An introduction to Wushu 
Wushu, also known as martial arts, is a traditional Chinese sport. It integrates kicking, striking, punching, catching, pushing, splitting, stabbing, and other actions into the regular patterns of kung fu, which comprises offensive and defensive fighting skills and styles with bare hands or the application of weapons. Deeply rooted in the masses and practiced for centuries, Wushu has become a precious cultural legacy of the Chinese people.
The Wushu exercises have become an official competitive sport and one of the official sports of the National Games. They are an important component of the physical education curriculum at schools and are widely practiced in urban and rural areas across China for bodybuilding purposes. The military and police also practice Wushu as an important training subject to improve the soldiers' and policemen's physique and fighting techniques. In the years of reform and opening-up, China has tapped into traditional Wushu resources and engaged in the theoretical and technical research of Wushu sport, thus improving its organizational and management systems. Currently, Wushu has become popular outside China and is once again flourishing.
Wushu is a collective term to describe boxing, sanshou (free sparring), weapon play, and other Chinese Kung Fu skills. Wushu includes long boxing, southern-style boxing, taiji boxing, short weapon play, long weapon play and sanshou.
Long boxing is also called northern-style boxing, a collective term for the snake boxing, Shaolin boxing and others. Long boxing is characterized by big movements, multi-heaping, and flexibility. A long boxing competition can be a gracious and beautiful martial arts demonstration.
Flourishing in southern China, southern-style boxing features by comprehensive hand skills. Taiji boxing has various schools of practice named after the founders of the schools, such as Chen's taiji, Yang's taiji, Wu's taiji, Sun's taiji, Wu's taiji, and so on. Taiji boxing is characterized by remarkable flexibility and gentle movements. Short weapon play includes saber and broadsword techniques, and long weapon play features spear and cudgel. In the weapons category there are also popular items like southern-style cudgel, southern-style broadsword, and taiji sword.
Wushu in China has evolved from a simplified form to a complicated one and from a low level to a higher one, in the process of rejecting the dross and assimilating the fine essence as well as adopting the advantages of the hundreds of schools. In the long history of its development, it has incorporated feelings of national pride and national psychological diathesis. Wushu in China has become richer in its movements on the basis of additions and deletions by Taoists, Confucians, monks, and laymen from generation to generation. Its magic skills and varied patterns have won it a unique banner among the world's fighting skills. China's Wushu is indeed a crystallization of Chinese wisdom.
http://en.beijing2008.cn/goodluckbj/wushu/n214200778.shtml
武术项目介绍 
武术又称国术或武世，中国传统体育项目。它是把踢、打、摔、拿、跌、击、劈、刺等支作按照一定规律组成徒手的和器械的各种攻防格斗功夫、套路和单势练习。武术具有极其广泛的群众基础，是中国人民在长期的社会实践中不断积累和丰富起来的一项宝贵的文化遗产。
武术运动，正式纳入体育竞赛体制，被列为全运会正式比赛项目；武术进入学校，成为学校体育的重要组成部分；全国城乡普遍开展群众性武术健身活动；武术成为军警身体素质训练和技击格斗训练的重要科目。改革开放以来，国家对传统武术进行了挖掘整理工作并加强了武术理论技术研究工作，逐步健全了武术组织管理体系；同时，武术跨出国门，走向世界，取得了举世瞩目的成绩；武术事业进入了全面发展时期。
武术是拳术、散手、兵器等中国功夫的统称。武术比赛分为长拳、南拳、太极拳、短器械、长器械、散手等几项。
长拳又被称为北拳，是蛇拳、少林拳等拳术的总称。长拳的特点是动作大开大合，多跳跃并且伸缩性比较强。在进行长拳比赛时，运动员动作优雅，十分好看。
南拳是在中国南方盛行的拳术的总称。南拳的特点是下盘扎实，手上的功夫比较复杂。太极拳分为陈氏、杨氏、吴氏、孙氏、武氏等几类， 太极拳的特点是伸缩性好，动作柔和。短兵器分为剑术和刀术，长兵器分为枪术和棍术，除此之外，还有南棍、南刀、太极剑术等其它一些常见的兵器项目。
中国武术的发展经过了由简于繁、由低级于高级，以及“百花齐放，百家争鸣”，去糟粕存精华的历史衍变。在历史浩瀚的长河中，武术也自然渗透了中华民族的民族的民族自豪感、民族心理气质等诸多因素。千百年来历经数代道、僧、儒、俗武林高手增删，中国武术招法更丰富实用，使世界上任何搏南海术相形见拙。而其中神奇的功夫和种种特殊的功法，更是在世界搏击界独树一帜，中国武术是中华民族的智慧结晶