Wushu(Kongfu) is also called national skill or feat, it is a kind of Chinese traditional sport item. It contains series of actions and many single action to fit kick, strike, tumble, hold, fall, cleave…together in some certain rules. It has wide foundation during the mass, it is an precious and varied culture bequest which Chinese accumulate during the long social practice.
The beginning of Wushu(Kongfu) may come back to primitive society. At that time, men began to fight against the beasts with the primitive tools like sticks as weapons in order to protect themselves and get living things. Later they made weapons with more execution for getting others’ fortune. So more weapons were made and the skills of fight were also improved during the war.
In Yin and Shang Dynasty, some coppery weapons like spears, daggers, halberds, axes, swords broadswords had come out. Meanwhile how to use these weapons appeared, too.
In Chunqiu and War Periods, with the development of ironware and the rising of footmen and cavalrymen, weapons’ handles were changed into short ones, short ones into long ones in the war. Then there were so many kinds of weapons, and the characteristic of attack was more extrusive. And people also attached importance to it.
In Qin Dynasty head-fighting and hand-fighting were prevailed. In Han Dynasty the dances of swords and double halberds had come forth. These show that the Wushu(Kongfu) dance had had obvious feat, it had not only actions to attach and protect, but also series of it presented. Many different art styles of genres had come into being.
In Jin, North and South Dynasties, in the continuous wars bureaucrats and peers wanted to have eosin lives, it affected the lives of different social estates. The practice of Wushu(Kongfu) was taken instead by the absurd heresy. Therefore lore Wushu(Kongfu) stopped.
In Sui and Tang Dynasty, Wu Shu rose again. In Tang Dynasty the excellent knights were given some corresponding titles according to their skills. Every title had its own standard.
n Song Dynasty the civilian organization of Wu Shu presented. They practiced on the street and it was full of jollification. In Song Dynasty Wu Shu was mostly taught secretly in one family.
Ming Dynasty was a developing period for Wushu(Kongfu), different styles of genres came forth, especially in boxing and engineeries. Some works wrote its genres, evolution, action names, characteristic, moving ways and technical theories, some had pictures and verses to show the action clearly. It gave the important basic for the late generation to research Wushu(Kongfu).
In Qing Dynasty some kinds of boxing had formed such as Shadowboxing, the Eight Diagrams Boxing and the Form and Will Boxing After the PLA was founded ,Wushu(Kongfu) is inherited, cleared up and improved as the bequest of an excellent people. And a large number of associations have been come into existence while our nation also has the special departments to be in charge of the exercise of Wushu(Kongfu) and regards it as a formal competition.
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