Wushu (sport) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The sport of wushu is both an exhibition and a full-contact sport

Sport

A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

derived from traditional Chinese martial arts

Chinese martial arts

Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...

. It was created in the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

after 1949, in an attempt to nationalize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts. Most of the modern competition forms (套路 taolu) were formed from their parent arts (see list below) by government-appointed committees. In contemporary times, wushu has become an international

International

----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...

sport through the International Wushu Federation

International Wushu Federation

The International Wushu Federation is an international sport organization established on October 3, 1990 in Beijing, China during the 11th Asian summer Games to promote competitive Wushu...

(IWUF), which holds the World Wushu Championships

World Wushu Championships

The World Wushu Championships are held every two years and are organised by the International Wushu Federation . This official international Wushu competition sees many countries from around the world participating...

every two years; the first World Championships were held in 1991 in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

and won by Yuan Wen Qing.

Competitive wushu is composed of two disciplines: taolu (套路; forms) and sanda (散打; sparring

Sparring

Sparring is a form of training common to many martial arts. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively 'free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to make injuries unlikely...

) Taolu 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 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 martial arts

, Chinese wrestling methods called Shuai jiao

Shuai jiao

Shuai jiao is the general Mandarin Chinese term for wrestling. As a generic name, it may be used to cover various styles of wrestling practised in China in the form of a martial arts system or a sport. The narrower term pertains to wrestling styles of the North China Plain...

and other Chinese grappling techniques such as Chin Na

Chin Na

Chin Na or Qinna is a Chinese term describing techniques used in the Chinese martial arts that control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons so he cannot move, thus neutralizing the opponent's fighting ability...

. It has all the combat aspects of wushu. Sanda appears much like Kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

or Muay Thai

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

, but includes many more grappling techniques. Sanda fighting competitions are often held alongside taolu or form competitions.

History

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. In 1979, the State Commission for Physical Culture and Sports created a special task force to teaching and practice of Wushu. Wushu literally means "martial methods". 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 Master Yanlong Li 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

Market

A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...

-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

Government of the People's Republic of China

All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...

Events

Barehanded
- 長拳 Changquan
  Changquan
  Chángquán refers to a family of external martial arts styles from northern China.The forms of the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by appearance would be considered a long-range fighting system...
  
  (Long Fist)
- 南拳 Nanquan (Southern Fist)
- 太極拳 Taijiquan (or T'ai chi ch'uan) (Taiji
  Taiji
  Taiji 太極 is a Chinese cosmological term for the "Supreme Ultimate" state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potentiality, contrasted with the Wuji 無極 "Without Ultimate"...
  
  Fist)

Short Weapons
- 刀 Dao
  Dao (sword)
  Daois a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping , often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the gun , qiang , and the jian , and referred...
  
  (knife)
- 劍 Jian
  Jian
  The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BCE during the Spring and Autumn Period; one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.Historical one-handed versions have blades...
  
  (double-edged sword)
- 南刀 Nandao
  Nandao
  Nandao is a kind of sword that is nowadays used mostly in contemporary Chinese wushu exercises and forms. It is the southern variation of the "northern broadsword", or Beidao. Its blade bears some resemblance to the butterfly sword, also a southern Chinese single-bladed weapon; the main difference...
  
  (Southern single-edged sword)
- 太極劍 Taijijian
  Taijijian
  Taijijian is a straight two-edged sword used in the training of the Chinese martial art Taijiquan. The straight sword, sometimes with a tassel and sometimes not, is used for upper body conditioning and martial training in traditional Taijiquan schools...
  
  (Taiji double-edged sword)

Long Weapons
- 棍 Gun
  Gun (staff)
  The Chinese word gun refers to a long Chinese staff weapon used in Chinese martial arts. It is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the qiang , dao , and the jian , called in this group "The Grandfather of all Weapons".-Variants:There are various kinds of gun, and they include the...
  
  (Staff)
- 槍 Qiang
  Qiang (spear)
  Qiang is the Chinese term for spear. Due to its relative ease of manufacture, the spear in many variations was ubiquitous on the pre-modern Chinese battlefield...
  
  (Spear)
- 南棍 Nangun
  Nangun
  The Nangun is a variation of the application of the "northern Chinese staff", which is nowadays featured in contemporary wushu exercises and forms. It is based on staff techniques coming from Southern Chinese martial arts. Its movements stresses more hitting in contrast to the cutting and...
  
  (Southern cudgel)

Most events were first set up in 1958.

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.

In addition to events for individual routines, some wushu competitions also feature dual and group events. The dual event, also called duilian (对练), is an event in which there is some form of sparring with weapons, or without weapons or even using bare hands against weapons. The dual event is usually spectacular and actions are choreographed beforehand. The group event, also known as jiti (集体), requires a group of people to perform together and smooth synchronization of actions are crucial. Usually, the group event also allows instrumental music to accompany the choreography during the performance. The carpet used for the group event is also larger than the one used for individual routines.

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

Macau

Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

it was decided to opt for individual routines in international competition with nandu (难度; difficulty movements) integrating a maximum 2 point nandu score into the overall maximum score of 10.

There is some controversy 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.

Main events

Changquan
Changquan
Chángquán refers to a family of external martial arts styles from northern China.The forms of the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by appearance would be considered a long-range fighting system...

refers to long-range extended wushu styles like Chaquan

Chaquán

Chāquán is a Chinese martial art that features graceful movements and some acrobatic aerial maneuvers.Chāquán also includes a large range of weapons....

(查拳), Huaquan

Huaquan

Huaquan is a style of Long Fist Kung Fu which is believed to have originated in the Former Song Dynasty around the Hua Shan area of Shanxi Province...

(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

Changquan

Chángquán refers to a family of external martial arts styles from northern China.The forms of the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by appearance would be considered a long-range fighting system...

is the most widely-seen of the wushu forms, and includes speed, power,accuracy, and flexibility. Changquan is difficult to perform, requiring great flexibility and athleticism, and is often practiced from a young age.

Nanquan refers to wushu styles originating in south China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

(i.e., south of the Yangtze River

Yangtze River

The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...

, including Hongjiaquan

Hung Gar

Hung Ga 洪家, Hung Kuen 洪拳, or Hung Ga Kuen 洪家拳 is a southern Chinese martial art associated with the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei Hung, who was a master of Hung Ga....

(Hung Gar) (洪家拳), Cailifoquan (Choy Li Fut) (蔡李佛拳), and Yongchunquan

Wing Chun

Wing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...

(Wing Chun) (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

Changquan

, but it also requires greater leg stability and power generation through leg and hip coordination. This event was created in 1960.

Taijiquan (T'ai chi ch'uan) is a wushu style famous for slow, relaxed movements, often seen as an exercise method for the elderly, and sometimes known as "T'ai chi" in Western countries to those otherwise unfamiliar with wushu. This wushu form is a modern recompilation based on the Yang (楊) style of Taijiquan, but also including movements of the Chen (陳), Wu

Wu style tai chi chuan

The Wu family-style t'ai chi ch'uan of Wu Ch'uan-yu and Wu Chien-ch'uan is the second most popular form of t'ai chi ch'uan in the world today, after the Yang style, and fourth in terms of family seniority. This style is different from the Wu style of t'ai chi ch'uan founded by Wu Yu-hsiang...

(吳), Wu (武), and Sun (孫) styles.

Dao
Dao (sword)
Daois a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping , often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the gun , qiang , and the jian , and referred...

refers to any curved, one-sided sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan

Changquan

method of using a medium-sized willow-leaf-shaped dao

Dao (sword)

Daois a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping , often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. In China, the dao is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the gun , qiang , and the jian , and referred...

(柳葉刀).

Jian
Jian
The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BCE during the Spring and Autumn Period; one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.Historical one-handed versions have blades...

refers to any double-edged straight sword/blade, but this wushu form is a Changquan

Changquan

method of using the jian

Jian

The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BCE during the Spring and Autumn Period; one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.Historical one-handed versions have blades...

.

Gun
Gun (staff)
The Chinese word gun refers to a long Chinese staff weapon used in Chinese martial arts. It is known as one of the four major weapons, along with the qiang , dao , and the jian , called in this group "The Grandfather of all Weapons".-Variants:There are various kinds of gun, and they include the...

refers to a long staff (shaped from white wax wood) as tall as the wrist of a person standing with his/her arms stretched upwards, but this wushu form is a Changquan

Changquan

method of using the white wax wood staff.

Qiang
Qiang (spear)
Qiang is the Chinese term for spear. Due to its relative ease of manufacture, the spear in many variations was ubiquitous on the pre-modern Chinese battlefield...

refers to a flexible spear with red horse hair attached to the spearhead, but this wushu form is a Changquan

Changquan

method of using the qiang

Qiang (spear)

Qiang is the Chinese term for spear. Due to its relative ease of manufacture, the spear in many variations was ubiquitous on the pre-modern Chinese battlefield...

.

Taijijian
Taijijian
Taijijian is a straight two-edged sword used in the training of the Chinese martial art Taijiquan. The straight sword, sometimes with a tassel and sometimes not, is used for upper body conditioning and martial training in traditional Taijiquan schools...

is an event using the jian

Jian

based on traditional Taijiquan jian methods.

Nandao
Nandao
Nandao is a kind of sword that is nowadays used mostly in contemporary Chinese wushu exercises and forms. It is the southern variation of the "northern broadsword", or Beidao. Its blade bears some resemblance to the butterfly sword, also a southern Chinese single-bladed weapon; the main difference...

is a weapon that appears to be based on the butterfly sword

Butterfly sword

The butterfly sword is a short dāo, or single-edged blade, originally from the South of China, though it has seen use in the North.The blade of a butterfly sword is roughly as long as a human forearm, which allows for easy concealment inside loose sleeves or boots, and allows greater...

s 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
Nangun
The Nangun is a variation of the application of the "northern Chinese staff", which is nowadays featured in contemporary wushu exercises and forms. It is based on staff techniques coming from Southern Chinese martial arts. Its movements stresses more hitting in contrast to the cutting and...

is a Nanquan method of using the staff. 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
Bajíquán
Bājíquán is a Chinese martial art that features explosive, short-range power and is famous for its elbow strikes. It originated in Hebei Province in Northern China, but is also well-known in other places today, especially Taiwan...

(八極拳) - Eight Extremes Fist/Boxing
Chaquan
Chaquán
Chāquán is a Chinese martial art that features graceful movements and some acrobatic aerial maneuvers.Chāquán also includes a large range of weapons....

(查拳) - Cha Fish/Boxing
Changquan
Changquan
Chángquán refers to a family of external martial arts styles from northern China.The forms of the Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by appearance would be considered a long-range fighting system...

(长拳)- Long fist
Chuojiao
Chuojiao
Chuōjiǎo is a Chinese martial art that comprises many jumps, kicks, and fast fist sequences. The fist and feet work in unison and strike continuously forward, like “falling meteorites”, never giving the opponent a moment to recover. The qinggong portion of this style's training involves a...

(戳腳) - Poking Feet
Ditangquan
Ditangquan
Ditangquan, is a category of martial art that originated in the Shandong Province of China during the Song Dynasty .-Style:The major characteristic of ditangquan is the ability to perform tumbles, falls, turns, somersaults and aerial acrobatics using those techniques for both offense and...

(地躺拳) - Ground-Prone Fist/Boxing
Fanziquan
Fanziquán
Fānziquán is a Chinese martial art that emphasizes offense and defense with the hands. Its movements have been described as:Fānziquán routines are usually quite short and very fast...

(翻子拳) - Tumbling Fist/Boxing
Houquan
Monkey Kung Fu
Monkey Kung Fu, or Monkey Fist , is a Chinese martial art which utilizes ape or monkey-like movements as part of its technique.There are a number of independently developed systems of monkey kung fu...

(猴拳) - Monkey Fist/Boxing
Huaquan
Huaquan
Huaquan is a style of Long Fist Kung Fu which is believed to have originated in the Former Song Dynasty around the Hua Shan area of Shanxi Province...

(華拳) - Hua Fist/Boxing
Nanquan (南拳）-Southern Fist
Paochui (炮捶) - Cannon Punch
Piguaquan
Piguaquan
Piguaquan , also known as Piguazhang due to its emphasis on palm techniques, is often practiced along with Bajiquan and is a style of wushu that features explosive, long-range power...

(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
Tongbeiquan
Tongbeiquan is a school of martial arts popular in northern China. Tongbeiquan's basic precepts are Taoist in nature and many of the training methods in Tongbeiquan are similar to those of the internal styles...

(通背拳) - Through-the-Back Fist/Boxing
Wing Chun
Wing Chun
Wing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...

(Yongchunquan) - Eternal Spring
Xingyiquan (形意拳) - Shape-Intent Fist/Boxing
Yingzhuaquan (鷹爪拳) - Eagle Claw Fist/Boxing
Zuiquan (醉酒拳) - Drunken Fist/Boxing
Tornado Poing - Tornado Fist (French Form of Wushu)

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

Changsuijian (長穗劍) - Long-Tasseled Sword
Shuangshoujian
Shuang shou jian
Shuang shou jian is a type of Chinese two-handed double-edged straight sword . These were up to 1.6 meters in length, and the two-handed handle could be used as a lever to lock the opponent's arm if necessary....

(雙手劍) - Two-Handed Sword
Jiujiebian
Chain whip
The chain whip is a weapon used in some Asian martial arts, including Chinese martial arts, in addition to modern and traditional wushu. It consists of several metal rods, which are joined end-to-end by rings to form a flexible chain. Generally, the whip has a handle at one end and a metal dart,...

(九節鞭) - Nine Section Whip
Sanjiegun (三節棍) - Three Section Staff
Shengbiao
Rope dart
The rope dart or rope javelin , also known as Jōhyō in Japanese,is one of the flexible weapons in Chinese martial arts. Other weapons in this family include the meteor hammer, flying claws, and chain whip...

(繩鏢) - Rope Dart
Dadao
Dadao
The dadao one of the varieties of dao or Chinese saber, is also known as the Chinese great sword. Based on agricultural knives, dadao have broad blades generally between two and three feet long, long hilts meant for "hand and a half" or two-handed use, and generally a weight-forward balance...

(大刀) - Great Sword
Pudao
Pudao
The Chinese weapon known as the podao was originally an edged infantry weapon which is still used for training in many Chinese martial arts. The blade of a podao is shaped like a Chinese broadsword, but the weapon has a longer handle usually around one and a half to two meters which is circular...

(撲刀) - Pu Sword
Emeici
Emeici
Emeici are a traditional Chinese martial arts weapon. They are a pair of metal rods with sharp ends used for stabbing; they are typically mounted on a detachable ring worn on the middle finger, allowing them to spin and be elaborately manipulated.These weapons originated at Mount Emei...

(峨嵋刺) - Emei Daggers
Shuangdao (雙刀) - Double Broadsword
Shuangjian
Shuangjian
Shuangjian is a township-level division situated in Bozhou, Anhui, China....

(雙劍) - Double Sword
Shuangbian (雙鞭) - Double Nine Section Whips
Shuanggou (雙鈎) - Double Hooksword

Competitions

List of major international and regional competitions featuring wushu:

World Wushu Championships
World Wushu Championships
The World Wushu Championships are held every two years and are organised by the International Wushu Federation . This official international Wushu competition sees many countries from around the world participating...
World Junior Wushu Championships
World Junior Wushu Championships
The World Junior Wushu Championships is an international wushu competition organised by the International Wushu Federation for competitors below 18 years of age. There are two categories for the taolu events - under 15 and under 18 years of age...
Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
East Asian Games
East Asian Games
The East Asian Games is a multi-sport event organised by the East Asian Games Association and held every four years since 1993 among athletes from East Asian countries and territories of the Olympic Council of Asia , as well as the Pacific island of Guam, which is a member of the Oceania National...
Southeast Asian Games
Wushu at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games
Wushu at the 2005 Southeast Asian Games took place in the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gymnasium, in Ermita, Manila, Philippines.The event was held from November 28-30.Wushu literally means "martial art"...
European Wushu Championships
European Wushu Championships
European Wushu Championships is the wushu championship organized by the European Wushu Federation every two years. The first championships were held in Brussels, Belgium in May 1986, with 70 athletes from eight participating member countries....

, organised by the European Wushu Federation
National Games of the People's Republic of China
National Games of the People's Republic of China
The National Games of the People's Republic of China , sometimes known as the All China Games , is the premier sports event in China at national level. It is usually held once every four years, most recently in October 2009, when the 11th National Games of the People's Republic of China took place...

Notable practitioners

For Sanda competitors, see the article on Sanshou.

Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...

(李連杰) - possibly the most famous wushu practitioner in the world. He started wushu as a competition sport and gained fame as he took the National Wushu Champion of China title five times as an original member of the Beijing Wushu Team
Beijing Wushu Team
The Beijing Wushu Team is a world renowned wushu team from Beijing, China. The team has produced many famous international stars such as Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Huang Qiuyan, Zhang Hongmei and Wu Jing. The Beijing team members also work with movie producers to make films. Aside from Jet Li, many...

, he was later selected to demonstrate his wushu on the silver screen in the worldwide hit film Shaolin Temple. Many of his old teammates have also appeared on-screen with him, especially in his older movies.
Yuan Wen Qing - One of the most famous, successful, and skilled wushu practitioners in the world who has won countless of gold medals on Chinese, World, and Asian Championships. He is a former Shanxi wushu team athlete trained by the coaches Pang Lin Tai and Zhang Ling Mei. He is most famous for his ChangQuan, DaoShu, GunShu, ShuangDao, and DiTangQuan. A number of his routines (TaoLu) became the official standard competition routines (GuiDing) for a number of years until the new GuiDing TaoLu's were introduced.
Wu Jing (吳京) - Chinese actor who was sent to the Beijing Sports Institute at Shichahai in Beijing when he was 6 years old. Like Jet Li he competed as a member of the Beijing Wushu Team
Beijing Wushu Team
The Beijing Wushu Team is a world renowned wushu team from Beijing, China. The team has produced many famous international stars such as Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Huang Qiuyan, Zhang Hongmei and Wu Jing. The Beijing team members also work with movie producers to make films. Aside from Jet Li, many...

in national level wushu competitions in China. Both his father and grandfather were also martial artists
Ray Park
Ray Park
Raymond Park is a Scottish actor, stuntman and martial artist, best known for his playing the physical part of Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Toad in X-Men, Snake-Eyes in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and Edgar on Heroes.-Early life:Park was born in Glasgow, Scotland...

- Showcased his skills in wushu in several major films, including his portrayal of Darth Maul
Darth Maul
Darth Maul is a fictional character in the science fiction saga Star Wars. He is one of the main antagonists of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, portrayed by martial artist Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz....

in 1999's Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, as the first of a three-part prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the first film in the saga in terms...

, as well as Toad in the film X-Men
X-Men (film)
X-Men is a 2000 superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics characters of the same name. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film stars Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, Bruce Davison, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn, Ray Park and Tyler Mane...

(2000) and as stunt-double for Robin Shou
Robin Shou
Shou Wan Por , known professionally as Robin Shou, is a Hong Kong martial artist and actor. Frequently appearing in numerous martial arts films, Shou was most successful for playing the role of Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat & Gobei with the late Chris Farley in Beverly Hills Ninja.-Career:Shou's first...

and James Remar
James Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...

in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts action film that was the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat, and was directed by John R. Leonetti, who had served as the cinematographer for the previous film...

. He also heavily retrained prior to filming G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, in which he portrayed the martial arts expert Snake Eyes.
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...

- Chinese martial artist and actor, trained with the Beijing Wushu Team
Beijing Wushu Team
The Beijing Wushu Team is a world renowned wushu team from Beijing, China. The team has produced many famous international stars such as Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Huang Qiuyan, Zhang Hongmei and Wu Jing. The Beijing team members also work with movie producers to make films. Aside from Jet Li, many...

.
Wu Bin
Wu Bin
Wu Bin is a world-renowned wushu coach who has produced more Wushu champions than any other coach in China. Among his students are Jet Li, Li Jinheng, Zhang Guifeng, Zhang Hongmei, Hao Zhihua, Huang Qiuyan, Kenny Perez, Tang Laiwei, and countless more.Wu began his career after graduating from the...

- Jet Li's coach in the Beijing Wushu Team
Beijing Wushu Team
The Beijing Wushu Team is a world renowned wushu team from Beijing, China. The team has produced many famous international stars such as Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Huang Qiuyan, Zhang Hongmei and Wu Jing. The Beijing team members also work with movie producers to make films. Aside from Jet Li, many...

, training more wushu champions than any other coach in China.
Voice actor Yuri Lowenthal
Yuri Lowenthal
Yuri Lowenthal is a voice actor that has voiced several anime and video game characters. He also voiced Kamal for the alternate reality game I Love Bees....

is a practitioner of Wu Shu.
Jiang Bang Jun - a well-respected international Wushu Champion. He was the Mens All Around Wushu Champion in 1996 and 1998. Personally invited to the Beijing Wushu Team by Wu Bin, he became the lead Athlete and Coach for the Beijing Wushu Team. Today, he has opened a Wushu school in Virginia Called PMAA (Professional Martial Arts Academy).
An Tian Rong - having graduated from Changchun Physical Education and Sports College, An Tian Rong is a former national (China) champion and wushu pioneer. He was approved as a national (China) and international level judge in 1980, has taught at numerous universities throughout China, and authored more than 50 books on internal and external martial arts. Among the national/international champions he's coached, while on Wu Bin's coaching staff for the Beijing Wushu Team
Beijing Wushu Team
The Beijing Wushu Team is a world renowned wushu team from Beijing, China. The team has produced many famous international stars such as Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Huang Qiuyan, Zhang Hongmei and Wu Jing. The Beijing team members also work with movie producers to make films. Aside from Jet Li, many...

, he provided guidance to the international celebrity, Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...

and his student, Jinzhao Au, won the Japanese national champion title in 1986.
Zhao Qing Jian - Started learning martial arts at the age of 7, and was a standout member of the Beijing Wushu Team. Retained his #1 ranking at the 2009 All China Games.
Jon Foo - Learned Kung Fu when he was 8 years old, but didn't begin serious training in Wu Shu until he was 15. Starred as Jin Kazama
Jin Kazama
is a video game player character in the Tekken fighting game series released by Namco Bandai. Trained by his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima in order to enter the King of Iron Fist Tournament, Jin wishes to avenge his mother's apparent death...

in the film adaptation of Tekken.
Lu Xiaolin - won the 1985 National Martial Arts Open Championship in China. She also was the youngest to receive a seventh duan from the International Wushu Federation. She was a judge for the U.S. in the 1997 and 1999 World Wushu Championships. She is also the current Vice President of the United States of America Wushu Kungfu Federation.
Hongqi Shi - awesome kungfu master, who starred in 007 James Bond series.

Wushu as an Olympic event

The IWUF placed a bid to the International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

(IOC) to have wushu included in future Olympic Games, but did not meet with success. However, the IOC allowed China to organize an international wushu event during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

, but this event is not one of the 28 official Olympic sports, nor is it a demonstration event. Instead, it was called the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Wushu Tournament. Wushu is one of 8 sports that will be considered for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics

2020 Summer Olympics

The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, will be a major international sports and cultural festival, celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games....

Criticism

Wushu has been criticized by some traditional martial artists as not as authentic, too commercialized, and potentially threatens old styles of teaching martial arts. Such critics argue that contemporary wushu helped to create a dichotomy between form work and combat application.

Training books

Mastering WUSHU by Jiang Bangjun and Emilio Alpanseque, ISBN 978-1933901312.
Fundamentals of High Performance Wushu: Taolu Jumps and Spins by Raymond Wu, ISBN 978-1-4303-1820-0.
Kung Fu Elements, Liang, Shou-Yu and Wu, Wen-Ching, ISBN 1-889659-17-7

External links

International Wushu Federation - Official Website
The Web's Most Comprehensive Wushu Site Covering the Beijing Wushu Team, US Wushu and Wushu in the Olympics. Contains pictures, videos, animation, articles and competition results and resources.
WushuWiki.org - A wiki dedicated to Contemporary Wushu Taolu
FM - Wushu - A list of Techniques and free animated tutorials for Contemporary Wushu Techniques
What is Wushu - Contains information about the history of wushu
http://www.nardis.com/~twchan/liang.html - Info about the history of wushu
http://www.wushuwithrezaee.com/ Wushu In Iran with Ali & Mojtaba Rezaee

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Events

Main events

Other routines

Competitions

Notable practitioners

Wushu as an Olympic event

Criticism

Training books

See also

External links