Chinese martial arts are traditional sports that have developed over a long period of time. The unique features of these arts as suggested by Taoism are conquering the hard with the mild, bigger force by the smaller one and turn slow speed into a faster one. People from ancient china discovered some very useful techniques to attack and self defence as punching and kicking even in exceedingly antagonistic situations. In order of exercising these techniques they were also aware of dealing with the weapons bare handedly which could have been used against them. The Chinese martial arts emerged as very popular mode of fighting over a long period of time and several experts contributed in the flourishing of these arts in china. This paper discusses one of the Chinese martial arts, Wushu and discusses several related aspects.
Wushu has a great importance in the history of china and its significance in the china is more than a technique of self defence, physical fitness, longevity or a martial art. Wushu is closely associated with the philosophical, social systems of china and its connection with Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism is centuries old. Traditional wushu is a mixture of military and folk wushu however in earlier time the military aspect of the art was more popular. Military and folk wushu had different features and practiced by different classes of people. Practical training of Wushu is assumed to be started during Zhou Dynasty which included all the essential skills like muscle exercise, fencing, arms training etc. Eight Methods of Shaolin were also introduced in this era along with the several forms of armed training.
The wushu is traditional in real terms and in ancient times fathers used to teach their sons and this way it was transferred from one generation to next generation. The basic principle of wushu is to use the internal force against the external power for self defence and this is what has been taught by the wushu experts to their pupils. The central part of wushu is the supposition of "Tai-chi, yin and yang, five elements along with the eight hexagrams. Wushu has contributed in developing Chinese medical sciences, educational system, culture, agricultural, personal and social skills. wushu has emerged now as an international sport after the formation of international wushu federation in the year of 1990. This wushu is a combination of two regulations taolu and sanda. Taolu follows martial art patterns and consists of movements like kicks, punches, and throws. However Sanda is a modern fighting method, influenced by ancient Chinese boxing which has all the combat aspects of wushu. Sanda almost appears like Kickboxing but is equipped with several additional and wrestling techniques. The federation organizes the championships and trained players from across the china and abroad participates in this tournament.
After having observed the abovementioned discussion, it is good to conclude saying that wushu has huge significance in the history of china. It has affected almost every area of Chinese people and the society. This art or sport is a result of a number of developments, practices performed by several generations over a long period of time and has been transferred to newer generations from their elders. It carries a great massage, especially for the Chinese people.
References
Dingbo Wu and Patrick D. Murphy. (1994). Handbook of Chinese popular culture. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Frantzis, B. (2007). The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I. Berkeley: Blue Snake Books.
