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 A typical wushutaolu competition at the 10thAll China Games | |
| Also known as | Kung fu, CMA, WS |
|---|---|
| Focus | Striking,Grappling,Throwing,Performance Martial Art |
| Country of origin | China |
| Famous practitioners | See:Category:Wushu practitioners |
| Highestgoverning body | International Wushu Federation |
|---|---|
| First played | China |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Dependent on type of Wushu |
| Team members | Individuals or Team |
| Mixed-sex | Yes |
| Type | Martial art |
| Venue | Taolu Carpet orLei Tai (fighting arena) |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
| Olympic | (Unofficial Sport)2008 |
| World Championships | inaugurated1991 |
| World Games | (Invitational Sport)2009,2013; (Official)2022,2025 |
| Wushu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 武術 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 武术 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Martial arts" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Part of a series on |
| Chinese martial arts (Wushu) |
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Historical locations |
Wushu (traditional Chinese:武術;simplified Chinese:武术;pinyin:wǔshù) (/ˌwuːˈʃuː/), orkung fu, is a Chinesemartial art. It integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern Chinese martial arts, includingShaolin kung fu,tai chi, andWudangquan.[1] "Wushu" is theChinese term for "martial arts" (武 "Wu" = combat or martial, 術 "Shu" = art), reflecting the art's goal as a compilation and standardization of various styles.[2][page needed] To distinguish it fromtraditional Chinese martial arts, it is sometimes referred to as 'Modern Wushu'.[3][4]
Wushu is practiced both throughforms, calledtaolu, and as a full-contactcombat sport, known assanda.[5][6] It has a long history ofChinese martial arts and was developed in 1949 to standardize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts,[7][page needed] though attempts to structure the various decentralized martial arts traditions date back earlier when theCentral Guoshu Institute was established atNanjing in 1928.
In contemporary times, wushu has become an international sport under theInternational Wushu Federation (IWUF), which holds theWorld Wushu Championships every two years. Wushu is an official event at theWorld Games,Asian Games,East Asian Youth Games,Southeast Asian Games,World Combat Games, and in various other multi-sport events.
Traditional Chinese martial arts have existed for thousands of years.[8] The earliest term for 'martial arts', which can be found in the Han history (206BC-23CE), was "military fighting techniques" (兵技巧; bīng jìqiǎo). During the Song period (circa 960CE) the name changed to "martial arts" (武藝; Wǔ Yì). The term 'Wushu' ('Martial Arts') was also occasionally used. The term 'Wushu' was, for example, found in a poem by Cheng Shao (1626–1644) from the Ming dynasty. In 1928 the 'officially sanctioned' name was changed to "national arts" (國術; guóshù) when theNational Martial Arts Academy was established in Nanjing. The term reverted to Wushu under the People's Republic of China during the early 1950s.
The wordWǔ (武) means "Martial" and is composed of two parts: “walk” or “stop” (止; zhǐ) and “lance” (戈; gē). The term wushu being used for 'martial arts' goes back as far as theLiang Dynasty (502–557) in an anthology compiled byXiao Tong (d. 531), called "Selected Literature" (文選; Wénxuǎn). The term is found in the second verse of a poem by Yan Yanzhi titled:Huang Taizi Shidian Hui Zuoshi (皇太子釋奠會作詩).
The great man grows the many myriad things . . .
Breaking away from the military arts,
He promotes fully the cultural mandates.
— Translation fromEchoes of the Past by Yan Yanzhi (384–456)
Wushu, as a 'martial sport', was created by theChinese Communist Party (CCP) in the 20th Century.[9] This was part of an over-arching social, cultural and political movement lead by that Party, to modernize China as it saw fit. In 1958CE, the CCP government established an organization for martial arts training. The Chinese State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports led the creation of standardized forms for most of the major arts. During this period, a national wushu system that included standard forms, teaching curriculum, and instructor grading was established. Wushu was introduced at both the high school and university level. This new system sought to incorporate common elements from many styles and forms as well as the general ideas associated with Chinese martial arts.[10] Stylistic concepts such as hard, soft, internal, and external, as well as classifications based on schools such asShaolin,tai chi,Wudangquan, and others were all integrated into one system. Wushu became the government-sponsored standard for training in martial arts in China.[2][11] The push for standardization continued leading to widespread adaptation.
In 1979, China's State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports created a special task force for teaching and practice of Wushu. In 1986, the Chinese National Research Institute of Wushu was established as the central authority for the research and administration of wushu activities in China.[12][page needed] Changing government policies and attitudes towards sports in general led to the closing of theState Sports Commission (the central sports authority) in 1998. This closure is viewed as an attempt to partially de-politicize organized sports and move Chinese sports policies towards a moremarket-driven approach.[13] As a result of these changing sociological factors within China, both traditional styles and modern wushu approaches are being promoted by theInternational Wushu Federation.[14]
Wushu events are performed using compulsory or "individual routines" ortaolu (套路) in competition. Throughout the 1990s until 2005 for international competitions, athletes competed with routines that were choreographed by IWUF assigned coaches or athletes. In November 2003, a major revision in thetaolu competition rules occurred: deduction content was standardized, judges' roles were organized and expanded, and the degree of difficulty component, also known asnandu (難度; difficulty movements), was added. This category is worth 2 points of the 10 total. The quality of movements category is worth 5 points, and the overall performance category is worth 3 points. These changes were first implemented at the2005 World Wushu Championships, and individual routines have become standard where an athlete creates a routine with the aid of his/her coach while following certain rules for difficulty and technical requirements.[15] Only the age group C and B athletes at theWorld Junior Wushu Championships still compete with compulsory routines at an international level. All junior events including group A athletes (which compete with individual routines), all traditional events, and all non-standardtaolu events (ie. Shuangdao,baguazhang, etc.), are judged without the degree of difficulty component.
In addition to events for individual routines, some wushu competitions also feature dual and group events. The dual event, also calledduilian (對練), is an event in which there is some form of sparring with weapons or without weapons. The group event, also known asjiti (集體), requires a group of people to perform together and smooth synchronization of actions is crucial. Usually, the group event also allows instrumental music to accompany the choreography during the performance. The carpet used for the group event is also larger than the one used for individual routines. The2019 World Wushu Championships was the first international wushu competition to feature such an event.
The majority of routines used in the sport are new, modernized recompilations of traditional routines. However, routines taken directly from traditional styles, including the styles that are not part of standard events, may be performed in competition, especially in China. Many of these styles though are events in the World Kung Fu Championships, another IWUF-run event that is exclusively for traditional styles of wushu. The more commonly seen routines include:
There is also a traditional weapons category, which often includes the following:
The other major discipline of contemporary Chinese wushu is known assanda,yundong sanda (运动散打;yùndòng sǎndǎ, sport free-fighting), orjingzheng sanda (竞争散打;jìngzhēng sàndǎ, competitive free-fighting).Sanda is a fighting method, sport, and applicable component of wushu/kung fu influenced by traditional Chinese boxing, of which takedowns and throws are legal in competition, as well as all other sorts of striking (use of arms and legs). Chinese wrestling methods are calledshuai jiao and other Chinese grappling techniques such asChin Na. It has all the combat aspects of wushu.
Sanda appears much likekickboxing orMuay Thai but includes many more grappling techniques.Sanda fighting competitions are often held alongsidetaolu or form competitions.Sanda represents the modern development oflei tai contests but with rules in place to reduce the chance of serious injury. Many Chinese martial arts schools teach or work within the rule sets ofsanda, working to incorporate the movements, characteristics, and theory of their style.
Chinese martial artists also compete in non-Chinese or mixed combat sports, including boxing, kickboxing, andmixed martial arts.Sanda is practiced in tournaments and is normally held alongsidetaolu events in wushu competitions. For safety reasons, some techniques from the self-defense form such as elbow strikes, chokes, and joint locks, are not allowed during tournaments. Competitors can win by knockout or points which are earned by landing strikes to the body or head, throwing an opponent, or when competition is held on a raised lei tai platform, pushing them off the platform. Fighters are only allowed to clinch for a few seconds. If the clinch is not broken by the fighters, and if neither succeeds in throwing his opponent within the time limit, the referee will break the clinch. In the U.S., competitions are held either in boxing rings or on the raised lei tai platform. Amateur fighters wear protective gear.
Amateursanda allows kicks, punches, and throws. King of Sanda, a competition held in China, is held in a ring similar to a boxing ring in design but larger in dimension. Professionals wear no protective gear except for gloves, cups, and mouthpieces, and "professional sanda" allows knee and elbow strikes (including to the head) as well as kicking, punching, and throwing.
Somesanda fighters have participated in fighting tournaments such as K-1, Muay Thai, boxing, and Shoot Boxing. They have had some degree of success, especially in Shoot Boxing competitions, which is more similar tosanda. Due to the rules of kickboxing competition,sanda fighters are subjected to more limitations than usual. Also, notable competitors in China's mainstream mixed martial arts competitions, Art of War Fighting Championship, and Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation are predominantly of wushu background.Sanda has been featured in many style-versus-style competitions. Muay Thai is frequently pitted againstsanda as is karate, kickboxing, andtaekwondo. Although it is less common, somesanda practitioners have also fought in publicly viewed American mixed martial arts competitions.
Major international and regional competitions featuring wushu include:
Wushu is not aSummer Olympicsport; the IWUF has repeatedly backed proposals for wushu to be added to the Olympic program, most recently as one of eight sports proposed for the2020 Summer Olympics inTokyo, Japan. However, it failed to reach the final shortlist, and theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC) ultimately voted for the re-inclusion ofwrestling instead. Wushu was formally introduced into the Olympics as an exhibition sportin Berlin, in 1936, on Chancellor Hitler's request.[citation needed] In March 2015, IWUF executive vice president Anthony Goh stated that the Federation was planning to propose wushu again for the2024 Summer Olympics.[16][17][18] As part of new IOC rules allowing host committees to accept proposals for new sports to be added to the program (allowing the addition of sports of local interest to the Olympic program under an "event-based" model), in June 2015, wushu was shortlisted again as part of eight sports proposed for inclusion in the 2020 Games in this manner.[19] However, it did not make the final shortlist of five.[20] On 8 January 2020, it was announced by theIOC that Wushu will be added to the2022 Summer Youth Olympics (which has been rescheduled to 2026).[21]
Owing to its cultural significance in China, the IOC allowed the organizers of the2008 Summer Olympics inBeijing to hold awushu tournament in parallel with the Games as a separate event – the first time that the IOC has allowed such an event.[22][23][24]
Wushu was also ademonstration sport at the2014 Summer Youth Olympics atNanjing, which featured events for Group A athletes who qualified at the World Junior Wushu Championships earlier that year.[25] Wushu was also part of the 2014 Nanjing Sports Lab along with skateboarding, roller skating, and sports climbing.[26]
Wushu has faced criticism as a competitive sport. It has been criticized by some traditional martial artists for being too commercialized, losing many of its original values, and potentially threatening old styles of teaching. Such critics argue that contemporary wushu helped to create a dichotomy between formwork and combat application.[33][34][35][36][37][38]
| Artistic and dance sports | |
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| Ball sports | |
| Martial arts | |
| Precision sports | |
| Strength sports | |
| Trend sports | |
| Past official sports | |
| Invitational sports (never made official) | |
| Practical grappling | |
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| Practical striking | |
| Styles | |
| Techniques | |
| Wushu (sport) | |
