Unlike Chinese Wushu combat, Muay Thai, Japanese Karate and boxing all aim to destroy the object. Though they have their basic techniques, the actual combat exercises are taught after the basic techniques are learned. This enables beginners to master some combat techniques quickly. People learning Muay Thai can participate in a Wushu contest on stage after five years of three-stage exercises including basic exercises, single movement practice and simulated combat practice. However, five years only allows the strong strength to be practiced, which is the primary stage of Chinese Wushu. If a Muay Thai learner and a Chinese marital arts learner fight each other after five years of exercises, the latter will likely be unable to withstand the fierce attack of the former. If the combat is held after ten years of practice, the latter is unlikely to be defeated. If the combat is held after 15 years of exercises, the latter will surely be the successor. This is because the foreign combat techniques mainly depend on strong strength and are too eager to attain quick success and instant benefits. While some Muay Thai boxers make their fortune from the techniques, their strength is quickly sapped after they reach the age of 30. Meanwhile, many Muay Thai boxers endure injuries during combat, which are hard to relieve due to the focus on strong strength and lack of exercises to benefit the internal organs. Therefore, longevity in the foreign boxer and Muay Thai boxer is rare. As for the Japanese Sumotori, they usually only live about forty years, similar to the Muay Thai boxer.
The principle of gradualness determines the long journey of progress when beginners learn combat techniques. Because Chinese Wushu combines the practice of maintaining good health, the martial art can help practitioners lead a longer life. As long as the learners keep practicing the exercises year after year, they can master enough of the actual combat techniques needed to prolong life. Such gradualness can also be seen clearly in age. Foreign boxers usually reach their prime between the ages of 20 and 30. However, Chinese Wushu masters often mature after the age of 30. Some reach a zenith around the age of 40, and their signature techniques marking their fame remain unchanged even into their sixties and seventies, or longer.
Nurturing qi and Moral Cultivation
Chinese Wushu regards moral cultivation as its foundation. It advocates nurturing qi, integrating law and promotes both civil and military ability, going against aggression and violence. Many Wushu masters regard the practice as a means of moral cultivation and health maintenance. The Chinese Wushu circles always give top priority to Wushu ethics. Every Wushu school has established strict regulations. Any one who does evil or harm, regardless of their martial art techniques is unwelcome among the Wushu circles. Various schools in the Wushu circle also admonish their followers not to fight with others, cause trouble, or bully others ignorant of Wushu. They advocate helping others for a just cause, wiping out bullies and helping the downtrodden.
Chinese Wushu regards the exercises to benefit the internal organs as its foundation, and base exercises on nurturing qi. Nurturing qi aims to reach taihe (grand peace), which is impartial and combines softness and firmness. The qi of grand peace runs in the opposite direction against the emulative thoughts. Qi is harmonious with rationality, while quan is harmonious with law. The more prosperous the qi is, the weaker the emulative thoughts becomes. The more achievements made by the Wushu learner, the better the temperament of the Wushu practitioner becomes; Wushu learners rarely show off their powers. Moral cultivation and nurturing qi are the unique guiding concepts of Chinese Wushu.
Aesthetics
Most set exercises and movements of Chinese Wushu have an aesthetic feeling, which lies in the attack and defense movements. The set exercises combine the dynamic and static movements. They are highly diversified and characterized by unique rhythmic sensation and beauty. Chinese Wushu displays the movements and shifts under certain time-space conditions by vigor strength and quick speed. Moreover, the set exercises are difficult and can show the courageous and enterprising spirits of mankind. Aesthetically, Chinese Wushu is diversified. The quan techniques of Piguaquan, Bajiquan, Chaquan and Huaquan are quick-paced, elegant and full of masculinity. Meanwhile, Shequan (snake boxing) uses movements that wriggle like a snake and are full of femininity. The Baguazhang and Taijiquan combine its dynamic with static movements, softness with firmness, and the beauty of masculinity and femininity. Its aesthetics styles are diversified and full of aesthetic feeling. No other combat techniques can be compared to taiji.
Fundamentally, the aesthetic value is contradictory to the combat function. Many practical movements of Chinese Wushu lack aesthetic value. Over the development of more than 2,000 years of Chinese Wushu, it has experienced a simple to complex progression, followed by a complex to simple state. Chinese Wushu was simple and never used to have so many schools and quan families. But a number of schools of martial arts thrived and diversified during the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties. Wushu entered its golden age in the early Qing Dynasty. Some Neijiaquan (internal martial arts) such as Taijiquan, Xingyiquan and Baguaquan emerged in the late Ming dynasty. Neijiaquan allows a smaller force to defeat a larger one, and also enables simplicity to replace the complex. Its contents and set exercises later become concise and practical. Such trends also appear in the development of many schools of Waijiaquan. It reflects the law of development of Chinese Wushu. The combat function is always first in Wushu, which defines the trends of Wushu development. The aesthetic value is always secondary and occupies a subordinate position.
In a word, Chinese Wushu is unique and one of the most natural forms of traditional Chinese culture. Any form of foreign combat techniques bears no comparison with it. Chinese Wushu has made its presence on the world combat stage with its unique combat techniques and practice methods. The truth verifies that Chinese Wushu hails in no comparison to any other combat technique in the world.
