branches. The Wudang branch included only instruction in taijiquan,
xingyiquan, and baguazhang, while the Shaolin branch arbitrarily com-
prised all other martial arts styles. This arrangement was based on the
popular belief that Chinese boxing consisted of an External or Shaolin
School (Buddhist), which emphasized strength and speed, versus an Inter-
nal or Wudang School (Daoist), which emphasized use of an opponent’s
strength and speed against him. This simplistic view originated with a
1669 piece titled Epitaph for Wang Zhengnan,written by the Ming patriot
and historian Huang Zongxi. At the time, however, it was probably meant
as a veiled political jab at the foreign Manchu regime rather than as a se-
rious discussion of boxing theory. In any case, division of the institute into
these two branches resulted in infighting, so the branches were quietly
phased out.
After 1949, traditional sports, including the martial arts, were placed
under a government Physical Culture and Sports Commission. Martial arts
for nationwide competition were standardized into three major categories
of boxing (changquan, nanquan,and taijiquan), while weapons were lim-
ited to four basic types with standardized routines (broad sword, straight
sword, staff, and spear). Changquan (long boxing) routines have combined
techniques from the more acrobatic so-called northern styles of boxing,
while nanquan, or “southern boxing,” has combined the “short hitting”
emphasis on arm movements prominent in most styles of boxing found in
South China (especially in Fujian and Guangdong provinces).
Standardized taijiquan, including a shortened routine of twenty-four
forms, was based on the widely practiced Yang style of taijiquan. Many of
the traditional styles continued to be practiced individually, and more lib-70 China
A crowd watches as
a couple stages a
martial arts
demonstration on
a sidewalk in
Shanghai, October- (KellyMooney
Photography/Corbis)