Wushu or Martial Arts

Wushu, Chinese martial arts, known in the West as kongfu, is a traditional folk sport characterized by various barehand and armed combat techniques.
Wushu has a long history. Far back in primitive society about four thousand years ago, hard living conditions compelled the ancient people to use their stone and wooden tools as weapons to hunt and to defend themseles. Their fighting skills with bare hands and in using weapons formed the basis of primitive wushu. During the Shang (c. 16th-11th century BC) and Zhou (c. 11th century-221 BC) dynasties, with the development of productive forces, especially that of the techniques in bronze casting, the variety of weapons increased and their quality improved.
In the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), wushu became quite popular. A wushu competition, held in the spring of 108 BC, attracted thousands of spectators. Through competitions wushu further developed. There appeared various forms of martial arts such as sword-play, broadsword-play and halberd-play. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907) both military men and scholars were required to practise wushu. Sword-play was often performed at parties and other social gatherings. The boxing style of Shaolin Temple became very popular because in the early period of the dynasy the Shaolin monks had helped Li Shimin (Emperor Tai Zong) conquer Wang Shichong (King of the Zheng Kingdom); the emperor gave the temple special permission to train monks in wushu.
The Ming Dynast (1368-1644) saw the all-round development of Chinese martial arts. Various boxing schools appeared, each named after its master. In addition, scores of routines of weapon-play movements evolved. Many high-ranking officers and wushu masters such as Tang Shunzhi, Yu Dayou, Zheng Ruozeng and Qi Jiguang wrote treatises and books on wushu. Among those works two books by Qi Jiguang are better-known; they are New Martial Arts and Military Training Record.
In order to keep its ruling position, the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) once restricted wushu practice, but that could not prevent wushu from spreading among the people. Many popular schools of boxing styles including taijiquan, nanquan and xingyiquan were formed and each had its own guiding theories.
In spite of its rich variety, wushu has four main types: barehanded boxing, the wielding of weapons, combat, and collective performances. There are over one hundred schools of boxing in the Yellow River valley area and about eight in the Yangtze River basin. Each school has its own characteristics. Changquan demands quickness and valour, and it is liked by young people. Taijiquan, characterized by its slow rhythm and gentle movements, is suitable for people of all ages, especially elderly people. Xingyiquan, vigorous in its balanced motions and poised steps, is popular with young and middle-aged people. Nanquan is wide-spread in China's southern areas. Its practitioners utter shouts and cries now and then to make their movements more forceful. Shaolinquan, popular in the north, is known for its short routines of movements and swiftness and vigour. In certain styles such as tanglangquan (the Mantis Boxing) and zuiquan (the Drunkard Boxing), the practitioner imitates animals and birds as well as drunken humans.
The weapons used in wushu fall into three categories: long weapons including spears and broadswords; short weapons such as short swords, daggers and hooks; and flexible weapons which include nine-section cudgels and three-section cudgels.
All the basic movements of wushu such as dodging, turning, tumbling, jumping, and leaping require the coordination of the hands, the eyes, the body, and the feet. When "combat" is practised the practitioners have to perform with dexterity and accuracy and in such a way as if they were in a real fight. Swift movements should be as quick as sound, poised postures as firm as mountains, and continuous movements as smooth and natural as floating clouds and flowing water.