Is Wushu The Same as Shaolin Kungfu

People are confused and asking questions about whether wushu is the same as Shaolin kungfu or not. There are also wushu instructors who persist that their art is came directly from the Shaolin Temple. Without appropriate information concerning these matters many enthusiasts might also be misguided. Some of these instructors are wushu practitioner because they verify their capability by mentioning their association in wushu teams in mainland China, some awards etc

To make things clear, I shall state that modern wushu is not Shaolin Kungfu. Before 1960, there were many kungfu styles in China, like Pa Kua Chuan, Hsing I, Praying Mantis, Lohan, Eagle Claw, Chang Chuan, Hung Gar, Tai Chi Chuan,Wing Chun etc. In 1960 Chinese government gathered several kungfu masters from different styles with the objective to combine the various styles of kungfu into one standardized style, which is today's modern wushu. Later on, there was to be no differentiation into these various styles, only wushu.

Wushu was never invented as a self defense method but solely for national sports, and. for competition purposes. The credit points in all wushu competitions is to demonstrate how graceful and elegant the performance is, and never credited on how well a performer can defend himself from the attacker or how well he/she can generate an attack with his fist.

Maybe the wushu instructors were quite right to say that wushu was derived from Shaolin Kungfu because except for Tai Chi Chuan and acrobatic movements, almost all wushu movements were taken from Shaolin Kungfu. But their statement is also misleading, since their nature, purpose and principle are very different.

Some instructors also insisted that Chinese martial arts are all called wushu; kungfu is merely a Cantonese term that can be translated into “hard work”. From one perspective he is right, but from a different perspective -- the one we are using now -- he is wrong. The similarity or difference involving kungfu and wushu has confused many people, but the next explanation will clear the confusion.

Kungfu, used in the sense of Chinese martial art, has many terms in the Chinese language. The present official term is "wushu". Besides this term, another term that is most commonly used for what in the West would be conceptualized as "kungfu" is "chuanfa", often shortened to "chuan". Thus, Shaolin Kungfu is "shaolinchuan" or "shaolin wushu" in Chinese and Tai Chi Kungfu is "tai chi chuan" or "tai chi wushu".

In Cantonese dialect and in many other Chinese dialects, it is true that “kungfu” literally means “work”. But in present day, when a person uses the word “kungfu” he means “martial arts” and they will use the term “kung-chok” for “work”

Complications started when the present Chinese government promoted newly invented modern wushu as a national sport, and not as a martial art. The trend has been so established that today when the term "wushu" is used, especially in the West, it is conceptualized as a demonstrative sport, whereas when the term "kungfu" is used it is conceptualized as a martial art.

When the present Chinese government promoted modern wushu as a national sport, they don’t mean it as martial arts, but the term conceptualized as a demonstrative sport and for competition purpose. Whereas when the term "kungfu" is used it is conceptualized as a martial art.

In other words, we now have a situation whereby although the word "wushu" literally means "martial art", in reality it is a sport; and although the word "kungfu" literally means "work", in practical usage it is a martial art.