Wushu. or Martial Art. is an important component of the cultural heritage of China. with a rich content over the centuries. Literally. ˋˋWuˋˋ means military. and ˋˋShuˋˋ means art. Wushu therefore means the art of fighting. or martial arts. Martial training includes Ti (kicking). Da (punching). Shuai (throwing). Na (controlling). Ji (hitting). Ci (thrusting). etc. Related to each style are basic forms. or sequences. which may involve defense strategies. offense. retreat. mobility and immobility. speed and slowness. hard or soft postures. emptiness and fullness. with or without weapons.    
      Wushu was born and has steadily grown and attained perfection as an integral part of Chinese culture. As such it is bound to be influenced and conditioned by other forms of culture. first and foremost by philosophy. art and literature. and religion. Wushu reigns as one of the most traditional and popular national sport in China. practiced by the young and old alike.
      Wushu was originally a military training method. bearing a close relationship with ancient combats. Practical skills. such as strength training. fencing. staff sparring. spear training. etc.. are still used now by policemen and soldiers. Today Wushu has been organized and systematized into a formal branch of study in the performance arts and has become an athletic and aesthetic performance and competitive sport. Every movement must exhibit sensible combat application and aestheticism.
      Chinese Wushu is classified into various styles according to different regions. different schools and families. as well as different fighting techniques. Routines are performed solo. paired or in groups. either barehanded or armed with traditional Chinese weaponry. Wushu can be viewed in terms of two categories. including Taolu (Forms with or without weapons) and Sanshou (Free Sparring).
      Taolu is a performance of set offensive and defensive Wushu movements based on Chinese Wushu principles. It includes the following four main categories: Bare-Handed Forms. Weapon Forms. Duilian. and Group Forms.
      Duilian form consists of sets of offensive and defensive movements for two or more practitioners in mock combat routines. They usually include three groups -- Bare-handed vs. Bare-handed. Weapon(s) vs. Weapon(s). and Bare-handed vs. Weapon(s). Group Forms are usually for demonstrations only and performed with or without weapons by a group of six or more persons.
      Wushuˋs emphasis has shifted from combat to performance. and it is practiced for its method of achieving health. self-defense skills. mental discipline. recreational pursuit and competition. In 1990. Wushu was adopted as an official medal event in the Asian Games. and since then World Championships have been held with 56 nations participating. Now Wushu is vying for the Olympic Games in the 21st century.

      Chinese wrestling. orShuai Jiao. is one of the oldest sports. tracing back to Huang Di (Emperor Huang). It was also named Sumo in ancient times. It is believed that Chinese wrestling was first practiced on the battlefield more than 5.000 years ago. During the Zhou Dynasty (11th century to 221BC). Chinese wrestling was adopted as a fighting art by the government. From the time of the Qin dynasty (221-206BC). Chinese wrestling was more like a recreation than simply for military purposes. During the Yuan. Ming and Qing dynasties (1271-1911). Chinese wrestling absorbed some techniques of Manchu and Mongolian fighting. and gradually the embryonic form of todayˋs wrestling came into being.    
      In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). a national wrestling organization was established. called Shan Pu Ying. The wrestlers wore a tailor-made white jacket no further than the elbow with a white belt tied around the waist. Grabbing the jacket to manipulate for a throw was allowed. but not the grabbing of the pants. Single and double-leg tackles were permitted. but the wrestlers must not hit a knee to execute the move. At present. there are several wrestling fields around the Tianqiao area in Beijing. the most famous ones of which include Shensan and Baosan.
      Chinese wrestling is classified into 10 levels according to the athletesˋ weight. The wrestling uniform consists of a white jacket that comes no further than the elbow. white silk pants and black laceless boots. A white belt is tied around the waist. In competition. grabbing the jacket to manipulate for a throw was allowed. but not the grabbing of the pants. You are allowed. within reason. to kick your opponentˋs shins and ankles to set up a throw. You can also punch him to set him up -- so long as you are holding him by the jacket.
      The throws of Chinese wrestling are forceful. and ideally. you remain standing when your opponent crashes to the mat. Four points are awarded for a grand amplitude throw (feet over the head); three points for a throw in which your opponentˋs body comes off the ground or flies parallel to the ground or above your waist before landing; two points for throws in which the back is exposed or the height of the throw is below the waist; one point for jerking your opponent to a hand or knee; and regardless of how many points the throw should be. if you lose balance and land on your opponent -- you only get one point.

     The  filiation and development of  Wushu(Kongfu)

     Wushu(Kongfu) is also called national skill or feat. it is a kind of Chinese traditional sport item. It contains series of actions and many single action to fit kick. strike. tumble. hold. fall. cleave

 

      The originator of the Yang-style Taiji boxing was Yang Luchan (1800-1873) from Yongnian in Hebei Province. Yang went to learn Taiji boxing from Chen Changxing in the Chenjia Valley as a boy. When grown up. he returned to his native town to teach the art. To suit the need of common people. Yang Luchan made some changes. and dropped some highly difficult moves. such as force irritating. broad jumps and foot thumping. His son shortened the routine which was further simplified by his grandson. The grandsonˋs form of the Yang-style Taiji boxing was later taken as the protocol of the Yang-style boxing. Because of its comfortable postures. simplicity and practisability. this form has become the most popular routine for exercise and practise (Fig. 4).