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| Wushu |
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Among China's well kept secrets, one caught the imagination of Americans
- Chinese wushu. Wushu is an important component of the cultural
heritage of China, with a rich content that has remained untarnished
over the centuries. Literally translated, "wu" is military,
"shu" is art. Wushu therefore means the art of fighting,
or martial arts.
Previously, wushu figured significantly in the simple matter
of survival through China's many wars and political upheaval.
Today, wushu has been organized and systematized into a formal
branch of study in the performance arts by the Chinese. It reigns
as the most poular national sport in the country of 1.1 billion
people, practiced by the young and old alike. It's emphasis has
shifted from combat to performance, and it is practiced for its
method of achieving heath, self-defense skills, mental discipline,
recreational pursuit and competition.
To describe wushu, it is best to understand the philosophy of
its teaching. Every movement must exhibit sensible combat application
and aestheticism. The wealth of wushu's content, the beauty of
wushu movents, the difficulty factor, and the scientific training
methods are the song of the elements that set wushu apart from
martial arts. Routines are performed solo, paired or in groups,
either barehanded or armed with traditional Chinese weaponry.
In short, wushu is the most exciting martial art to be seen, felt,
and ultimately practiced.
How is wushu related to kung fu and taijiquan? "Wushu"
is the correct term for all Chinese martial arts therefore kung
fu and wushu were originally the same. During the last thirty
years, wushu in Mainland China was modernized so that there could
be a universal standard for training and competing. In essence,
much emphasis has been placed on speed, difficulty, and presentation.
Consequently, wushu has become an athletic and aesthetic performance
and competitive sport, while "kung fu" or traditional
wushu remains the traditional fighting practice. Taijiquan is
a major division of wushu, utilizing the bodies internal energy
or "chi" and following the simple principle of "subduing
the vigorous by the soft."
Although still in budding stages in many countries, wushu is
an established international sport. In 1990, wushu was inducted
as an official medal event in the Asian Games. Since then World
Championships have taken place with 56 nations participating.
Wushu is also vying for the Olympic games in the 21st century.
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