Most visitors to China are deeply impressed by the tremendous popularity of wushu in this country. Going out early in the morning, they can see people doing this traditional form of exercise barehanded or with weapons in parks and on roadside open grounds. Marked by callisthenic beauty and rhythm and suggestive of real fighting, their movements follow set patterns that are designed more for health-building than for self defence.
Historical Sketch
Wushu, which literally means "martial arts" and is sometimes called "kungfu" abroad, may be traced back to pre-historical times when our ancestors had to fight against wild animals and among themselves for existence and subsistence. In the course of tribal strikes, they came to realize that in order to overwhelm their enemies, they must not only have good weapons, but also improve their fitness and skills of fighting through intensive training in times of peace. This led to the development of various forms of martial arts down through the ages. The warriors under Chiyou, who waged tribal wars on the legendary Yellow Emperor, created a kind of military drill called jiaodi, in which they charged at each other with horns on their heads. Another type of contest then prevalent was known as ganqiwu, in which the contestants fought with an axe in one hand and a shield in the other. In the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century--221 BC), wrestling was listed as a military sport alongside archery and chariot racing. Swordplay was also very popular at that time. Emperor Zhongwen, who ruled the Kingdom of Zhao in 298-266 BC, was so fascinated with the game that he kept in his court 3,000 guests who "competed in swordsmanship day and night." In the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), a " famous physician named Hua Tuo (died 208) created a set of fitness exercises mimicking the movements of the tiger, the deer, the bear, the ape and the bird. Known as wuqinxi (Five-Animal Play), it helped "limber up the body and stimulate appetite." Hua's disciple Wu Pu, a devotee of wuqinxi, was said "to have sound teeth and unfailing sight and hearing even when he was well into his eighties." Another disciple named Fan A lived to the age of over one hundred. Hua's inventive work had a far-reaching influence on China's health-oriented exercises in later ages. The court examination system initiated in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) gave a powerful impetus to the advancement of wushu. All officers and soldiers must pass martial arts tests before they could be promoted. Honorary titles, such as "Warrior of Courage" and "Warrior of Agility," were conferred on outstanding masters of wushu. Both the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties witnessed the emergence of numerous new styles and schools of wushu, including taijiguan which was created more than 300 years ago and has a massive following today.
The development of wushu however, was by no means plain sailing. While the feudal rulers found it useful as a means of strengthening their military power, they grudged the people access to it for fear that they might use it in rebellions. Some emperors even forbade civilians to possess any kind of weapon, and wushu groups and societies could only exist in secret. Many wushu masters were forced to hire themselves out as bodyguards of the moneyed class, or scrape a living by performing in the streets, wandering from place to place and enduring hardships and humiliation. Steeped in centuries-old feudal society, Wushu inevitably took on a mystic and superstitious tinge and sectarian bias was rampant among individuals and factions.
A New Epoch
The founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 marked the beginning of a new epoch in the history of wushu. Under the guiding principles of "making the past serve the present" and "letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend," fruitful efforts have been made to unearth and polish this gem of cultural heritage. Old styles and routines have been salvaged from extinction and new ones evolved with innovative efforts. Wushu has been adopted as an official competitive sport and contests are frequently held at national and local levels. It is included in the physical training programmes of primary and secondary schools. Wushu personnel is trained at special classes run by spare-time sports schools and colleges of physical education. Charts and booklets introducing simplified wushu exercises have been published in millions of copies.
