Wushu - The Martial Arts of China

Many of us were introduced to the world of the martial arts through the movie “Kung Fu.” It became a hour long weekly television show that played in America in the mid-70’s. A wondering priest, half-Chinese, half-American, wondered through the western regions of the United States searching for his half-brother. Through flashbacks, we learn of how he came to study in the temple and learn to protect himself using the weapons and skills of the priesthood.

And though many of us equate ‘Kung Fu’ with martial art, kung fu is a term used to denote expertise in any endeavor. It is my guess that someone watching a demonstration asked what it was, and the translator said that it was expertly done or, ‘kung fu.’ Watching individuals participate in competitions, there are those athletes that stand out, that are ‘in the zone’ and perform with a power and technique the exceeds what most of us will ever expect to achieve. They have ‘kung fu.’

‘Wu’ is the Chinese word for War or Martial. ‘Shu’ is the Chinese word for Art. Wushu means martial art.

Over the last thirty or so years, China has established Wushu as a sport, standardizing the format, the training methods and the forms. Still changing and growing, Wushu is used in the ‘Western world’ to refer to the sport as it has developed, and kung fu is used to refer to the older, more militant styles.

In China the martial arts are divided into two primary divisions, the internal or soft arts and the external or hard arts.

Kung Fu is considered by some to be a hard art, while others mvoe of the soft side. It depends a great deal on the instructor and the philosophy of teaching.

The Shaolin temples are considered the origin of many of the martial arts throughout China. There the art that we call kung fu originated and came to be. It was spread throughout the country by wondering priests, much the way Chi Chang Cain supposedly wondered about the West. Many of the aspects of the Shaolin art traveled to other parts of southeast asia, finding their way into the Te of Okinawa and the budjitsu of Japan. Even the name of Okinawa’s main branch of karate, Shorin-ryu, got its name from the art.

Tai Chi (Taiji) – This soft art emphasizes breathing, balance and smoothness in movement. It is practiced by almost everyone in China in some form or another. The motions often associated with this branch have been found in tombs over 2000 years old, drawn in small figures.

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