Wushu (武術 or 武术; pinyin: wǔshù) literally means "martial art". It is the correct term for the more commonly known but misused term kung fu, which roughly translates to "skill" and refers specifically to the energy, feeling and effort expended in doing or making something. A craftsman or artisan could be said to have good "kung fu" in the way in which they carry out their craft. In the same way, a wushu practitioner can also be said to have good "kung fu" with their Wushu practice. All categories of Chinese martial arts, traditional, contemporary, hard and soft, can be called Wushu. Today, the terms "modern wushu" or "contemporary wushu" refer to forms that are practiced for health, exhibition and competition. Common "hard" or external styles of contemporary Wushu are southern fist, Nanquan and long fist, Changquan. Common "soft" or internal styles are Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan. Pinyin (拼音, pīnyīn) literally means join (together) sounds (a less literal translation being phoneticize, spell or transcription) in Chinese and usually refers to Hànyǔ Pīnyīn (汉语拼音, literal meaning: Han language pinyin), which is a system of romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration to roman script) for Standard Mandarin used in the... Alternative meaning: Kung Fu (TV series) Kung fu or gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. ... Chinese martial arts, often abbreviated as CMA, refers to the enormous variety of martial art styles native to China. ... Nei chia (內家, pinyin nèi jiā Internal Family) denotes the internal, or soft style family of Chinese martial arts, in distinction to the wai chia (外家, wài jiā) or hard style school, which is associated especially with Shaolin Chüan (Shaolinquan) and its many derivatives. ... Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (from Chinese 太极拳 Tàijíquán, literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent... Bagua zhang (八卦掌 in pinyin: bā guà zhǎng) (Pa Kua Chang, Bagua Quan, Pa kua chüan, Bagua, Pakua, Pakua boxing) is one of the three major internal Chinese martial arts, the other two of which are Xingyiquan (形意拳) and Taijiquan (太極拳). ... Hsing Yi, (形意拳, Hanyu Pinyin: Xíngyì Quán, Wade-Giles: Hsing-i Chüan, literally Form and Thought Boxing) all refer to a northern Chinese martial art tradition attributed to the legendary Chinese General Yue Fei (岳飛) around 1100 AD. Hsing Yi claims to specialize in deceptively soft, linear, low attacks...

Wushu is practiced in forms (taolu in Chinese), which are comprised of basic movements, (stances, kicks, punches, balances, jumps and sweeps), particular to each style and can be changed for competitions to highlight ones strengths. Competitive forms can vary in length from 1 minute, 30 seconds for the hard styles to over 5 minutes for internal styles.

History

Although there are a multitude of different Wushu styles which originate from a multitude of different sources, it is generally accepted that one of the earliest forms of Wushu can be traced to the Loyang Shaolin temple in Henan province. According to legend, the monk Bodhidharma (who also brought Chan buddhism to China) stayed there to teach the monks self-defence and bodily exercise techniques, which he apparently invented by meditating in a nearby cave for a long period of time. Later on, the basic exercises were complemented by more complicated routines, and the style spread eastwards and south, evolving eventually into hundreds of different styles and routines - amongst them Korean Taekwondo and Okinawan Karate. Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: 洛阳; Traditional Chinese: 洛陽; pinyin: Luòyáng) is a city in Henan province, China. ... The Shaolin temples (少林寺; pinyin: Shàolín Sì, Wade-Giles: Shao-lin Ssŭ) are a group of Chinese Buddhist monasteries famed for their long association with Chán (Japanese Zen) Buddhism and martial arts. ... Not to be confused with the unrelated provinces of Hainan and Hunan Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin: Hénán; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... Self-defense usually refers to the use of violence to protect oneself and is a possible justification for this otherwise illegal act. ... Taekwondo or Tae Kwon Do is the Korean national sport and martial art, and is also one of the worlds most commonly practiced sports. ... Okinawan may refer to: The languages or dialects of Okinawa (see: Ryukyuan languages, Okinawan language) The people of Okinawa (see: Ryukyuans) Of or relating to Okinawa This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Karate or karate-do (空手道) is a martial art, based on Chinese kung fu, categorized by some as budo, introduced to the Japanese main islands from Okinawa in 1922. ...

Translation

The word wushu consists of two Chinese characters. 武 (wǔ), meaning martial or military, and 術 (shù), which translates into art, skill or method. Together these form "wǔshù" or "martial art". To be more precise, the first character 武 (wǔ) is actually a combination of two other characters: 止 (zhǐ) and 戈 (gē). The first means to stop or halt something, and the latter symbolizes an ancient Chinese weapon similar to a spear (notice that the stroke symbolizing a dagger on the side of the character 戈 is shelved). Because of this, many consider a more detailed translation of wushu to be "method to stop weapon" or "the art of stopping violence", more similar to the Western term self-defense. This aspect plays a major role in the philosophies that are present in many Chinese martial arts, which emphasize that the best way to defeat an enemy is to do so without fighting, and that the easiest way to not fight is to avoid situations that might lead to any fighting at all. Various styles of Chinese calligraphy. ... A spear is an ancient weapon, used for hunting and war. ... Self-defense usually refers to the use of violence to protect oneself and is a possible justification for this otherwise illegal act. ...

Styles of Wushu

As said before, there still exist literally hundreds of different styles and schools of Wushu in China, but generally they can be divided into a few distinct branches. Geographically, Wushu can be divided into Northern Shaolin-style Wushu and Southern Shaolin-style Wushu, mainly corresponding to either the Northern Shaolin temple or the Southern Shaolin temple, although nowadays the terms cover all kinds of styles originating either from the north or the south. The main difference about these two are that the Northern styles tend to emphazise kicks, jumps and generally fluid and rapid movement, as the Southern styles focus more on strong arm and hand techniques, and stable, immovable stances and footwork. Examples of the Northern styles include Changquan and the sword and broadsword routines used in contemporary Wushu competitions, and examples of the Southern styles include Nanquan, Houquan (monkey style) and Wing Chun. Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but the wushu event is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. ... Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China (i. ... Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春; pinyin: ; Jyutping: wing4 ceon1), also spelled Ving Tsun, is a Chinese martial arts system with an emphasis on unarmed close-range fighting, although it includes weapon techniques and techniques suitable for various ranges. ...

Methodistically, Wushu can be divided into either the External styles, which include most of the Wushu styles in existence, and the Internal styles, which number only a few, Taijiquan being the most famous one. External styles are more traditional fighting arts, with emphasis on strength, speed, explosive power and stamina. Internal styles focus in the precise control of movements, the balance of bodily energies and the concept of Qi (same as the Japanese Ki), the life energy supposedly flowing through every human being. As said above, External styles include all other types of Wushu, except for Taijiquan, Xingyiquan and Baguazhang. Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (from Chinese 太极拳 Tàijíquán, literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent... See Qi (disambiguation) for other meanings of Qi. Qi in English is often spelled as chi or chi. ... KI or ki can refer to: The Japanese word ki 気, from Chinese Qi, the originally Chinese cultural concept meaning life force or spiritual energy. See main article: Qi The Kikuyu language (ISO 639 alpha-2, ki) Kiribati (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code, KI) This is a disambiguation... Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (from Chinese 太极拳 Tàijíquán, literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent... Hsing Yi, (形意拳, Hanyu Pinyin: Xíngyì Quán, Wade-Giles: Hsing-i Chüan, literally Form and Thought Boxing) all refer to a northern Chinese martial art tradition attributed to the legendary Chinese General Yue Fei (岳飛) around 1100 AD. Hsing Yi claims to specialize in deceptively soft, linear, low attacks... Bagua zhang (八卦掌 in pinyin: bā guà zhǎng) (Pa Kua Chang, Bagua Quan, Pa kua chüan, Bagua, Pakua, Pakua boxing) is one of the three major internal Chinese martial arts, the other two of which are Xingyiquan (形意拳) and Taijiquan (太極拳). ...

There is also a third division in styles, that being the division to either Contemporary Wushu or Traditional Wushu, which are discussed in more detail below.

Contemporary Wushu

Wushu, modern wushu, and contemporary wushu often refer to the modern recompilations of traditional wushu forms created in the People's Republic of China. These are practiced as a demonstration sport, much like gymnastics, and judged and given points according to specific rules. Originally practiced just in the PRC, the contemporary wushu forms have now spread all over the world through the International Wushu Federation, which holds the World Championships of Wushu every two years; the first World Championships were held in 1991 in Beijing. Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, and kinaesthetic awareness, such as handsprings and handstands. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Beijing  listen (Chinese: 北京; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Pei-ching; ; Postal System Pinyin: Peking), is the capital city of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Similar to gymnastics, there are separate events, the main ones being:

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

• Short Weapons
  • 刀 Dao (Broadsword)
  • 劍 Jian (Straightsword)
  • 太極劍 Taijijian (Taiji Straightsword)
  • 南刀 Nandao (Southern Broadsword)

• Long Weapons
  • 棍 Gun (Staff)
  • 槍 Qiang (Spear)
  • 南棍 Nangun (Southern Staff)

Most events were first set up in 1958. Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but the wushu event is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. ... Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China (i. ... Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (from Chinese 太极拳 Tàijíquán, literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent... Chinese Saber Dao 刀 (Py dāo, Wade-Giles tao1) is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabers), often called broadswords in English because some varieties have wide blades. ... Jian (劍 Pinyin jiàn (jian4), Wade-Giles chien4, Cantonese gim, Korean kim, Japanese ken) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. ... Gun (棍 pinyin gùn) refers to a long Chinese staff weapon slightly less tall than the user with his arms stretched up. ... Gun (棍 pinyin gùn) refers to a long Chinese staff weapon slightly less tall than the user with his arms stretched up. ... 1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), 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 practiced from a young age. Chaquan (查拳), sometimes pronounced Zhaquan, is a style of Chinese martial arts. ... Shaolin Quan or Shaolin Chüan (少林拳) (in Cantonese Siu Lum Kuen) is the term typically used to describe the Chinese martial arts that originate from the famous Buddhist Shaolin Temple and monastery at Songshan in Henan, founded in 495 by Tamo. ... Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but the wushu event is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. ...

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. Length 6,380 km Elevation of the source  ? m Average discharge 31,900 m³/s Area watershed 1,800,000 km² Origin Qinghai Province and Tibet Mouth East China Sea Basin countries China The Chang Jiang (Simplified Chinese: 长江; Traditional Chinese: 長江; pinyin: Cháng Jiāng; Wade-Giles: Chang Chiang... Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China (i. ... Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but the wushu event is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. ...

Taijiquan is a wushu style famous for slow, relaxed movements, and often seen as an exercise method for old people. This wushu form is a modern recompilization based on the Yang (楊) style of Taijiquan, but also including movements of the Chen (陳), Wu (吳), Wu (武), and Sun (孫) styles. Yang style (楊家) Tai Chi Chüan in its many variations is the most popular and widely practised style in the world today and the second in terms of seniority among the primary five family styles of Tai Chi. ... Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (from Chinese 太极拳 Tàijíquán, literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent... The Chen style (陳氏) is considered to be the senior branch of the five Tai Chi Chuan family styles and the third in terms of popularity. ... The Wu style (吳家) Tai Chi Chuan of Wu Chuan-yü (Quanyou) and Wu Chien-chüan (Jianquan) is the second most popular form of Tai Chi Chuan in the world today, after the Yang style, and fourth in terms of family seniority. ... The Wu or Wu/Hao style (武家 or 武/郝家) of Tai Chi Chüan is a separate family style from the more popular Wu style (吳家) of Wu Chien-chüan. ... Sun style (孫家) Tai Chi Chüan was developed by Sun Lu-tang (孫祿堂, 1861-1932), who was considered expert in two other internal martial arts styles: Hsing-i Chuan (Xingyiquan) and Pa Kua Chang (Baguazhang) before he came to study Tai Chi. ...

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). Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but the wushu event is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ...

Jian refers to any double-edged straight sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the jian. Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but the wushu event is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. ... Jian (劍 Pinyin jiàn (jian4), Wade-Giles chien4, Cantonese gim, Korean kim, Japanese ken) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. ...

Gun refers to a long staff slightly less tall than the user with his arms stretched up, but this wushu form is a Changquan method of using the gun. Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but the wushu event is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. ...

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. Changquan refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan (查拳), Huaquan (華拳), Hongquan (洪拳), and Shaolinquan (少林拳), but the wushu event is a modern style derived from movements of these and other traditional styles. ... The Qiang (羌) people are an ethnic group. ...

Taijijian is an event using the jian based on traditional Taijiquan jian methods. Jian (劍 Pinyin jiàn (jian4), Wade-Giles chien4, Cantonese gim, Korean kim, Japanese ken) is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. ... Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan (from Chinese 太极拳 Tàijíquán, literally supreme ultimate fist), commonly known as Tai Chi or Taiji, is a nei chia (internal) Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent...

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. Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China (i. ...

Nangun is a Nanquan method of using the gun. This event was created in 1992. Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China (i. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

These events are performed using compulsory or individual routines in competition. Compulsory routines are those routines that have been already created for the athlete, resulting in each athlete performing basically the same set. Individual routines are routines that an athlete creates with the aid of his/her coach, while following certain rules for difficulty, number of acrobatics, etc.

Previously international wushu competitions most often used compulsory routines, while high-level competitions in China most often used individual routines. However, after the 2003 Wushu World Games in Macau it was decided to opt for individual routines in international competition with nandu (difficulty movements) added for additional point bonuses.

There is some controversey concerning the inclusion of nandu in wushu because many of the movements created for the specific events are not originally movements used in those styles. In addition the number of injuries which have resulted from the inclusion of these nandu have caused many people to question their inclusion.

Those who support the new difficulty requirements follow the assertion that they help to progress the sport and improve the overall physical quality of the athletes.

Another modern form of wushu is called sanda (sometimes called sanshou), which is a modern fighting method and sport influenced by both traditional Chinese boxing and wrestling methods and methods of other countries. Sanda appears much like kickboxing or Muay Thai, but includes many more throwing techniques. Sanda fighting competitions are often held alongside taolu or form competitions. San Shou (散手) or San-Da (散打) is a relatively new martial art, which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon intense study of various traditional methods. ... San Shou (散手) or San-Da (散打) is a relatively new martial art, which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon intense study of various traditional methods. ... Sanda can mean: Sanda, Hyogo, the city in Japan Sanda, Scotland, the island in Scotland Sanda is also another name for san shou. ... Muay Thai (Thai มวยไทย, IPA /muai32 tʰai32/)means Thai Boxing. ...

The IWuF's bid to have wushu included in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing has not met with success, however it is still the hope of wushu practitioners around the world to see it included in the Olympic games at some point in the future. For months before the Olympic Games, runners relay the Olympic Flame from Olympia to the opening ceremony. ...

Traditional Wushu

The term "Traditional Wushu" refers to every other style and school of Wushu not included in the Contemporary Wushu list above. Traditional routines are also used in competition in events separate from the compulsory and individual routine events, especially in China. The routines used are often new, modernized recompilations of traditional styles. Some of the more commonly seen styles include:

• Xingyiquan (形意拳) - Shape-Intent Fist
• Baguazhang (八卦掌) - Eight-Trigrams Palm
• Bajiquan (八極拳) - Eight Extremes Fist
• Fanziquan (翻子拳) - Overturning Fist
• Chuojiao (戳腳) - Poking Feet
• Tongbeiquan (通背拳) - Through-the-Back Fist
• Piguaquan (劈掛拳) - Chop-Hitch Fist
• Chaquan (查拳) - Cha Fist
• Huaquan (華拳) - Hua Fist
• Paoquan (炮拳) - Cannon Fist
• Houquan (猴拳) - Monkey Fist
• Tanglangquan (螳螂拳) - Praying Mantis Fist
• Ditangquan (地躺拳) - Ground-Prone Fist
• Zuijiuquan (醉酒拳) - Drunken Fist
• Yingzhaoquan (鷹爪拳) - Eagle Claw Fist
• Shequan (蛇拳) - Snake Fist

Similarly, there is also a traditional weapons category, which often includes the following: Hsing Yi, (形意拳, Hanyu Pinyin: Xíngyì Quán, Wade-Giles: Hsing-i Chüan, literally Form and Thought Boxing) all refer to a northern Chinese martial art tradition attributed to the legendary Chinese General Yue Fei (岳飛) around 1100 AD. Hsing Yi claims to specialize in deceptively soft, linear, low attacks... Bagua zhang (八卦掌 in pinyin: bā guà zhǎng) (Pa Kua Chang, Bagua Quan, Pa kua chüan, Bagua, Pakua, Pakua boxing) is one of the three major internal Chinese martial arts, the other two of which are Xingyiquan (形意拳) and Taijiquan (太極拳). ... Bajiquan (literally eight extremes fist) is a style of wushu (Chinese martial arts). ... Chaquan (查拳), sometimes pronounced Zhaquan, is a style of Chinese martial arts. ... The Praying Mantis system of Kung Fu (蟷螂拳 Tanglangquan) was created by Master Wang Lang (王郎) over 350 years ago in the Shandong (山東) province of China. ...

• 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

Many more weapons and styles exist apart from those mentioned above; in total, the whole of Wushu contains probably over one hundred different minor or major styles.

Famous Wushu Practicioners

Probably the two most famous Wushu practicioners in the world are Jet Li (李連杰) and Jackie Chan. Jet Li started Wushu as a competition sport, and gained fame as a five-time national champion of China; he is now a famous movie star who uses his wushu skills onscreen. Many of his old teammates have also appeared onscreen with him, especially in his older movies. Jackie Chan never practiced wushu as a competitive sport; he was a Beijing opera performer as a child, and learned his basic wushu skills there. He also became a famous movie star through Hong Kong-produced kung fu movies. As with Jet Li, several of his fellow practicioners have gained fame on-screen as wushu performers, including actor Samo Hung. Jet Li Jet Li (Traditional Chinese: 李連杰, Simplified Chinese: 李连杰, Gwohngdongwa pengyam: Ley5 Lin4 Git6, pinyin: Lǐ Liánjié, Wade-Giles: Li Lien-chieh) (born April 26, 1963) is a martial artist and film actor. ... Jackie Chan, born Chan Kong-sang on April 7, 1954, is a Hong Kong martial artist, film actor, director and stuntman. ... Jackie Chan, born Chan Kong-sang on April 7, 1954, is a Hong Kong martial artist, film actor, director and stuntman. ... In Beijing, September 2002 Beijing opera or Peking opera (京剧, pinyin: Jīngj is a kind of Chinese opera which arose in the mid-19th century and was extremely popular in the Qing dynasty court. ... Sammo Hung ( Chinese: 洪金寶; pinyin: ; Cantonese: Hung4 Gam1 Bou2) (born January 7, 1952) is a Kung Fu movies actor and director. ...