Wushu

Wushu ({{zh-stp|s=?? |t=?? |p=w?shù}} {{Audio2|Zh-wu3shu4.ogg}}) literally means "martial art". It is the correct term for the more commonly known but misused term kung fu, which roughly translates to "skill" and refers specifically to the energy, feeling and effort expended in doing or making something. A craftsman or artisan could be said to have good "kung fu" in the way in which they carry out their craft. In the same way, a wushu practitioner can also be said to have good "kung fu" with their Wushu practice. All categories of Chinese martial arts, traditional, contemporary, hard and soft, can be called Wushu. Today, the terms "modern wushu" or "contemporary wushu" refer to forms that are practiced for health, exhibition and competition. Common "hard" or external styles of contemporary Wushu are southern fist, Nanquan and long fist, Changquan. Common "soft" or internal styles are Taijiquan, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan.

Famous Wushu Practicioners

Probably the three most famous Wushu practicioners in the world are Jet Li (李連杰), Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Jet Li started Wushu as a competition sport, and gained fame as a five-time national champion of China; he is now a famous movie star who uses his wushu skills onscreen. Many of his old teammates have also appeared onscreen with him, especially in his older movies. Jackie Chan never practiced modern wushu, but learned similar skills at the Beijing opera as a child, along with Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Yuan Wha, Yuan Qiu, and others. Beijing Opera martial arts are in many ways similar to modern wushu, as both are performance-oriented; however, Beijing Opera also includes singing. Bruce Lee studied Wing Chun and created Jeet Kun Do.

Related Topics:
Jet Li - Jackie Chan - Bruce Lee - Beijing opera - Sammo Hung - Yuen Biao - Yuan Wha - Yuan Qiu - Wing Chun - Jeet Kun Do

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British actor and stuntman Ray Park (', X-Men) is also a wushu practitioner, one of the more famous non-Asian practitioners.

Related Topics:
Ray Park - X-Men

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