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MA Jianguo often likes to joke that his class resembles the Eight-Nation Alliance， a military coalition that invaded and looted Beijing more than 100 years ago during the Boxer Uprising. But the hotchpotch of nationalities， which includes French， Brazilian， and Dutch， that gather in Beijing’s Xuanwu Sports School every weekend have no such malign intentions.
This diverse bunch， whose ages range from just six to past sixty， are here to learn Chinese wrestling， known as Shuaijiao in Chinese. Chinese wrestling， during which two contestants try to force each other to the ground with just their hands and bodies， is one of the oldest sports in China.
It is an essential part of Chinese culture， counting itself among the likes of martial arts and Peking Opera， and enjoyed great popularity throughout history. Despite this， it has not been included in the Olympic Games， which remains the major yardstick by which China measures the importance and success of a sport and allocates its sources of assistance accordingly. The development of professional Chinese wrestling therefore faces an uncertain future.
Horn Butting Origins
The origin of Chinese wrestling is unclear. Some believe it was derived from Chinese martial arts. Ma Jianguo， the coach who is also vice secretarygeneral of the Chinese Wrestling Association， however， claims Chinese wrestling goes back even further than that.
According to Ma， the precursor to Chinese wrestling was known as Jiaodi， which means horn butting. It was said to fi rst appear in the prehistory tribal era as a combat tactic and became a popular sport during the Qin Dynasty （221-206 B.C.）. Since then Chinese wrestling has taken on a host of different names. Martial arts is more about boxing techniques and didn’t debut until the Liang Dynasty（502-557）. It entered the mainstream no earlier than the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. For most of history wrestling was the leading combat sport and one of the best received forms of entertainment.
Chinese wrestling’s origins also have a broad geographical scope， being a fusion of versions from several of the country’s 56 ethnic groups. Each of these groups’ combat sports have their own unique traits， and Chinese wrestling is a combination of fighting techniques from the Mongol， Uygur， Tibetan， Korean， and Yi peoples， as well as folk games among the Han inhabitants of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.
“The consummate skill of martial arts is to dissipate a fierce attack with a facile act of less force，”Ma Jianguo said. In most martial arts， however， it is difficult to determine the winner unless somebody is injured. By contrast Chinese wrestling eliminated the brutality in the course of evolution： opponents only aim to throw one another and are banned from employing any technique that may inflict injuries. This， perhaps， is why the sport has been adored by the Chinese people for thousands of years. A ninth century scholar wrote a book on its history， and the Qing Dynasty army had a particular division of wrestlers， who also trained in archery and equestrianism. These soldiers stood guard for the emperors and court officials and also staged performances at times of visits by foreign diplomats. In 1933 the Republic of China founded a central martial arts school， and Chinese wrestling was part of its curriculum.
The two decades following the founding of the PRC in 1949 saw the sport reach its most prosperous point. In 1953， Chinese wrestling was included in the first National Traditional Ethnic Monitories Sports Games. In 1957， in order not to be confused with wrestling practiced in other parts of the world， it began to be referred to officially as Chinese Style Wrestling. In 1959， Chinese wrestling was included in the first Chinese National Games. During this period of popularity and recognitions， the sport thrived and accomplished wrestlers emerged in large numbers.
Not an Olympic Sport
For centuries Chinese wrestling enjoyed a prominent position amid all competitive sports in China， but has lost much of its glamour in recent decades. It has become marginalized in a country’s sports world which is primarily state funded and controlled and where most resources are steered towards Olympic sports.
Chinese wrestling was removed from the Chinese National Games in 1993. The rejection has resulted in the cessation of vocational training and funding at the provincial level. Provincial level teams were dissolved and the athletes and coaches moved to other professions. Sports schools no longer offer training in Chinese wrestling. The sport’s status as a profession， once firm and secure， declined quickly.
“Every province and city has reduced their programs for Chinese wrestling. Coaches and athletes have turned to Greco-Roman or free-style wrestling and judo and there are no professional athletes representing Chinese wrestling anymore，”said Ma Jianguo.
When the National Chinese Wrestling Championship was held in 1995， the event had to be shortened from two days to just one for want of participation. Athletes had no enthusiasm to compete in the event as it offered little scope for a successful future career.
The All-China Sports Federation lists 34 nonOlympic sports on its official website， including martial arts， Chinese chess， Go， the Dragon and Lion Dance， the Dragon Boat Competition， shuttlecock and kite flying. But Chinese wrestling is not on the list， despite the fact that you can see its influence in other combat sports， including Ja-pan’s judo， karate， and aikido. Some experts even consider Chinese wrestling to be the best unarmed combat sport. However， this activity is falling on the wayside of professional sport in the country where it originated. More Than a Competitive Sport
During a lecture Ma Jianguo gave on Chinese wrestling at a university in Shanghai， a student asked if the Chinese wrestling costume was copied from that of taekwondo. Upon hearing the question， Ma was saddened and he realized it was up to him to shoulder the responsibility of promoting Chinese wrestling.
With no support from the government， Chinese wrestling occupies a relatively shaky position， but enthusiasts like Ma are determined to revive it. Ma and his disciple Li Baoru have produced a television program titled Learn Chinese Wrestling – A Movement Every Day. The program was broadcasted on CCTV-1 at breakfast time for two years starting in 2001. Some viewers， including a number of foreigners， came to Ma Jianguo to learn Chinese wrestling after watching the program.
Now， Ma offers a Chinese wrestling class at Xuanwu Sports School in southwestern Beijing. It is not profit-focused， and he has to supplement income with revenues generated by Sanda， a Chinese hand-to-hand combat sport， and taekwondo lessons.
The good news is that some fans of the sport have exported their love and skills abroad and promoted it in foreign countries. Chinese wrestling clubs have been established in France， Spain， Switzerland and the United States. Ma Jianguo and his disciples are often invited to give lectures abroad， spreading the culture of Chinese wrestling. The sport is especially well developed in France， where the Cup of the Mayor of Paris， an international Chinese wrestling competition， has been held for the past seven years and attracts athletes from many countries.
As a sport that is easy to learn and fun to watch， though it is struggling to produce professional athletes， Chinese wrestling attracts a lot of amateur players in China. In recent years， Chinese wrestling clubs and classes have been established in Beijing， Shandong and Zhejiang， with some attracting more than 100 participants. Last year the Chinese New Year Fair at Shanghai’s City God Temple ended with a performance of Chinese wrestling.
In fact， the efforts to rejuvenate the sport have escalated in recent years. The Ministry of Education and the General Administration of Sport jointly issued a policy allowing 74 universities and colleges across the country to enroll students talented in Chinese wrestling on preferential terms， and some sport universities have opened Chinese wrestling majors. All those efforts give hope for the maintenance of expertise in this sport.
Since 2003 the Chinese Wrestling Development Committee has organized a series of wrestling competitions. Moreover， other sports events such as the annual Naadam Festival in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， the National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities and the National Farmers’ Sports Meet have also made a great contribution to preserve the sport by including Chinese wrestling.
According to Su Xueliang， a professor at the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports， Chinese wrestling， passed down through generations for thousands of years， is not just a competitive sport. “If we fully understand its cultural value， we should see that efforts from all aspects should be made to save the sport rather than just relying on the government，” said Su.
Some people suggest renaming Chinese Style Wrestling， as the “Chinese Style” may hinder its development abroad. It would be easier to promote if the term “Chinese Style” was removed and the ancient name Jiaoshu is used instead.
From Ma Jianguo’s point of view， the standardization of training and competitions as well as inviting more young people to participate are crucial to the development of Chinese wrestling.“Costumes， techniques and rules should be standardized to define a complete code for this sport， promoting professionalism. Teenagers are the new blood of the sport， as well as the basis for its future development. I believe Chinese wrestling has a long path of development leading to bright future ahead，” Ma concluded.
This diverse bunch， whose ages range from just six to past sixty， are here to learn Chinese wrestling， known as Shuaijiao in Chinese. Chinese wrestling， during which two contestants try to force each other to the ground with just their hands and bodies， is one of the oldest sports in China.
It is an essential part of Chinese culture， counting itself among the likes of martial arts and Peking Opera， and enjoyed great popularity throughout history. Despite this， it has not been included in the Olympic Games， which remains the major yardstick by which China measures the importance and success of a sport and allocates its sources of assistance accordingly. The development of professional Chinese wrestling therefore faces an uncertain future.
Horn Butting Origins
The origin of Chinese wrestling is unclear. Some believe it was derived from Chinese martial arts. Ma Jianguo， the coach who is also vice secretarygeneral of the Chinese Wrestling Association， however， claims Chinese wrestling goes back even further than that.
According to Ma， the precursor to Chinese wrestling was known as Jiaodi， which means horn butting. It was said to fi rst appear in the prehistory tribal era as a combat tactic and became a popular sport during the Qin Dynasty （221-206 B.C.）. Since then Chinese wrestling has taken on a host of different names. Martial arts is more about boxing techniques and didn’t debut until the Liang Dynasty（502-557）. It entered the mainstream no earlier than the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. For most of history wrestling was the leading combat sport and one of the best received forms of entertainment.
Chinese wrestling’s origins also have a broad geographical scope， being a fusion of versions from several of the country’s 56 ethnic groups. Each of these groups’ combat sports have their own unique traits， and Chinese wrestling is a combination of fighting techniques from the Mongol， Uygur， Tibetan， Korean， and Yi peoples， as well as folk games among the Han inhabitants of Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.
“The consummate skill of martial arts is to dissipate a fierce attack with a facile act of less force，”Ma Jianguo said. In most martial arts， however， it is difficult to determine the winner unless somebody is injured. By contrast Chinese wrestling eliminated the brutality in the course of evolution： opponents only aim to throw one another and are banned from employing any technique that may inflict injuries. This， perhaps， is why the sport has been adored by the Chinese people for thousands of years. A ninth century scholar wrote a book on its history， and the Qing Dynasty army had a particular division of wrestlers， who also trained in archery and equestrianism. These soldiers stood guard for the emperors and court officials and also staged performances at times of visits by foreign diplomats. In 1933 the Republic of China founded a central martial arts school， and Chinese wrestling was part of its curriculum.
The two decades following the founding of the PRC in 1949 saw the sport reach its most prosperous point. In 1953， Chinese wrestling was included in the first National Traditional Ethnic Monitories Sports Games. In 1957， in order not to be confused with wrestling practiced in other parts of the world， it began to be referred to officially as Chinese Style Wrestling. In 1959， Chinese wrestling was included in the first Chinese National Games. During this period of popularity and recognitions， the sport thrived and accomplished wrestlers emerged in large numbers.
Not an Olympic Sport
For centuries Chinese wrestling enjoyed a prominent position amid all competitive sports in China， but has lost much of its glamour in recent decades. It has become marginalized in a country’s sports world which is primarily state funded and controlled and where most resources are steered towards Olympic sports.
Chinese wrestling was removed from the Chinese National Games in 1993. The rejection has resulted in the cessation of vocational training and funding at the provincial level. Provincial level teams were dissolved and the athletes and coaches moved to other professions. Sports schools no longer offer training in Chinese wrestling. The sport’s status as a profession， once firm and secure， declined quickly.
“Every province and city has reduced their programs for Chinese wrestling. Coaches and athletes have turned to Greco-Roman or free-style wrestling and judo and there are no professional athletes representing Chinese wrestling anymore，”said Ma Jianguo.
When the National Chinese Wrestling Championship was held in 1995， the event had to be shortened from two days to just one for want of participation. Athletes had no enthusiasm to compete in the event as it offered little scope for a successful future career.
The All-China Sports Federation lists 34 nonOlympic sports on its official website， including martial arts， Chinese chess， Go， the Dragon and Lion Dance， the Dragon Boat Competition， shuttlecock and kite flying. But Chinese wrestling is not on the list， despite the fact that you can see its influence in other combat sports， including Ja-pan’s judo， karate， and aikido. Some experts even consider Chinese wrestling to be the best unarmed combat sport. However， this activity is falling on the wayside of professional sport in the country where it originated. More Than a Competitive Sport
During a lecture Ma Jianguo gave on Chinese wrestling at a university in Shanghai， a student asked if the Chinese wrestling costume was copied from that of taekwondo. Upon hearing the question， Ma was saddened and he realized it was up to him to shoulder the responsibility of promoting Chinese wrestling.
With no support from the government， Chinese wrestling occupies a relatively shaky position， but enthusiasts like Ma are determined to revive it. Ma and his disciple Li Baoru have produced a television program titled Learn Chinese Wrestling – A Movement Every Day. The program was broadcasted on CCTV-1 at breakfast time for two years starting in 2001. Some viewers， including a number of foreigners， came to Ma Jianguo to learn Chinese wrestling after watching the program.
Now， Ma offers a Chinese wrestling class at Xuanwu Sports School in southwestern Beijing. It is not profit-focused， and he has to supplement income with revenues generated by Sanda， a Chinese hand-to-hand combat sport， and taekwondo lessons.
The good news is that some fans of the sport have exported their love and skills abroad and promoted it in foreign countries. Chinese wrestling clubs have been established in France， Spain， Switzerland and the United States. Ma Jianguo and his disciples are often invited to give lectures abroad， spreading the culture of Chinese wrestling. The sport is especially well developed in France， where the Cup of the Mayor of Paris， an international Chinese wrestling competition， has been held for the past seven years and attracts athletes from many countries.
As a sport that is easy to learn and fun to watch， though it is struggling to produce professional athletes， Chinese wrestling attracts a lot of amateur players in China. In recent years， Chinese wrestling clubs and classes have been established in Beijing， Shandong and Zhejiang， with some attracting more than 100 participants. Last year the Chinese New Year Fair at Shanghai’s City God Temple ended with a performance of Chinese wrestling.
In fact， the efforts to rejuvenate the sport have escalated in recent years. The Ministry of Education and the General Administration of Sport jointly issued a policy allowing 74 universities and colleges across the country to enroll students talented in Chinese wrestling on preferential terms， and some sport universities have opened Chinese wrestling majors. All those efforts give hope for the maintenance of expertise in this sport.
Since 2003 the Chinese Wrestling Development Committee has organized a series of wrestling competitions. Moreover， other sports events such as the annual Naadam Festival in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， the National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities and the National Farmers’ Sports Meet have also made a great contribution to preserve the sport by including Chinese wrestling.
According to Su Xueliang， a professor at the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports， Chinese wrestling， passed down through generations for thousands of years， is not just a competitive sport. “If we fully understand its cultural value， we should see that efforts from all aspects should be made to save the sport rather than just relying on the government，” said Su.
Some people suggest renaming Chinese Style Wrestling， as the “Chinese Style” may hinder its development abroad. It would be easier to promote if the term “Chinese Style” was removed and the ancient name Jiaoshu is used instead.
From Ma Jianguo’s point of view， the standardization of training and competitions as well as inviting more young people to participate are crucial to the development of Chinese wrestling.“Costumes， techniques and rules should be standardized to define a complete code for this sport， promoting professionalism. Teenagers are the new blood of the sport， as well as the basis for its future development. I believe Chinese wrestling has a long path of development leading to bright future ahead，” Ma concluded.