China Popular Itineraries |
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Wushu in the Shang and the Zhou Dynasties |
In the Shang Dynasty, the martial dance began to be separated from the practice of Wushu and, until the Zhou Dynasty, it became an important part of education with particular training time and content.
With the development of bronze, the metal weapon made of bronze was turned out in great deal. At the same time, the usage of weapons was im-proved. The Shang Dynasty saw those bronze of spear, dagger, axe and yue, while ji, shield and sword were found in the Zhou Dynasty. These weapons were employed to enhance the effect of defense and attack in the battles with infantry and chariots. Ways to operate these weapons, simple as they were, developed at the same time and contributed to the later Wushu.
Another contribution to Wushu then was the formulation of the five ele-ments (metal, wood, water, fire and earth, held by the ancients as compo-nents of the physical universe) and bagua, which facilitated the philosophical basis of Wushu. Bagua, or Eight Trigrams, refers to combination of three whole or broken lines formerly used in divination. The boxing series Xingyi-quan and baguazhang, which refers to eight-trigram battle array ¨C supposed by the ancients to have power of confusing enemy troops, were typical exam-pies based on the formulations. The above developing course indicates that Wushu came to be an organized activity with intention and purpose in the time of Shang and Zhou dynasties. |
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