Cangzhou Wushu

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Cangzhou Wushu

Applicant: Cangzhou City, Hebei Province

Item No.: 292

Project No.: VI - 10

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional sports, recreation and acrobatics

Region: Hebei Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Cangzhou City, Hebei Province

Protection unit: Cangzhou Wushu Association

Introduction to Cangzhou Wushu

Applicant: Cangzhou City, Hebei Province

Cangzhou city is located in the southeast of Hebei Province, bordering Bohai Sea in the East, Qilu in the south, Beijing and Tianjin in the north. It is known as the South Gate of Beijing and Tianjin. In history, Cangzhou city is a place where military strategists must fight, merchants gather and criminals are exiled. People practice offensive and defensive fighting in order to survive, so Wushu is popular. According to statistics, there were 1937 military Jinshi and examiners in Cangzhou during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, Cangzhou became an important martial arts town in North China. In 1992, Cangzhou was officially named the first batch of "hometown of martial arts" in China.

Cangzhou Wushu has a long history, "originated in the spring and Autumn period, flourished in the Ming Dynasty, flourished in the Qing Dynasty, and flourished in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.". Cangzhou has many martial arts schools, including Baji, qigua, Yanqing, Bagua, Liuhe, Zhashui, Gongli and Taizu, accounting for 40.3% of the 129 martial arts schools in China. Each school has the characteristics of strong and fierce, full strength, both long and short, simple and fresh. In the past few hundred years, Cangzhou Wushu elites have gathered together, and a large number of righteous persons have emerged, such as Ding Faxiang, Huo Yuanjia and Prince. They have made great contributions to the defense of foreign humiliation, the promotion of national prestige and the promotion of the Chinese spirit.

Cangzhou Wushu is unique. In addition to the eight representative boxing schools, crazy stick, Miao Dao, Pojiao, Yin Yang gun and other boxing equipment are unique to Cangzhou. Cangzhou Wushu is also eclectic, and has accumulated abundant traditional Wushu resources. In recent years, it has absorbed positive elements such as taekwondo and standardized Wushu routines, and has made new development. Cangzhou martial arts is vigorous and powerful, and has strong fighting ability. It not only has the courage of opening and closing, but also has the unique skill of pushing and catching. In one move, all of them embody the ideas and meanings of yin and Yang, inside and outside, hardness and softness, square, heaven and earth, righteousness and reason in Chinese culture, which are originated from Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.

Practicing Cangzhou martial arts can improve people's physical quality, exercise people's spiritual character, promote people's all-round development, enrich and perfect Chinese and even international martial arts culture, and further promote the development of martial arts training, performance, competition, exchange, festival exhibition, equipment production and trading and other related industries. However, Cangzhou martial arts skills are mainly handed down by oral and psychological teaching. The old boxers have a low level of education and "knowledge is in their stomach". However, they are old and many unique skills and tricks are on the verge of being lost. They are in urgent need of protection and rescue.