The origin of Wushu can be traced back to the productive labor of ancient human beings. In the case of extremely low productivity in primitive society, human society mainly made a living by hunting and other primitive production activities, and learned how to hit wild animals with bare hands or with sticks, stones and other instruments. Most of these hitting methods are based on instinctive, spontaneous and random body movements. It is impossible for people to consciously regard fighting techniques as a special exercise, but these fighting techniques have prepared certain preconditions for the formation of Wushu. In the survival competition of primitive human beings, people often struggle for food, territory, or the position of leaders, as well as sexual choice between men and women. The struggle of these people effectively promoted the formation of primitive Wushu. At the end of primitive society, organized fighting between clans and tribes accelerated the formation of primitive Wushu. The fighting between people makes a large number of production tools gradually evolve into fratricidal weapons, and the skills of using weapons and the fighting techniques needed for war gradually break away from production technology and develop in the direction of martial arts along their own laws.

The origin of primitive Wushu is closely related to primitive religion, education and entertainment. In the primitive cultural form of human beings, these activities are often closely intertwined to form a pluralistic and integrated primitive social culture. In these cultural activities, the teaching and practice of production experience and combat technology is the most important content. Among them, fighting techniques are often embodied in the form of primitive martial arts dance, which integrates knowledge, skills, physical training and habit formation. Primitive Wushu germinated and grew in the chaotic matrix of pluralistic and integrated culture in primitive society.

(2) The development of Wushu in past dynasties.

From primitive production and survival activities, unarmed or armed fighting techniques have gradually formed, evolved into modern sports, and appeared in human activities in various regions of the world, such as fencing and Muay Thai. The development from the primitive fighting skill to the combination of fighting and dancing, both inside and outside, is bred by the unique cultural soil of the Chinese nation.

Shang and Zhou Dynasties

During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties (65438 BC+early 7th century BC-256 BC), car fighting was the main form of war, and the shooting and using skills of guns, daggers and halberds required for car fighting became the main content of military training. At the same time, boxing and wrestling are also important contents of military training and samurai selection, and a certain competition system has been formed. At that time, dance and martial arts were combined into one, which was called "martial arts dance". It is a preview of the experience used in actual combat, a sublimation of ancient Wushu from perceptual knowledge to rational knowledge, a symbol of fragmented and systematic evolution, and the embryonic form of Wushu routines.

the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (770 BC-22 BC1year), the military war gradually changed from a car war to a riding war, which made weapons and martial arts change to a great extent. The selection and training of foot soldiers are stricter, which promotes the development of military Wushu. At the same time, performances, competitions and entertainment are also very popular, especially fencing, and the functions of martial arts are diversified. With the collapse of slavery, military martial arts gradually flowed into the people, and its attack and defense skills were based on personality. On the premise of individualization, Wushu skills are diversified. With the multi-functional development of Wushu and the increasingly perfect technology, Wushu theory has been formed from practice. For example, Yue Nv's discussion on swords recorded in Wu Yue Chun Qiu is profound and incisive, and it is still brilliant. The diversification of Wushu functions and skills, as well as the emergence of Wushu theory, marked the gradual formation of Wushu system in this period.

Qin and Han Dynasties

During the Qin and Han Dynasties (2265438 BC+0-280 AD), the feudal society in China was on the rise, and the development of politics, economy and culture created conditions for the diversified development of Wushu. During this period, a lot of martial arts works were produced, such as "History of Han Dynasty, Art and Literature" by Ban Gu, in which there were six hand-fights and thirty-eight kendo. The embryonic form of martial arts schools began to appear. For example, Cao Pi talked about the existence of "Fa" in fencing in Preface to Dian Lun, which confirmed the formation of schools. Knife has basically replaced sword in military position, while sword has made great progress in non-military use; During this period, swordsmanship, sumo and corner kick also began to spread eastward to Japan.

Gold and the Southern and Northern Dynasties

During the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 265- AD 589), Wushu was gradually combined with health preservation in the process of blending with culture. However, due to the prevalence of metaphysics and the pursuit of immortality, its negative influence has hindered the development of Wushu to some extent.

Sui and Tang Dynasties

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, in the second year of Chang 'an in the Tang Dynasty (AD 702), the martial arts system was implemented, and martial arts talents were selected through examinations, which greatly promoted the development of martial arts. The establishment of Wushu system undoubtedly stimulated more people's enthusiasm for Wushu, which had a positive impact on the prevalence of Wushu in Ren Xia in the Tang Dynasty to a certain extent and greatly promoted the prosperity and development of Wushu.

Song and Yuan Dynasties

During the Song and Yuan Dynasties (960- 1368), folk Wushu activities with folk associations as the main body flourished, such as "English Club", "Bow Club" and "Sumo Club". The formation of "she" has created favorable conditions for the teaching, exchange and development of folk Wushu. In the Song Dynasty, the city was developed, and a large number of folk artists who took martial arts as their profession appeared in some entertainment places such as "Washe" and "Goulan". Their performances include both solo training and duet training, which greatly promotes the development of condom martial arts to performance.

Ming and Qing dynasties

The Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 ~1911) were a period of great development of Wushu. An important symbol of its prosperity is the great development of numerous schools, different styles of boxing and equipment, and the various values of Wushu as military technology, fitness means and performance skills are recognized and utilized by people. Since the Ming Dynasty, represented by Qi Jiguang, Cheng Zongyou and Mao, the basic theory of Wushu since the Song Dynasty has been systematically summarized in terms of technology, tactics, teaching and training. For example, Qi Jiguang's Ji Xiao and He's Authentic Works both sum up the gradual teaching and training law that boxing is the basis of learning instruments, and clearly put forward the fitness and physical strengthening function of Wushu. In the Qing dynasty, Wushu was further combined with Taoist health preservation, inner alchemy and guidance, and gradually formed the internal strength of Wushu. On this basis, Tai Ji Chuan, Xingyiquan, Baguazhang and other new kinds of boxing which pay attention to internal training came into being and developed rapidly. Since then, the military status of cold weapons has obviously faded. Because Wushu has the functions of fitness, self-defense and self-defense, it can adapt to the changes of the times and gradually become an organic part of modern sports in China. On this basis, we should further absorb the nutrients of traditional culture, enrich the forms of sports, sublimate the technical theory, and develop along the direction of sports without losing the connotation of attack and defense.

Republic of China period

During the Republic of China (19 12 ~ 1949), the Chinese nation was weak and poor, and voices from all walks of life advocated national quintessence sports. China's traditional Wushu has been re-recognized by Chinese people, and some new societies aiming at learning Wushu and developing Wushu activities have been established one after another. 19 10, the "Jason Wu Sports Association" established in Shanghai is the oldest and most influential folk Wushu group. 1927, the Kuomintang government established the central museum of martial arts in Nanjing, and held two martial arts examinations in Nanjing in 1928 and 1933, and held boxing, long soldiers, short soldiers, Sanshou and wrestling competitions. In addition, some large-scale Wushu performances were organized, such as 1929 Hangzhou Wushu Leisure Conference and 1936 China Wushu Team's performance in Berlin Olympic Games. At the same time, influenced by western advanced physical education experience, Wushu has entered the physical education classes of schools at all levels. The research on Wushu has also been gradually developed, and some works on Wushu have appeared one after another, such as Shaolin Wudang Examination, Research on Neijia Boxing, Xu Zhiyi Tai Ji Chuan Brief, etc., all of which have begun to understand and study Wushu from the perspective of modern science. Wushu has undergone great evolution and development in the Republic of China.