Wushu: Chinese Martial Arts as Sport
Taolu routines and sanda bouts. Wushu is the modern sport form of Chinese martial arts, with acrobatic taolu routines and sanda sparring. Its history, events and big competitions.
A wushu taolu team with medals: user:Sahim, CC BY 3.0
What wushu means
Wushu is the Chinese word for martial arts. Outside China, people often say kung fu. From the 1950s, China organised traditional styles into a modern sport with standard routines and judging, and the International Wushu Federation was founded in 1990 to run it worldwide.
Taolu: the routines
In taolu, athletes perform choreographed routines alone or in teams, judged on technique, power, balance and difficulty, much like gymnastics. Events include long fist (changquan), southern fist (nanquan), taijiquan, and routines with staff, broadsword, straight sword and spear made for performance. Jumps, spins and low stances show remarkable flexibility and control.
Sanda: the sparring
Sanda, also called sanshou, is full-contact competition with punches, kicks and throws on a raised platform called a lei tai. Fighters score for clean strikes and for throwing or pushing an opponent off the platform. It has produced athletes who went on to kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
Did you know?
Many famous action film performers trained in competitive wushu as children before moving into film, which is why wushu routines and movie fight scenes share a similar acrobatic style. In taolu, athletes earn difficulty points for jumps such as the butterfly kick and the 540-degree tornado kick, and lose points for wobbles on landing. Judges watch posture, rhythm and expression, so a routine must look powerful and controlled at the same time.
Wushu clubs outside China often teach both taolu and tai chi, so beginners can try both.
Competitions
Wushu has been part of the Asian Games since 1990 and holds world championships every two years. It is on the programme for the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in 2026, a step that fans hope will lead to a place at the full Olympics. Tai chi, covered on our tai chi page, is also practised widely for health.
Learn techniques only from a qualified instructor in a supervised class, with proper equipment and a partner who knows what to expect.
- A wushu taolu team with medals: user:Sahim, CC BY 3.0
Text written by Strongest Power.
