Wushu is the official martial art taught in the People’s Republic of China. Wu Shu (“Arts of War”) is practiced by millions of people in China and is included as part of the training for all police and military personnel. Although it is a form of Kung Fu that has been taught in China for centuries, it is a rigid system and is not attached to any of the mystical beliefs of the past. The government is more concerned with the physical aspects of the martial art and spiritual beliefs have been replaced by propaganda and political training which take up much of the students’ training time. When a student is not taking part in political training, she will participate in group and partner exercises, as well as weapons practice.
Contemporary wushu was created in 1949 as part of the communist government’s attempt to create a national sport, and even though people were more than happy with the styles of martial arts they already had. All previous forms of Kung Fu were banned and even the Shaolin monks were highly restricted. In recent years, the government has tried to get politics out of sports, but with limited success due to how repressive the government is in general. Tournaments have still been held since the early 1990s, and the sport is played outside of China. The two forms of Wushu that are practiced are Taulo and Sanda, but neither is suitable for self-defense.
Hand movements are called Ba Ji, flip movements are Di Tang and Tung Bi are full arm movements. Animal kata are called Xing Yi. Weapon kata for Wushu include a large number of different types of swords, the nine-section whip, three-section staves, spears, and other ancient Chinese weapons. The central Committee of National Physical Culture must accredit all students and teachers who must embody the ideals of communism. At first glance, Wushu looks impressive with a large number of moves and a large selection of weapons in its arsenal to choose from in battle. Art would seem to be a good option for study until further examination. For all its flare, this form of Kung Fu lacks substance and will not hold up under real-world conditions.
Taulus is considered a form of Kung Fu, but it is nothing like any of the effective forms of martial arts of the past and is like gymnastics. It is a points-based system where points are awarded based on performances that can last from two to twenty minutes, and there is no contact. While traditional weapons such as swords, butterfly knives, and staves are used, they are light versions and these and routines are useless in combat. The programs are divided into handgun, handgun, and long gun portions, but include jumps, flips, and other impressive routines. This style of Kung Fu is completely useless when it comes to self defense, but it is a good form of entertainment.
Sanshou or Sanda, the Chinese combat sport based on Chinese boxing, wrestling and kickboxing. Originally used by the military as a way to try martial arts, it became a competitive sport in the early 20th century. Sanda is based on Lei tai martial arts matches where competitors fought bare-handed or with weapons on a high platform. The fights would continue until death, injury, or one of the contestants was thrown off the platform.
In Sanda today, a competitor can still win a match by throwing their opponent out of the ring. Hitting and grappling are allowed, and it is much more aggressive than wushu, with which it is often combined in tournaments in China. The military has its own version of Sanda, but the sports version restricts a number of moves including elbow strikes, chokes, and joint locks. Competing internationally, Sanda practitioners have fought in many style versus style competitions against Muay Thai, Karate, and Tae Kwon Do fighters.
Unlike the Japanese art of Jujutsu, which is pragmatic, Wushu is more about looking good while performing the art. A typical student will do many impressive jumps, backflips and punches, but while he does so he is left open to attack, because the art lacks any real defense. When dealing with an armed attacker, a student of Wushu will not be prepared unless he carries a weapon himself (it is not very practical to take a Chinese sword or spear with you on your morning commute).
If a student of combatives and hand-to-hand self-defense were to meet a student of Wushu, the student of combatives may take some initial blows, but would quickly close in on the student of Wushu, and throw or grab him and take control of the fight. . If the Wushu student were armed with any of his traditional weapons, he would find himself unarmed with his weapon in the hands of the wrestler who used practical self-defense techniques. In the end, Wushu is a performing art and at best a combat martial art that would only get you in trouble in a street fight. The art even has its critics among modern Kung Fu practitioners who say the government has stripped the art of virtually all tradition.
This form of Kung Fu is a sport and should not be relied upon for self defense. It should also be noted that Colonel Fairbairn, who fought 600 non-training fights during his time as a police officer in Shanghai, China, did an extensive study of many Chinese martial arts, including Kung Fu, not the incorporated into his many books on fighting and self-defense. Fairbairn would base his many books on his experiences and what he learned at the Kodokan while earning his black belt in judo. The lesson is that winning the fight is more important than looking good and losing the fight.