen style. Because Taiji Quan consists of Eight Essential Techniques (Peng, Lu, Ji, An, Cai, Lie, Zhou, Kao) and Five Foot Works (Forward, Backward, Left, Right, and Cneter), it is also called the Thirteen Movements. Taiji Quan exercise includes bare-handed forms, pushing hands (two person exercises) and weapons forms, the latter of which includes straightsword, broadsword, staff, and spear.

Major Styles

1. Chen Style:

   The Chen style of Taiji Quan has two forms (though some believe there are five). The first is called Thirteen Movements, and the second is called Canon Fist. Chen style has bigger and lower postures, and the moves are always spiral. Several movements are found only in Chen style, including: sharp, fast, explosive, jumping, and foot stomping movements.

2. Yang Style:

   Based on the old structure of Chen style, Yang style was created by Luchan Yang (1799-1872). It has big, open, and square postures, and the body is more centered. The moves are coordinated and fluid. It is the most popular style of Taiji Quan.

3. Wu (Hao) Style:

   After learning both Yang style, from Luchan Yang, and Chen style, from Qingping Chen, Yuxiang Wu (1812-1880) combined the two to create Wu style. Wu style is also known as Hao style, named after Weizheng Hao (1849-1920), the most influential descendant of Wu style. Wu (or Hao) style has a well-knitted structure, emphasizing that each hand covers its side of body. In this style, the hands do not reach beyond the tip of the foot.

4. Sun Style:

   Lutang Sun (1861-1932), a famous internal martial artist in Ba Gua and Xing Yi, combined Wu (Hao) style Taiji Quan with Ba Gua and Xing Yi and created Sun style Taiji Quan. Sun style has a higher posture and agile foot work. Since it has "open and close hand connecting movements" and has agile foot work, this style is also called "Open and Close Agile Foot Taiji Quan."

5. Wu Style:

   Derived from Yang style, Wu style Taiji Quan was created by Jianquan Wu (1870-1942), who was a Manchu. Wu Style is known for its lithe and detailed movements.

6. New Creations:
   • Simplified 24 Movements Taiji Quan:

     In 1956, China State Physical Education and Sports Committee (CSPESC) invited Taiji Quan experts to create this form based on Yang style and simplified movements.

   • 48 Movements:

     In 1979, CSPESC again invited Taiji Quan experts to create this form, which is based mainly on Yang Style but also includes some movements of Chen, Wu, Sun, Hao styles.

   • 88 Movements:

     This form was created by Taiji Quan experts, under the aegis of CSPESC, in the early 1950's. The form has 88 moves based on Yang Style.

Pushing Hands

Pushing hands is a part of Taiji Quan exercise. This one is begun after practicing single techniques or form(s). Pushing hands consists of two persons utilizing Taiji Quan's "Thirteen Movements" to push the opponent and cause him or her to lose balance. There are two kinds of pushing hands exercises, one is fixed steps pushing hands, the other is moving steps pushing hands.

Taiji Meditation

Taiji Meditation is another part of Taiji Quan exercise. This one helps the practitioner manipulate "Qi", the vital energy, through the entire body. This is one of the most important part of Taiji Quan exercise. By helping "Qi" move fluidly and smoothly through the whole body, one's illnesses can be healed and the weaknesses can be strengthened so that the practitioner is healthy and strong both internally and externally.

Introduction

Qi Gong is an exercise that combines body movements, breathing and consciousness to improve one's physical and mental well being. It helps the practitioner self-recover, self-adjust, and self-rebuild. Qi Gong is mainly based on Chinese classical philosophy and traditional medicine. "Qi" narrowly means air, and broadly means vital energy. Qi comes from two sources--it is inherited from one's parents and it is obtained from breath and food. "Gong" commonly means accomplishment, achievement, or ability to do something.

Qi Gong developed and evolved through history and now has five main groups or schools with many different kinds of Qi Gong exercises. The five schools are Taoist Qi Gong, Buddhist Qi Gong, Confucian Qi Gong, Medical Qi Gong, and Martial Arts Qi Gong. Although each school has its own characteristics, all five schools have the following three methods to practice. They are Still (Static), Moving (Dynamic), and a combination of both. The Still Qi Gong can be sitting, lying down, or standing. The Moving Qi Gong can be walking or moving one's body while remaining in place.