Wushu is a hard and soft and
complete martial art, as well as a full-contact sport. It has a long
history in reference to Chinese martial arts. It was developed in 1949 in an
effort to standardize the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts, yet
attempts to structure the various decentralized martial arts traditions date
back earlier, when the Central Guoshu Institute was established at
Nanking in 1928.
"Wushu" is the Chinese term for "martial
arts" (武 "Wu" = military or martial, 術 "Shu" =
art). In contemporary times, Wushu has become an international sport through
the International Wushu Federation (IWUF), which holds the World
Wushu Championships every two years. Competitive Wushu is composed of two
disciplines: taolu (套路; forms) and sanda (散打; sparring).