This is one of the most ancient forms of wushu centers. With the social development, it also incorporates many modern culture elements. For example, family wushu centers have vigorously developed in Wenxian Chenjiagou. At present, Taijiquan has spread to more than 100 countries and regions around the world, and Taijiquan enthusiasts from all over the world come to visit wushu masters in Chenjiagou to become apprentices in a solemn ceremony in order to learn wushu. They are thus witnessing the combination of traditional wushu culture and the modern tourism industry, by “enjoying pastoral scenery, living in wushu masters’ families, eating green fruits and vegetables, and learning authentic taiji.” Family-style wushu centers are small-sized with food, accommodation, and learning services offered by the families of the wushu masters. This kind of family-style wushu center has a small number of participants, so they can gain access to the wushu masters in person.
With increasing international exchange and cooperation, quite a few wushu centers run schools in other many countries and regions, and Shaolin Temple is one of the top players. With great influence, Shaolin Temple has shaolin kungfu centers in more than 50 countries and regions around the world, having more than 3 million foreign disciples. In 2004, the House of Representatives of California passed a resolution to define March 21 each year as Songshan Shaolin Temple Day, so that California residents with different religious, ethnic and cultural backgrounds can enjoy Shaolin Zen Buddhism and wushu culture with a long history.
Wushu Education at Colleges and Universities
The cultural identity of wushu is the root cause of the spread of wushu since ancient times, while the inheritance and development of any kind of culture are inseparable from education. To enable Chinese wushu to really go global, it must be incorporated into the formal education system.
In 1954, the National Sports Commission set up a competition for coaching wushu teams at the Central Sports Institute (now Beijing Sport University). In August 1958, the National Sports Commission convened in Qingdao for the National Sports College President Forum. After the forum, Beijing Sport University and Shanghai University of Sport set up wushu departments in succession, marking the formal entry of wushu into higher education. In 1961, the National Sports Commission experts prepared Wushu, the first handout for national sports institute undergraduates. In 1963, Beijing Sport University began to offer graduate programs, marking a new stage of wushu education.
Since the reform and opening-up in 1978, more and more colleges and universities have established wushu departments, with enrollment scopes and levels expanding constantly, covering graduate, undergraduate, junior college, and correspondence programs as well as ongoing education for coaches and various kinds of short courses for Chinese and foreign wushu staff. A diversified wushu talent cultivation system has formed initially.
So far, more than 40 colleges and universities have obtained the right to confer a master’s degree in wushu. In April 1996, the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council approved Shanghai University of Sport to become the first site to confer a doctoral degree of wushu, followed by Beijing Sport University, East China Normal University, and South China Normal University, which obtained the right to confer a doctoral degree of wushu.
In July 1998, the undergraduate education program outline issued by the Ministry of Education set up a major of “national traditional sports,” a newly established undergraduate program as a secondary discipline of physical education. At present, the discipline mainly covers three research orientations: wushu competitive sports, wushu culture and education, as well as folk sports and traditional regimen, and the cultivation orientation is divided mainly into wushu routines (with teaching contents focusing on competitive wushu routines) and wushu fighting (focusing on competitive wushu free boxing). For decades, colleges and universities have fostered lots of wushu professionals and teaching resources, as well as high-level wushu cultural researchers, making tremendous contributions to the development of wushu.
After the return of Hong Kong in 1997, wushu education witnessed great development. In the autumn of 2003, IVE Chai Wan set up wushu programs, teaching mainly taijiquan, along with other wushu routines, marking the first entry into higher learning institutions in Hong Kong, and having a positive influence on the further development of wushu in Hong Kong, and even in promoting wushu development in Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asian countries.
Wushu Competitions and Olympic Performance Events
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a growing number of wushu competitions played a vital role in mining and sorting out wushu heritage, and promoting wushu development.
In September 1959, the first National Games was held in Beijing with 172 athletes from 25 provinces and cities attending wushu competition events and performance events.
In September 1982, the Chinese Wushu International Friendship Invitational Tournament was held in Nanjing, involving five teams of 41 athletes from the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Chinese mainland.
In August 1985, the First International Wushu Invitational Tournament was held in Xi’an, which was the first of its kind organized by China, and witnessed 89 athletes from 17 national and regional teams.
In October 1990, wushu was listed as an official competition event at the 11th Asian Games held in Beijing. Some 96 athletes from 11 countries and regions were present.