Jingwu Martial Arts
01 · Historical Records
Jingwu martial arts took shape in 1910; on the basis of "national art (guoshu) as the foundation," it continually absorbed and integrated the various traditional martial-arts schools to become a form of traditional martial arts practiced in Shanghai. It originated from the Shanghai Jingwu Athletic Association, founded and organized by the Tongmenghui (Revolutionary Alliance) led by Sun Yat-sen in order to build revolutionary strength for the overthrow of the Qing dynasty. The first is transmission through master-apprentice groups: from the early 20th century to the 1990s, each period had master-apprentice martial-arts teams led by renowned masters. This form continued until 1936, with 22 student classes held in all. Since the 1990s, transmission has been promoted mainly by encouraging and supporting schools and social organizations to take part in traditional martial-arts competitions, and through martial-arts instruction by relevant institutions.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Sun Yat-sen inscribed for it the words "martial spirit" and wrote a preface for the Jingwu Benji (Chin Woo Chronicle). Jingwu martial arts advocates "patriotism, justice, self-cultivation and helping others," and its flag bears three stars — yellow, blue and red. The yellow star represents physical education, the blue star intellectual education and the red star moral education, emphasizing all-round development; it esteems the ideal of being "both civil and martial." It fuses martial skill, martial virtue, culture and intellectual education into one, becoming a vehicle for spreading Chinese national culture. The main characteristic of Jingwu martial arts is its inclusiveness. Jingwu martial arts absorbs the essence of every school of martial arts; it is not only a form of traditional martial arts but a cultural phenomenon. Since its founding, the spirit of patriotism has been deeply woven into the cultural genes of Jingwu martial arts, inspiring national self-confidence, strengthening cultural identity and embodying the national spirit of unceasing self-improvement and striving to grow strong. As a form of physical fitness, Jingwu martial arts is also of positive significance for improving the physical quality of the nation and promoting national fitness.
The yellow, blue and red star flag
The three stars on the Jingwu flag: yellow for the body, blue for the mind, red for character.
Twenty-two cohorts of trainees
The open-class transmission of Jingwu martial arts, running from the early 1900s to 1936 for twenty-two cohorts.
The masters gathered at Jingwu
The masters who gathered on the Jingwu platform, Huo Yuanjia, Chen Zizheng, Wu Jianquan and others, each showing their own art.
The Jingwu Chronicle and Sun Yat-sen's inscription
The inscription and preface given by Sun Yat-sen, with over sixty martial-arts titles and the society's own journals.
A repertoire of 223 sets
The scale of Jingwu's absorption: 223 sets including 66 northern fists, 89 weapons, 29 Yangtze fists and 7 Pearl River fists.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Jingwu martial arts absorbs and blends all kinds of traditional martial arts, gathering 223 major set routines: in the Yellow River basin of the north, 66 fist routines, 89 weapon routines and 6 bare-hand-versus-bladed-weapon routines; in the Yangtze River basin of the south, 29 fist routines and 18 weapon routines; and in the Pearl River basin of Guangdong, 7 fist routines and 8 weapon routines. It broke down divisions between schools, synthesizing the finest points of each family and school so that their strengths complemented one another; a great array of styles flourished, merging the martial-arts traditions of the Yellow River, Yangtze and Pearl River basins; and celebrated masters gathered, as the leading figures of the martial-arts world of the time — such as Huo Yuanjia, Zhao Lianhe, Chen Zizheng, Luo Guangyu, Wu Jianquan, Cai Hongxiang and Fu Zhongwen — came together on the platform of Shanghai Jingwu martial arts, each displaying his own excellence.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The headquarters of the association is located in what is now Hongkou District, Shanghai. More than 60 martial-arts classics and treatises have been published, and the Jingwu Monthly and the Jingwu Series were founded. The transmission of Jingwu martial arts has two characteristics. The second is transmission through social groups: from its founding, Jingwu martial arts taught its art in the form of "opening it to the public and running classes to instruct."
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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