Overview

This volume, the third in A General History of Chinese Wushu, offers a historically substantiated and analytically focused account of the development of Wushu from 1900 to 1949, a period characterized by accelerated political and social transformation. Integrating historical narrative with theoretical reflection, the study reconstructs the evolution of Wushu’s institutional forms, functional orientations, and cultural meanings during the late Qing, Republican era, and the founding moment of the People’s Republic of China. The volume draws extensively on primary materials—contemporary news reportage, archival documents, technical manuals, and memoirs of practitioners—to present a critical and evidence‑based analysis of Wushu’s modernization. It foregrounds the methodological value of correlating empirical data with conceptual interpretation, thereby providing a rigorous framework for understanding the reconfiguration of traditional martial practices in response to new national, military, and educational imperatives. Balancing academic precision with the clarity needed for historical reconstruction, the volume serves as an authoritative reference for scholars in Chinese history, cultural studies, sports history, and related fields. It elucidates how Wushu transitioned from a traditional mode of self‑defense and physical cultivation to a modern sport, revealing the broader ethos of national self‑strengthening that shaped China’s early twentieth‑century sociocultural landscape.

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Yindong Li is Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, and Director of the Wushu Culture Research Center at Beijing Sport University, as well as an international Sanda referee. He is the founder of the Eastern Capturing Technique and has long been engaged in teaching, training, research, and practical work related to traditional Wushu health and fitness. Professor Li has participated in and led numerous Wushu research projects, published dozens of academic papers, and contributed to or edited key textbooks such as Chinese Wushu Sanda. His monographs include Interpretation of Wushu: The Essence and Its Functional Value System and Wudao Shenyi: Chinese Wushu, among others. His extensive scholarship and practical experience have significantly informed the development of this volume.

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