WUSHU, which literally means "martial art," includes Chinese boxing, swordplay, and the skill of wielding the spear, cudgel and other weapons. Unlike Western boxing, however, it is a kind of exercise based on simulated fighting with bare hands or with weapons, and consists of systematic movements for both attack and defence.

    Wushu enjoys great popularity among the Chinese people. Closely connected wit hunting and military training in ancient times, it has throughout the ages been valued for its health-promoting and curative effects. Warriors of primitive tribes were known to have practised the jiaodi exercise, in which they charged on each other with cattle horns on their heads, and the kanchiwu, which was a kind of sparring exercise with ax and shield. The slave society in the Shang Dynasty (c. 17th-11th century B.C.) saw the emergence of what was known as the "thrusting exercise." In the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century - 249 B.C.) a kind of wrestling called jiaoli was listed as a military sport alongside archery and chariot racing. During the feudal Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220) there appeared what was known as the shoupo and chientao, which were predecessors of the modern quanshu (bare-hand exercise) and jianshu (swordplay). The wuqinxi (five-animal play), devised by the well-known physician Hua Tuo of the Three Kingdoms Period (220-266) by imitating the movements of tigers, deer, bears, apes and birds, was probably the earliest set of exercises for health-building. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the sword dance flourished. Among the masters of this art were the famous poet Li Po, General Pei Min, Madame Kung Sun and Sister Li. The "Hsiho Sword Dance" designed by these two ladies was a typical combination of wushu and dancing. In the Sung and Yuan Dynasties (960-1368) xiangpu (the earliest form of sumo) gained popularity, and winners in such contests were awarded silver bowls. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911), more schools of wushu and sets of movements appeared as a result of the technical advancement of this art.

    With the appearance of firearms, the military significance of wushu with old-fashioned weapons gradually diminished, but its value in helping people keep themselves fit remains to this day. Branching out from wrestling and weightlifting, wushu has spread and developed to become a sport of its own.

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