"Wude"
- The Martial Code

Considering the rather brutal nature of a martial arts purpose, it seems odd that people would consider it a path a good person would take, and yet it has a reputation of building a person's moral character. This may seem a paradox at first, but it comes from a very important aspect of the wushu called "wude" or "Martial Morality". Great masters of wushu realized that high skill in wushu could be abused by people who were not good. So they devised a martial code in order to judge whether their students where worthy and capable of being taught this dangerous art. There are two aspects of wude, the first is used to gauge whether a student can be trusted and the second whether they have the ability to achieve the highest aim of wushu - self cultivation:

Morality of Deed

Morality of Mind

In the world of wushu, and China in particular, wude is an important, inseparable aspect of practicing the art. Martial artists are highly respected as it is understood that in order to achieve their skill they have also had to achieve the highly virtuous wude traits, and therefore are extremely trustworthy and courageous individuals.

What is Wushu?

Wushu in Chinese simply translates to Martial Arts

David Colon Performing Miao Dao - Wushu

In America today, however, it is more commonly referred to as kung fu. The term "kung fu" is misleading, however, as it refers to any great skill gained through hard work and not Chinese martial arts exclusively. A master martial artist has kung fu (great skill) but so does a master chef, painter, or chess player. In fact anyone who demonstrates great skill in anything can be said to have kung fu in that thing. Wushu also does not refer to a particular style of martial arts, Chinese or otherwise. It's simply the generic Chinese term for all marital arts. When talking about Japanese wushu you could be referring to Karate, Judo, or Aikido; Korean wushu could be Hapkido or Tae Kwon Do; Chinese wushu could be Shaolin, Long Fist, Eagle Claw, Tai Chi Chuan or any of the hundreds other styles of Chinese wushu that exist.

Now, "wushu" is a Chinese word, so it is usually safe to assume when you hear it used that the user is referring to Chinese martial arts in particular, and for our purposes that is how we use it.

Wushu (Martial Arts) is basically a skilled fighting/combat system in which a series of movements using striking techniques with feet, hands, knees, elbows, head and dozens of different weapons are used in conjunction in order to physically fight in the most effective and deadly manner. This is regardless of whether the purpose of the fight is to defend oneself or to attack another. Elements of a combat system range from the most base - such as developing the physical requirements; to the highly mental - learning how to develop and initiate complex strategies; to the metaphysical - learning to manipulate energy. It is called an art because it uses the science of the body and mind to push the envelope of what should be physically possible.

Erika Dufour Performing A Wushu Drop Stance

Distinct combat techniques developed based upon what the need for being able to fight was. Techniques developed for fighting between large armies are distinctly different then those developed for fighting one on one or even three on one. Today, modern combat techniques have almost developed beyond the body's capabilities, and most combat that exists is assisted by machines (computers, guns, tanks) against which traditional martial arts/combat techniques are not as effective. With this development, the intention behind studying traditional martial arts has changed. People now study primarily for the fringe benefits of wushu, such as health, self defense, focus or any of the other myriad reasons. Despite this, the core of wushu will always be it's inherent power as a fighting system..