Wudang Wushu is one of the key schools of Chinese martial arts. It originated in Wudang Mountain in Junxian County of Hubei Province during the Ming Dynasty. Wudang Mountain is one of the four famous Taoist mountains in China. According to legend, the great Emperor Zhenwu cultivated himself and became a real Taoist master, hence the saying of "It is only emperor Zhenwu who really deserves it", after which "Wudang (meaning the same as the saying in Chinese) Mountain" is named. With a long history, Wudang Wushu is broad and profound. The Wudang Taoist Zhang Sanfeng of the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty created the concepts of Wudang Wushu and has been honored as the founder of Wudang School. By ingeniously combining the essence of I Ching and Tao Te Ching with wushu, Zhang Sanfeng created Wudang Wushu that's dominated by Tai Chi Chuan, Hsing I Chuan and Pakua Boxing with important bodybuilding and health keeping values.
After continuous innovation, improvement and enrichment by Wushu masters of later dynasties, Wudang Wushu became a major school of Chinese martial arts. It has long been honored as the most authoritative kungfu in the south alongside Shaolin, the most authoritative wushu in the north. Wudang Chuan, also called “Neijia Chuan” (meaning soft, internal martial arts) is aimed at health preserving and a means of self defense. Wudang Chuan values martial spirit rather than strength, focusing on the principle of “levering a ton of weight with four ounces of force” and “letting flexibility control hardness”. Meanwhile, Wudang Chuan is more for defence than attack. Its functions and features also include prolonging life, helping cure and prevent diseases and boosting intelligence etc. Wudang Wushu embodies distinctive Taoist culture and is a natural combination of Wushu and regimen, profound in both traditional wushu culture and scientific theory. It’s in line with the concept of internal cultivation and external exercising that integrates physical with psychological training. Currently, Wudang Wushu has been introduced overseas, becoming a sport activity for health preserving, disease curing and life prolonging.
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