Chinese martial arts are an organic component of the Chinese culture . They reflect the entire Chinese cultural characteristics from one aspect .
Chinese martial arts have a long history , converging Chinese philosophy , medicine , military strategy , techniques , education , aesthetics , etc ., and mirroring the character and sagacity of the Chinese people . The Chinese martial arts pay great attention to mental activities in fighting . They stress that mind should guide breath , breath should guide the motions of the body , that hands , eyes and pacing , spirit , breath and force , ferociousness and agility , the external and the internal , all should be coordinated , and that motions should be changeful and rhythmic . In addition , they tress winning through cunning and through taking advantage of the opponent’s momentums , keeping the foothold firm , the waist nimble and the head safe . The martial arts practices do not mind to retreat a step first so as to be justified , advantageous and well controlled . The martial arts practices hit surely , accurately and forcefully , but put sureness in the first place .
The shaping of the Chinese martial arts results from three sources ; philosophy and science , technical development and tutoring . The Chinese classic philosophy is the principle of the Chinese martial arts . The classic military stratagems are their contesting principles . The traditional medicine is their exercising principle . The technical development of the Chinese martial arts corresponds with the development of the classic culture and technique , 
particularly with the development of combating methods , artistic interests and hygiene . They underwent three phases . The first phase was the phase of bravery , based on strength and bravery; the second phase was the phase of martial skills , based on tactics and skills; the third phase is the phase of martial arts exercises based on standardization and stylization .
The course of the first phase involves blending ancient health preserving technique with fighting and grappling technique .
The course of the second phase involves typifying some fighting and grappling moves , and combining them with the art of dancing and acrobatics .
The course of the third phase involves combining body training with mind training , and adopting a set of 
“personality cultivating” technique to “coordinate body and mind”.
The top concern of the Chinese martial arts is to settle the relationship between the body and the mind . They stress the “external exercises for bones and muscles and the internal exercises for breath” All the schools of martial arts stress “presence of mind , breath and strength” , so as to equilibrate Yin & Yang , regulate breath and blood , smoothen channels and collaterals , and build up body and strength . They settle the relationship between “form and content” of martial arts by settling the relationship between mind and body and the relationship between oneself and his opponent . They all stress “changing according to different opponents” , and “getting opportunities through defending” .
The functions of the martial arts in fighting are : defending oneself against the opponent , checking the attacks and winning the fight . On the level of philosophy , the marital arts stress “unification of man and nature” , i. e. , the 
unification of existence and nonexistence , acting and stopping , Yin and Yang , mind and things , the subjective and objective , and the objective law and the subjective dynamism . On the social level , the martial arts stress cultivation of mind and personality , awareness of the natural law and complacency . They thus break all prejudices with regard to winning and losing and to successes and failures , and take a calm , “game” attitude . In fighting , the exercisers of the martial arts play calmly as in a game , with a free and initiative attitude . Therefore , the Chinese martial arts are not simply a sport event or a fighting technique , but are thinking , a style , life attitude and personality cultivation . In a contest with an opponent the Chinese martial arts exercisers not only take a great care about the moves , and exertion of force , but also take a great care about his own temperament and mind , with a martial arts spirit transcending mere technique .
