Recently, I was asked to reflect on the difference between the wushu
competitions and athletes from my generation compared to the current
state of wushu in China.
Wushu works by different rules than it used to. In the 1970's and early
1980's, competitive wushu really existed only in China, and so forms
were judged by one set of rules -- one set of standards. Then the
authorities wanted to bring wushu to other countries; they formulated a
set of international rules for international competitions. These rules
are, I think, a little bit easier than the Chinese rules -- or should I
say, simplified. I hear now that people mainly compete in three
categories: Changquan, Nanquan, Taijiquan. The system today is not as
complex as it used to be, when everybody had to compete in broadsword,
spear, straight sword, cudgel, and empty-hand forms. Why, in our day,
we had to learn all of the Eighteen-Arms*, internal styles, external
styles, everything. That was our curriculum. Nowadays, if you want to
go to the Olympics, you learn the compulsory forms, and that's it.
I don't want to say either system is better or worse. I can only tell
you that the physical quality of the athletes has improved -- and
continues to do so steadily. Why is it that new world records seem to
be set every year? Because training has become more scientific.
Athletes have access to better nutrition, better vitamins, better
doctors, sports psychologists, etc. These factors have helped develop
the potential of the human body through the medium of sport.
However, I believe that deep inside, wushu is much worse than before.
I'm talking about the inside knowledge, the part of wushu that does not
involve the physical body. Inner cultivation is the most important
part, and it's definitely lacking nowadays. It could be because of the
rules. Judges who work by the newer rules will prefer a certain type of
performance and reward it with a higher score. As a result, the
athletes start training by those rules, and who can blame them? Both
the external and internal demonstration of skill are important, but the
modern rules don't protect the latter. The most beautiful things in
martial arts are not about sport, and they're not about speed. What
wushu practitioners need to do is to concentrate more on the internal.
They've got to take the time to bring their whole energy together with
their mind to finish every movement. The speed nowadays is so fast and
the jumps are so high...and yet, the details in between are not
perfected at all. Last year, I saw the Beijing Wushu Team when they
came to the United States to perform. They have the same problem. I
believe the rules are limiting them.
There's no more personal "flavor" anymore. In the past, when we watched
people practicing straight sword, you could be sure that ten high-level
athletes would display ten different flavors. Even the simple act of
"pointing" the sword -- everybody would do the movement with their own
individual rhythms -- all technically correct and all distinct.
Now that was flavor! Very tasty!
Nowadays: whrrr whrrr whrrr -- the athletes look like machines. They're
moving so quickly, I can barely see what they're doing. And there's no
flavor. Wushu is not a race. It shouldn't be like other sports, where
the fastest athlete wins. Personally, I like to see different styles
and flavors. I like it when martial arts is still an art -- when
athletes are artists who develop and perform their distinctive styles.
Martial arts has always been about variety and diversity: different
styles, different cultures, different states. It used to be that you
could tell somebody's birthplace by the way they practiced their wushu:
"Oh, this guy's from Shandong Province" or "Look, she must be from
Shanxi." We could say that because we knew the styles already. Now,
everything has been blurred together; it's become homogeneous. Always,
this is the yin and yang of martial arts today. Half and half --
something good, something not so good. There are still areas that can
be improved.
* The Eighteen-Arms consist of: sabre, spear,
sword, halberd, axe, battle axe, hook, fork, whip, mace, hammer, talon,
trident-halberd, cudgel, long-handled spear, short cudgel, stick, and
meteor hammer.
