It's All About WUSHU styles

Hidden Weapons in wushu

2008-12-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

Hidden Weapons

In practice, the Chinese traditional weapons have mtipersonnel power only in close combat or within the iistance of about three meters. If you stand more than :hree meters away, it is hard to get close enough to your opponent to gain victory. So in ancient times, people :reated various kinds of hidden weapons to overcome :his problem. These hidden weapons included rope-iart, dart, flying sabre, flying fork, flying pike, flying sword, thrown arrow, arrow hidden in sleeve, flying Droken stones, iron toad, coin-shaped dart, wolf-fanged-lammer, Thunder God drill, ruyi bead, plum blossom icedle, lasso, crossbow arrow, longxu hook, fleam, Emei pricks, acupoint-hitting needle, iron fleabane, swallow iart, sleeve gun and thread crossbow arrow. You could use hidden weapons to force the enemy rto retreat and turn defeat into victory, when you were in a disadvan-taged position or hopelessly outnumbered.

The hidden weapons are for throwing so they are easy to carry, hide, throw and hit the enemy at a long distance. Usually these weapons are of two types-short and small ones and soft and rope ones.
The short, small ones include the dart, Arhat coin, sleeve arrow, broken stones, throwing,arrow, flying sword, flying sabre, dart sabre, sleeve ring^flying needle, flying pricks, ruyi ball, iron-birds, iron brush, weight hidden in palm, Emei pricks, acupoint-hitting needle.

The soft ones include rope-talon, rope-ring, rope-dart, longxu hook, fleam, flying hammer, iron fleabane, wolf-fang hammer, and rope-hammer.

Short and hidden weapons are easy to use but required accuracy and superb techniques.
Traditionally, the use of hidden weapons in combat was regarded with some contempt, and due to the emergence of firearms their use ceased. However, for interest's sake we have selected some typical weapons which we will discuss below

Rare Weapons in wushu (2)

2008-12-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

Lance

The lance is an ancient weapon which was used by soldiers on horse back. It is heavy in weight and therefore used by strong persons. The handle of the lance is about two meters long and made of hard wood; a melon-shaped hammer with six to eight rows of iron nails is fixed at the end of the handle, and under the handle is a diamond-shaped iron auger. This is therefore called the wolf fang lance. There are also finger-shaped lance, palm-shaped lance, double lance and broad lance. The hitting techniques are the same as those of the broad sword and include chopping, covering, cutting, pulling, lifting, thrusting, floating, carrying and poking. The modern Wushu practice routines include the single lance.

Talon(Claw)

The talon was a widely used weapon. It is divided into two kinds-long talon and soft talon. The handle of long talon, called the golden dragon talon, is about two meters long with a hand-shaped claw at the end. The middle finger of the claw is straight and the four other fingers are crooked. In the Ming Dynasty, there were bronze fist-talon and iron-brush talon. The iron-brush talon is shaped so that the middle finger and forefinger are straightforward while the thumb, ring finger and little finger stay on the iron brush. It uses the tips of the nails or the iron brush to hit acupuncture points or crucial points on the enemy's body. In addition to hitting these points, the movements also include grasping, pulling and thrusting.

The soft talon, called the double flying talons, is a hidden weapon. It is made of iron in the shape of an eagle claw. Tied with a long cord, it can be used to attack people and horses (Fig.).

Rake

The rake was evolved from ancient farm tools. It is about two and a half meters long and 2.5 kilograms in weight and with sharp iron cramps it is powerful in attacking. During the Ming Dynasty, the rice rake and the trident rake were used in military fighting. Because the rake could be used for attacking and defending and had the merits of spear and shield, it gradually became a powerful military weapon. The playing techniques include pushing and pulling, charging from one's side, hitting with its back and pressing. The defence movements include duet combat, knocking, and pulling from one's side. The types of rakes used in Wushu practice include nine-cramp rake and lotus-flower rake. As for paired practice, the rake is used against the spear or sabre.

Ring

The ring is another Chinese Wushu weapon. It is circular in shape, about 30 cm in diameter, and made of metal with sharp blades around the outer rim. Each hand could hold one ring and use them as twin weapons. In ancient times the ring was a hidden weapon. Like a bracelet, it has different shapes including round and oblate ones with saw-teeth around the outside rim. In practice you throw it and make it turn and turn around to hurt the opponent.
In modern Wushu practices, the ring has no sharp edge nor teeth, but it is tied with a color silk ribbon. Each hand holds one ring to turn, tumble, jump and leap and set up beautiful patterns. It is suitable for boys and girls to practise, and the movements include turning, hitting, throwing, carrying, blocking and pressing.

The routines at the national Wushu competition in recent years included double rings, Qiankun (heaven and earth) ring and wind-and-fire wheel. The routines such as double rings versus cudgel .

Meteor Hammer

Meteor hammer, known as flying hammer, is one of the soft weapons. Long ago, when hunting, man used vine rope to tie stone balls and throw them so as to bind the legs of wild animals. There are two kinds of meteor hammer-single ones and double ones. The rope for the single hammer is about five meters long with one end tied to a hand and another to a duck-egg bronze hammer, shaped like a melon. The rope for the twin weights is about 1.7 meters in length and there is a small bronze hammer on each end. When in action, the hammer in the front hand is used for attack and the other for protection.

In practice, you may put the rope around your neck, >ack, shoulder, elbow, wrist, thigh, shank, foot or waist. Vfter the hammer is released, it moves as fast as a neteor. The routines include a loafer kicking a ball and i fairy maiden spinning. If you change the hammer to i dart, it is a rope-dart. The playing tricks include winding, throwing, and swinging .

Rare Weapons in wushu (1)

2008-12-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Dagger-Axe

The dagger-axe, a weapon used by soldiers on the chariot in ancient times evolved from the sickle, and was one of the weapons carried by the people. With a long shaft, the dagger-axe is a flat-headed weapon with a blade on the lower side. It can be used for sweeping attacks and also for pulling-down killing.

Bronze dagger-axes were used in the Yin Dynasty (1400-1100 B.C.) as an attacking weapon. In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770-221 B.C.} dagger-axes were still in wide use. The main weapon used by soldiers in the Qin Dynasty was also the dagger-axe but it was gradually replaced by spear in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D.220)

The dagger-axe underwent improvement and development during the Yin and Qin dynasties. Not only the point of the dagger-axe was used for hitting, but also the blades on both sides of the head. The connection part between the head and the shaft was lengthened, making the dagger-axe even stronger.

Different forms of fighting used different dagger-axe which are classified into three types of long, short and medium shafts. The long-shaft dagger-axe measured about 314 cm, the medium-shaft 139.4 cm and the short-shaft about 91 cm. The dagger-axe was used by soldiers on chariots while the short-shaft one was used by foot soldiers.

As the dagger-axe was abandoned in military fighting very early no routines have been handed down to the present day. The main techniques of play included hook cutting, pecking and hitch-poking.

Halberd

The halberd, a weapon based on the spear, was developed by combining the merits of the spear and dagger-axe in the Yin and Shang period (1600-1100 B.C.). It can be used to hook-cut, peck and pierce the opponent making it a more powerful weapon than the dagger-axe and spear. The halberd, made of bronze, was used widely in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100-771 B.C.) in China. At the end of the Warring States (475-221 B.C.) iron-made halberd appeared.

During the Qin and Han dynasties (221 B.C.-A.D. 224), the halberd was still an important weapon used in fighting by soldiers on horse back or on foot. It gradually disappeared from the battle fields in the Western and Eastern Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties (265-581), but routines of halberd play were formed in the course of halberd demonstrations by people. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the halberd was not in use in fighting, and was used only in demonstrations, exercise and guard of honor ceremonies.

There are many kinds of halberd including the long-shaft single halberd and short-shaft twin halberds. The long-shaft halberd had two symmetrical crescents on the head, and was called the square-headed halberd. The halberd with only one crescent on one side of the head was called the green dragon halberd which was mentioned in the "General Book of Wushu." In ancient times the halberd was decorated with colorful silk ribbons and coins. There was also single or double crescents at the head of the short-shaft halberds. The different types of halberd were used for different routines -the main movements include cutting, thrusting, probing, slicing, pressing, carrying, hooking, blocking, drilling and hitching.

Stick

The stick was evolved from a special dual-purpose weapon of hooked knife which appeared in the Qin and Han dynasties. With hooks on both sides, the hooked knife had a short sharp head in the middle and a handle at the back. When you push the hooked knife forward, it can resist the attack from the enemy and if you hook, you can thrust. Although the stick was not listed among the ancient weapons, it is one of the weapons used in Wushu. The stick is made of wood, about 0.7 to 1.3 meters long. The long stick is a single stick, about 1.3 meters long. The stick with a short cross handle on one side is called the horn stick. When practising, you can hold the short handle in one hand and the long handle in another, or hold the long handle with both hands, the short handle with one hand.

The twin sticks are shorter and when you practise, each hand holds one stick by the short handle. The various shapes of the crooked cudgel include a "T" shaped stick, a " h " shaped stick-duckbill stick, the Ligong stick, the stick with a sickle-shaped handle and horn stick.
While the sticks are made in different shapes, the playing methods are almost the same during fighting and hitting directions change from time to time. For the single stick, the movements include chopping, pounding, rolling, jumping and leaping, supporting, pouncing, patting, holding, hooking, hanging, lifting and cutting. The movements for twin sticks include hugging, covering, turning and beating.

In addition to solo practice routines, paired practices include sabre and stick versus spear and twin sticks versus spear .

Jointed Iron Staff

Whips

There are single and twin jointed iron staffs, soft and hard. The nine-joint staff is one of soft wea-pons in Wushu. This staff consists of a dart head, a handle, and iron joints connected by rings. The length of the staff is usually below the head of the user.

In the book of Weapon History in China it says that "The iron staff has many joints and originated in the Jin Dynasty (265-420)." The soft staff was a powerful hidden weapon, which "can inflict serious wounds and which you can hardly resist in the ancient battlefields." Once the staff is unleashed, it could hit, flog, hook and bind the opponent and staff masters could even beat those who used sword and sabre. There are seven-joint, nine-joint and 13-joint staffs. The staff is very easy to carry with and could be held in the hand or put around the waist.

The movements of the nine-joint staff play in Wushu include tying, swinging, sweeping, hanging, throwing and dancing with flower patterns. Tying means to tip up the hands, elbows, shoulders, neck, waist and legs of the opponent by various forms. Swinging means to wave the staff so that it moves fast in a vertical circle. Sweeping means to wave the staff so that it moves fast in a flat circle. Hanging means to add force to a certain section of the fast-moving staff or to change the direction of its movement. Throwing means to throw the fast-moving staff into the air. Staff-dancing includes single and double hand plays. In single hand play the staff is to move in vertical circles in front of or behind the body. In double hand plays, the staff moves in vertical circles on both sides of the body.

From the above descriptions we can see that the nine-joint staff moves mainly in circles by relying on the waving of the arms and the turning of the body to exert force to a certain part of it to increase its movement and change the center and direction of the circle.

The soft staffs include single staff and double staffs. They can be used together with the sabre. In paired practice the nine-section staff is used against the spear.

The hard staff is a short weapon. There are two types-one is the joint steel staff which looks like a bamboo stick, and the other is the 13-joint steel staff. This meter-long staff has 13 joints, not in-cluding the handle which is about 44 mm in diameter. There are 13 or 14 square knots on the body of the staff. The head of the staff is thinner with a blunt tip and the handle, made of wood or iron, is at the bottom. The main uses include stroking, beating, digging, hanging, poking, cutting, sealing, shutting, fending, blocking, wrestling, dropping, pointing, coiling and sweeping .

Mace

The mace, known as Jian, is one of the short weapons and originated in the Jin and Tang dynasties. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, many people used to carry the mace. Made of iron, it looks like the hard whip, but with no joints and no tip at the head. The cross section of the mace is a diamond formation with a grove on it so it was also called the concave mace. The size and length of maces differ in accordance with the height of the users, usually between 65 to 80 cm in length. There are single and twin maces; the latter were more used. The playing methods include grinding in the air, sweeping below, cutting in the middle, chopping, lifting on the two sides, and pressing. The move-ments include three in horizontal and four in vertical directions, jumping and leaping, pounding, rolling, poking, cutting, fending and hanging. Mace play requires fierce and quick actions. In paired practice twin maces are used against the spear.

The spear in wushu

2008-12-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

The spear is called the king of all weapons.

It is one of the major long-shaft Wushu weapons. There are different types of spear, such as carefully-designed and delicately-made "flowery spear," thick and bold spear, zigzag spear with a sharp point and blade, double-head spear with blades on both sides. The spear was the major military weapon in ancient times and compact technique was developed.

The main characteristics of spear play are flexibility in body movements, lightness and agility in footwork, quickness and steadiness in turns and somersaults. The movements are clear and the tricks are practical. Spear play is likened to the "flying dragon." Spear play is very difficult, but it has a great effect on strengthening the physique .

The basic techniques of spear play include pricking, thrusting, circling, blocking, pointing, poking, holding and wringing. When you practise, you are advised to hold the spear firmly and flexibly, advance and retreat freely and smoothly, pricking the opponent quickly and directly, with the force on the point of the spear. This is one of the important basic skills in spear play. When you hold the spear, it must be close to your waist for support so that you can exert yc ar force easily. In all routines of spear play, the point of the spear moves in a circle, which is regarded as the fundamental of all styles of spear play and requires hard practice.

The main routines include Bagua (eight-diagram), Liuhe (six-combination), Double-Head, Yueya (crescent), Meihua (plum blossom), Shewei (snake-tail), Yang-family, Siping and Big Spear play as well.

The cudgel in wushu

2008-12-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

The cudgel is called the "father of all weapons" meaning all other weapons were developed from it.

As the cudgel is easy to make and use, and is practical, it has become a very popular weapon.
Cudgel play lays stress on a sweeping action so the saying goes "with a cudgel you sweep all around." Some tricks employed for other weapons (such as spear and sabre) can also be used in cudgel play. There are many methods of playing the cudgel. Among the most commonly used are chopping, swinging, jabbing, hanging, jumping, leaping, smashing, pointing, blocking, sheltering, holding, piercing, floating, carrying, poking, and lifting. The different schools of cudgel play have different emphasis.

Cudgel is played as quickly as heavy rainfall and cudgel play combines offence with defence, always changing the ways of play.

The main routines include Qimei, Shaolin, Panlong (coiled dragon), Jiuzhou (nine-continent), Liuhe (six-combination), Tianqi, Bodhi-dharma, Monkey and Drunkard.

Cudgels are mostly made of wood but some are made of metal. In addition to long cudgels, there are two-section cudgel and three-section cudgel.

The Sabre in wushu

2008-12-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

Sabre is called the marshal of all weapons.

It is one of the most used weapons in Chinese Wushu. According to the shape and size, it is divided into short-hiked sabre, twin short-hilted sabre, sabre, nine-ring sabre (named as nine rings on the handle), broad sword, long-bladed short-hilted sabre and others.

Sabre play is vigorous and quick in defence and offence so it is likened to the "fierce tiger." The main techniques of sabre play include chopping, hacking, cutting, pricking, lifting, poking, winding, blocking, pushing, and knocking. When you have sabre practice, the cooperation between the sabre and the hands is very important and both hands must closely coordinate with each other, so as to maintain balance. Sabre play calls for rigorous training and constant practice. The sabre and the body must also be consistent. "Make sure that sabre is always around your body, and your hands, feet, shoulders, and arms turn together with the sabre."

The main routines of sabre play include Panlong (coil dragon), Bagua (eight-diagrams), Qinglong (green dragon), Miao Sabre, Nine-Ring Sabre, Liuhe (six-combination), Shaolin Twin sabres, Tai Chi, Yexing (night-travel), Meihua (plum blossom), Drunkard sabre and Monkey sabre. In addition, the combination of sabre with other weapons forms many more routines. For example, the play with sabre in one hand and staff in another is called "sabre play with staff," a favorite exercise for Wushu enthusiasts.

Sabre play demonstrates hardness and powerful-ness, but not always. In defence and dodging actions, suppleness is needed.

The sword in wushu

2008-12-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

The sword is called the "gentleman of all weapons."
It is the most widely used of all weapons and its influence goes beyond the field of Wushu. Every school of Wushu uses the sword as the basic weapon for rigorous training.

Sword play in China was first seen in sacrificial offerings to gods or ancestors. In the Spring and Autumn Period and during the Warring States 2,000 years ago, sword play became a common practice in society. After years of refinement, it is now one of the major competitive events in Wushu competition today.

Sword play is brisk, agile, elegant, easy, graceful and natural in action. The movements are flexible, as well as variable. Attention is paid to both motion and stillness. Hardness and suppleness supplement each other. So sword play is likened to the "flying phoenix.".

There are many techniques in sword play. The main techniques include hitting, piercing, pointing, lifting, jumping and leaping, hanging, chopping, floating, poking, sweeping, wrestling, blocking and wiping. These actions, combined with body movements and footsteps, form various routines of sword play.

There are varied styles of sword play routines, handed down from ancient times. The popular ones include Tai Chi, Wudang, Bodhi-dharma, Longxing, Sancai, Qing-ping, Baxian (Eight-Immortals), Mantis, Lianhuan, Drunkard and Xingyi. The Chinese Physical Culture and Sports Commission has also worked out new routines for competition and physical exercises.

It is said that the Chinese sword play, although a simple form of play with hand weapons, has deep ideological connotations. From emperors, high-ranking military officers and ministers to common people, experts and scholars, the wearing of swords shows them to be a refined person signifying they are cultured and familiar with the arts. The skill and theory of sword play was perfected and eventually formed the distinctive "Sword Culture" in China.

the main wushu styles

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There is a huge number of wushu styles, but these is the main styles in the comepition:

* Barehanded
o 長拳 Changquan (Long Fist)
o 南拳 Nanquan (Southern Fist)
o 太極拳 Taijiquan (Taiji Fist)

* Short Weapons
o 刀 Dao (single-edged sword)
o 劍 Jian (double-edged sword)
o 太極劍 Taijijian (Taiji double-edged sword)
o 南刀 Nandao (Southern single-edged sword)

* Long Weapons
o 棍 Gun (Staff)
o 槍 Qiang (Spear)
o 南棍 Nangun (Southern cudgel)

styles in details :

Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳; "flood fist"), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but this wushu form is a modernized style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. Changquan is the most widely-seen of the wushu forms, and includes whirling, running, leaping, and acrobatics. Changquan is difficult to perform, requiring great flexibility and athleticism, and is often practised from a young age.

Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China (i.e., south of the Yangtze River, including Hongjiaquan (洪家拳), Cailifoquan (蔡李佛拳), and Yongchunquan (詠春拳). Many are known for vigorous, athletic movements with very stable, low stances and intricate hand movements. This wushu form is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional southern styles. Nanquan typically requires less flexibility and has fewer acrobatics than Changquan, but it also requires greater leg stability and power generation through leg and hip coordination. This event was created in 1960.

Taijiquan is a wushu style famous for slow, relaxed movements, and often seen as an exercise method for the elderly. This wushu form is a modern recompilation based on the Yang (楊) style of Taijiquan, but also including movements of the Chen (陳), Wu (吳), Wu (武), and Sun (孫) styles.

Dao refers to any curved, one-sided sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using a medium-sized willow-leaf-shaped dao (柳葉刀).

Jian refers to any double-edged straight sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the jian.

Gun refers to a long staff (wooden, not made of bamboo as it will split) as tall as the wrist of a person standing with his/her arms stretched upwards, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the gun.

Qiang refers to a flexible spear with red hair attached to the spearhead, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the qiang.

Taijijian is an event using the jian based on traditional Taijiquan jian methods.

Nandao is a weapon that appears to be based on the butterfly swords of Yongchunquan, but has been lengthened and changed so that only one is used (as opposed to a pair). This event is a Nanquan method, and was created in 1992.

Nangun is a Nanquan method of using the gun (Chinese word meaning staff, not to be confused with handgun). This event was created in 1992.

Other routines
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. These routines generally do not garner as many points as their modern counterparts, and are performed in events separate from the compulsory routine events. Among these, the more commonly seen routines include:

* Baguazhang (八卦掌) - Eight-Trigrams Palm
* Bajiquan (八極拳) - Eight Extremes Fist/Boxing
* Chaquan (查拳) - Cha Fist/Boxing
* Chuojiao (戳腳) - Poking Feet
* Ditangquan (地躺拳) - Ground-Prone Fist/Boxing
* Fanziquan (翻子拳) - Overturning Fist/Boxing
* Houquan (猴拳) - Monkey Fist/Boxing
* Huaquan (華拳) - Hua Fist/Boxing
* Paochui (炮捶) - Cannon Punch
* Piguaquan (劈掛拳) - Chop-Hitch Fist/Boxing
* Shequan (蛇拳) - Snake Fist/Boxing
* Tantui (弹腿）- Spring Leg
* Tanglanghushi (螳螂虎势) - Praying Mantis and Tiger Style
* Tanglanquan (螳螂拳) - Praying Mantis Fist/Boxing
* Tongbeiquan (通背拳) - Through-the-Back Fist/Boxing
* Wing Chun (Yongchunquan) - Eternal Spring
* Xingyiquan (形意拳) - Shape-Intent Fist/Boxing
* Yingzhaoquan (鷹爪拳) - Eagle Claw Fist/Boxing
* Zuiquan (醉酒拳) - Drunken Fist/Boxing

Similarly, there is also a traditional weapons category, which often includes the following:

* Changsuijian (長穗劍) - Long-Tasseled Sword
* Shuangshoujian (雙手劍) - Two-Handed Sword
* Jiujiebian (九節鞭) - Nine Section Whip
* Sanjiegun (三節棍) - Three Section Staff
* Shengbiao (繩鏢) - Rope Dart
* Dadao (大刀) - Great Sword
* Pudao (撲刀) - Pu Sword
* Emeici (峨嵋刺) - Emei Daggers
* Shuangdao (雙刀) - Double Broadsword
* Shuangjian (雙劍) - Double Sword
* Shuangbian (雙鞭) - Double Nine Section Whips
* Shuanggou (雙鈎) - Double Hooksword

Wushu (sport)

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Wushu, known as modern wushu or contemporary wushu, is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts. It was created in the People's Republic of China after 1949, in an attempt to nationalize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts.[1] Most of the modern competition forms (套路 taolu) were formed from their parent arts (see list below) by government-appointed committee.[1] In contemporary times, wushu has become a truly international sport through the International Wushu Federation (IWUF), which holds the World Wushu Championships every two years; the first World Championships were held in 1991 in Beijing and won by Clark Zhang.

Modern wushu is composed of two disciplines: taolu (套路; forms) and sanda (散打; sparring) [3][not in citation given]. Taolu forms are similar to gymnastics and involve martial art patterns and maneuvers for which competitors are judged and given points according to specific rules. The forms comprise basic movements (stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps, sweeps and throws) based on aggregate categories traditional Chinese martial art style and can be changed for competitions to highlight one's strengths. Competitive forms have time limits that can range from 1 minute, 20 seconds for the some external styles to over five minutes for internal styles. Modern wushu competitors are increasingly training in aerial techniques such as 540 and 720 degree jumps and kicks to add more difficulty and style to their forms.

Sanda (sometimes called sanshou or Lei Tai) is a modern fighting method and sport influenced by traditional Chinese boxing, Chinese wrestling methods called Shuai Chiao and other Chinese grappling techniques such as Qin Na. It has all the combat aspects of wushu. Sanda appears much like kickboxing or Muay Thai, but includes many more grappling techniques. Sanda fighting competitions are often held alongside taolu or form कोम्पेतिशन्स

wushu styels

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wushu styels

China has one of the longest histories of continuously recorded martial arts
tradition of any society in the world, and with hundreds of styles probably the most varied. Over the past two to four thousand years, many distinctive styles have been developed, each with its own set of techniques and ideas.[26] There are also common themes to the different styles, which are often classified by "families" (家, jiā), "sects" (派, pai) or "schools" (門, men) of martial art styles. There are styles that mimic movements from animals and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies, myths and legends. Some styles put most of their focus into the harnessing of qi energy, while others concentrate solely on competition and exhibition. Each style offers a different approach to the common problems of self-defense, health and self-cultivation.

Chinese martial arts can be split into various categories to differentiate them: For example, external (外家拳) and internal (内家拳).[27] Chinese martial arts can also be categorized by location, as in northern (北拳) and southern (南拳) as well, referring to what part of China the styles originated from, separated by the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang); Chinese martial arts may even be classified according to their province or city.[28] The main perceived difference about northern and southern styles is that the northern styles tend to emphasize fast and powerful kicks, high jumps and generally fluid and rapid movement, while the southern styles focus more on strong arm and hand techniques, and stable, immovable stances and fast footwork. Examples of the northern styles include Changquan and Xingyiquan. Examples of the southern styles include Bak Mei and Wing Chun. Chinese martial arts can also be divided according to religion, imitative-styles (象形拳), and more. There are distinctive differences in the training between different groups of the Chinese martial arts regardless of the type of classification.

wushu overview

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Kung fu and wushu are popular terms that have become synonymous with Chinese martial arts. However, the Chinese terms kung fu (Chinese: 功夫 pinyin: gōngfū) and wushu (traditional Chinese: 武術; simplified Chinese: 武术; pinyin: wǔshù) have very different meanings. Wushu can describe greatly varying martial arts traditions. Kung fu can be used in a context without any martial arts whatsoever. Colloquially, kung fu (or gung fu) alludes to any individual accomplishment or cultivated skill obtained by long and hard work. In contrast, wushu is a more precise term that refers to general martial activities. The term wushu has also become the name for a modern sport similar to gymnastics, involving the performance of adapted Chinese bare-handed and weapons forms (tàolù 套路) judged to a set of contemporary aesthetic criteria for points.

History

The origins of Chinese martial arts can be traced over 6,000 years ago to self-defense needs, hunting activities and military training in ancient China. Hand-to-hand combat and weapons practice were important components in the training of Chinese soldiers. From this beginning, Chinese martial arts proceeded to incorporate different philosophies and ideas into its practice—expanding its purpose from self-defense to health maintenance and finally as method of self-cultivation. Conversely, the influence of martial arts ideals in civilian society can be found in poetry, fiction, and film. Chinese martial arts are now an integral element of Chinese culture.
According to legend, the reign of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, traditional date of ascension to the throne 2698 BCE) introduced the earliest forms of martial arts to China.[4] The Yellow Emperor is described as a famous general who, before becoming China’s leader, wrote lengthy treatises on medicine, astrology and the martial arts. He allegedly developed the practice of jiao di or horn-butting and utilized it in war.

Shǒubó (手搏) kung fu, practiced during the Shang dynasty (1766–1066 BCE), and Xiang Bo (similar to Sanda) from the 600s BCE, are just two examples of ancient Chinese kung fu. In 509 BCE, Confucius suggested to Duke Ding of Lu that people practice the literary arts as well as the martial arts; thus, kung fu began to be practised by ordinary citizens external to the military and religious sects (pre-dating Shaolin by over 1,000 years). A combat wrestling system called juélì or jiǎolì (角力) is mentioned in the Classic of Rites (1st c. BCE).This combat system included techniques such as strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks. Jiao li became a sport during the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BCE). The Han History Bibliographies record that, by the Former Han (206 BCE – 8 CE), there was a distinction between no-holds-barred weaponless fighting, which it calls shǒubó (手搏), for which "how-to" manuals had already been written, and sportive wrestling, then known as juélì or jiǎolì (角力). Wrestling is also documented in the Shǐ Jì, Records of the Grand Historian, written by Sima Qian (ca. 100 BCE).

A hand-to-hand combat theory, including the integration of notions of "hard" and "soft" techniques, is expounded in the story of the Maiden of Yue in the Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue (5th c. BCE).
In the Tang Dynasty, descriptions of sword dances were immortalized in poems by Li Bai. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, xiangpu (the earliest form of sumo) contests were sponsored by the imperial courts. The modern concepts of wushu were fully developed by the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Martial arts are also mentioned in Chinese philosophy. Passages in the Zhuangzi (庄子), a Daoist text, pertain to the psychology and practice of martial arts. Zhuangzi, its eponymous author, is believed to have lived in the 4th century BCE. The Tao Te Ching, often credited to Lao Zi, is another Daoist text that contains principles applicable to martial arts. According to one of the classic texts of Confucianism, Zhou Li (周禮/周礼), Archery and charioteering were part of the "six arts" (traditional Chinese: 六藝; simplified Chinese: 六艺; pinyin: liu yi, including rites, music, calligraphy and mathematics) of the Zhou Dynasty (1122–256 BCE). The Art of War ( 孫子兵法), written during the 6th century BCE by Sun Tzu ( 孫子), deals directly with military warfare but contains ideas that are used in the Chinese martial arts. Those examples shows the ideas associated with Chinese martial arts changed with the evolving Chinese society and over time acquired a philosophical basis.

Taoist practitioners have been practicing Tao Yin, physical exercises similar to Qigong that was one of the progenitors to Tai Chi Chuan, at least since as early as 500 BCE. In 39–92 CE, "Six Chapters of Hand Fighting", were included in the Han Shu (history of the Former Han Dynasty) written by Pan Ku. Also, the noted physician, Hua Tuo, composed the "Five Animals Play"—tiger, deer, monkey, bear, and bird, around 220 BCE. Taoist philosophy and their approach to health and exercise might have influenced to certain extent the Chinese martial arts.
With regards to the Shaolin style of martial arts, the oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat is a style from 728 CE that attests to two occasions: a defense of the Shaolin Monastery from bandits around 610 CE, and their subsequent role in the defeat of Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621 CE From the 8th to the 15th centuries, there are no extant documents that provide evidence of Shaolin participation in combat। However, between the 16th and 17th centuries there are at least forty extant sources which provided evidence that, not only did monks of Shaolin practice martial arts, but martial practice had become such an integral element of Shaolin monastic life that the monks felt the need to justify it by creating new Buddhist lore.[13] References of martial arts practice in Shaolin appear in various literary genres of the late Ming: the epitaphs of Shaolin warrior monks, martial-arts manuals, military encyclopedias, historical writings, travelogues, fiction, and even poetry. However these sources do not point out to any specific style originated in Shaolin. These sources, in contrast to those from the Tang period, refer to Shaolin methods of armed combat. This include the forte of Shaolin monks and for which they had become famous — the staff (Gun, pronounced as juen).The Ming General Qi Jiguang included description of Shaolin Quan fa (Pinyin quánfǎ or Wade-Giles ch'üan2 fa3, 拳法 "fist principles") and staff techniques in his book, Ji Xiao Xin Shu (紀效新書) that title can be translated as "New Book Recording Effective Techniques". When this book spread to East Asia, it had a great influence on the development of martial arts in regions such as Okinawa and Korea.

The fighting styles that are practiced today were developed over the centuries, after having incorporated forms that came into existence later. Some of these include Bagua, Drunken Boxing, Eagle Claw, Five Animals, Hsing I, Hung Gar, Lau Gar, Monkey, Tiger, Bak Mei Pai, Praying Mantis, Fujian White Crane, Wing Chun and Tai Chi Chuan.
The present view of Chinese martial arts are strongly influenced by the events of the Republican Period (1912–1949). In the transition period between the fall of the Qing Dynasty as well as the turmoils of the Japanese invasion and the Chinese Civil War, Chinese martial arts became more accessible to the general public as many martial artists were encouraged to openly teach their art. At that time, some considered martial arts as a means to promote national pride and build a strong nation. As a result, many martial arts training manuals (拳谱) were published, a training academy was created, 2 National examinations were organized as well as demonstration teams travelled overseas [15] and numerous martial arts associations were formed throughout China and in various oversea Chinese communities. The Central Guoshu Academy (Zhongyang Guoshuguan, 中央國術館/中央国术馆) established by the National Government in 1928[16] and the Jing Wu Athletic Association (精武體育會/精武体育会) founded by Huo Yuanjia in 1910 are examples of organizations that promoted a systematic approach for training in Chinese martial arts. A series of provincial and national competitions were organized by the Republican government starting in 1932 to promote Chinese martial arts. In 1936, at the 11th Olympic Games in Berlin, a group of Chinese martial artists demonstrated their art to an international audience for the first time. Eventually, those events lead to the popular view of martial arts as a sport.

Chinese martial arts started to spread internationally with the end of the Chinese Civil War and the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Many well known martial art practitioners chose to escape from the PRC's rule and migrate to Taiwan, Hong Kong,[20] and other parts of the world. Those masters started to teach within the overseas Chinese communities but eventually they expanded their teachings to include people from other cultures.
Within China, the practice of traditional martial arts was discouraged during the turbulent years of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1969–1976). Like many other aspects of traditional Chinese life, martial arts was subjected to a radical transformation by the People's Republic of China in order to align it with Maoist revolutionary doctrine. The PRC promoted the committee-regulated sport of Wushu as a replacement to independent schools of martial arts. This new competition sport was disassociated from what was seen as the potentially subversive self-defense aspects and family lineages of Chinese martial arts. Rhetorically, they also encouraged the use of the term "Kuoshu" (or Guoshu meaning "the arts of the nation"), rather than the colloquial term gongfu, in an effort to more closely associate Chinese martial arts with national pride rather than individual accomplishment. In 1958, the government established the All-China Wushu Association as an umbrella organization to regulate martial arts training. The Chinese State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports took the lead in creating 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. The suppression of traditional teaching was relaxed during the Era of Reconstruction (1976–1989), as Communist ideology became more accommodating to alternative viewpoints.[ In 1979, the State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports created a special task force to reevaluate the 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 the People's Republic of China.[ Changing government policies and attitudes towards sports in general lead to the closing of the State Sports Commission (the central sports authority) in 1998. This closure is viewed as an attempt to partially de-politicize organized sports and move Chinese sport policies towards a more market-driven approach. As a result of these changing sociological factors within China, both traditional styles and modern Wushu approaches are being promoted by the Chinese government.