As a treasure of traditional Chinese sports, wushu has unique characteristics, which can be summarized as follows:
Technicality and sportsmanship
Wushu has a distinct military and self-defense background, focusing on the efficiency of attack and defense.
In the development of modern sports, wushu emphasizes the use of martial arts in sports, although the essence of technical strikes is maintained, but under the constraints of competition rules, more emphasis is placed on safety and non-injury, such as strict restrictions on attack parts and the use of protective gear in sanda, which ensures the sports transformation of martial arts.
Routines are combined with fighting
Martial arts include taolu sports (also known as performative martial arts) and combat sports (such as sanda, pushers, hand-to-hand, etc.). Taolu Movement shows the aesthetics and techniques of martial arts in a fixed sequence of movements, emphasizing the transmission of formal beauty and inner strength.
Combat sports, on the other hand, focus on real-world applications, demonstrating the transition, speed, strength and agility of attack and defense through simulated confrontations.
The content is rich and varied
Wushu has many types of fists and instruments, such as Changquan, Taijiquan, Nanquan, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang and other boxing techniques, as well as knives, swords, guns, sticks and other long and short weapons.
It also includes sparring events, such as hand-to-hand sparring, equipment sparring, hand-to-equipment sparring, and group events, showing the diversity and collaboration of martial arts.
Both inside and out
Wushu not only attaches importance to external physical training, strengthens physical functions, and improves speed, strength, and agility, but also pays attention to internal cultivation, cultivating spirit, mind, and internal strength through pranayama and qi cultivation.
Emphasizing "both form and spirit" and "internal and external integration", advocating the coordinated development of body and mind, reflecting the profound philosophical connotation.
Martial arts cultivation
Wushu attaches great importance to martial arts education, believing that "learning martial arts precedes learning virtue", emphasizing moral qualities such as respect for teachers, unity with the same family, perseverance, faithfulness, benevolence, humility and courtesy, etc., which are the necessary spiritual qualities of martial arts practitioners.
Cultural integration
Wushu is deeply influenced by traditional Chinese culture such as philosophy, medicine, aesthetics, etc., and has strong national cultural characteristics, which is the crystallization of the wisdom and practice of the Chinese nation.
To sum up, Wushu has become a comprehensive sports project integrating fitness, self-defense, competition, aesthetics and cultural exchanges with its profound cultural heritage, diverse forms of expression, internal and external training methods and lofty moral norms.