ABSTRACT
Chinese martial arts have thousands of years of history. Martial arts have changed or even disappeared from one era to the next, and new kinds of martial arts have emerged. The name of kuoshu (國術) was given to martial arts in 1928, but they were officially renamed wushu (武術) in 1985. Chinese nationalism is invested in the names of kuoshu and wushu, and the name of wushu is now used officially. Before the Chinese Revolution in 1911 (辛亥革命), Chinese martial arts had many names and embraced many traditional forms. From 1912 to 1949, in China, these martial arts were first established with the name of kuoshu. This regional differentiation was especially pertinent in 1949 when, because of the political differences between China and Taiwan, the name was changed from kuoshu to wushu in China. Wushu’s goal to be accepted by the IOC is part of its sportification process. This chapter will examine the formation of Chinese traditional martial arts, the sportification process of wushu, and its evolving value in its evolution from traditional martial arts to wushu sports in modern China, including its acceptance as an Olympic sport.
