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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. Its 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 body's 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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