From Gymnastics to Sports: The Sports Transformation of Wushu during the Republic of China Era

Abstract

By using literature method and mathematical statistics method and reading the Wushu literature of the Republic of China, the transformation process of Wushu sports is sorted out. Under the background of internal and external troubles and “Western learning”, Wushu is regarded as a representative of local sports, with high expectations for a rich country and a strong country. Under the influence of “the dispute between preservation and abolishment of military exercises” and “the Rivalry between Traditional Chinese and Western Sports”, Chinese people learned from the development of western sports culture and improved Wushu, and appeared the “Wushu gymnastics”, which is an active exploration of Wushu sports experiencing the transformation process from gymnastics to sports. The establishment of Wushu research institutions and publications has accelerated the scientific and educational progress of Wushu, and laid a solid foundation for the development of Wushu sports.