The Study Of Henan Wushu Gymnasium During The Republican Period

As an essential branch of the Chinese traditional culture, martial arts culture comes to a new peak in the great rejuvenation of Chinese nation. As one of the Intangible Cultural Heritages, martial art has been put under protection, which boosts its development. Henan Province is the birthplace of both Shaolin and Tai Ji cultures with its distinct martial arts style. By the study of the martial arts’ development in Henan Province during the Republican period, its modern transition phase, this thesis helps to understand its transitional function in Henan’s martial arts culture and reinforce its own construction so as to promote the construction of culture-powerful Henan.This thesis deeply explores several aspects of Henan Wushu Gymnasium like its establishment background and conditions, institution components, development process, the activities it had taken part in or had organized, its personnel training and scientific research achievements adopting the methods of documentary and oral history. The development process of Henan Wushu Gymnasium can be mainly divided into two phases:the first phase lasted from June 1929 to 1938, during which period some apartments had been set up like director, deputy director, secretary, general affairs section, instruction section, etc. Some systematic martial institutions of administration, education and research was also set up, dealing with the training of martial talents and the organization of martial activities in and out of Henan Province The second phase was from the winter of 1946 to 1948, the year when Kaifeng city was liberated. During this phase the administrative institution was perfected with the addition of some positions like a deputy director, a deputy secretary, an inspector, etc. to do academic research. These two phases has witnessed Henan Wushu Gymnasium, major academic school in China at that time, achieving many academic accomplishments like Tai Ji Exercises, TaiJiquan Illustrated Book and Study of the Origin and Development of Changjiaquan.The establishment of Henan Wushu Gymnasium, affiliated with Henan Government of the Republic of China, marked the systematism, unification and normalization of the martial activities in Henan and created a brand new pattern for the development of regional martial development in Henan Province. Its development in these two phases has established and perfected the management form and method of the martial organization and activities of Henan Province, which promoted the unification and ordering of the martial administration in Henan Province, effectively promoting the popularization of Henan martial arts. Besides, it also reformed the educational method of Henan martial arts and provided stable teachers resources for the martial arts education in Henan, and it helped form the rudiment of martial contest rules by organizing various of martial activities in Henan Province, which encouraged people’s active participation in martial arts and inherited the traditional combination of martial fightings and martial practices. Moreover, during these two phases, the scientific process of Henan martial arts has been promoted, creating a new prospect for the study of Henan martial arts. The successful establishment of Henan Wushu Gymnasium also provided references for Henan Sports Committee Wushu Gymnasium and the Martial Management Center set up after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.