On September 25-28, the 2024 National Wushu Taolu Championship was held in Tianjin. Recently, a video from the competition surfaced online showing two athletes engaging in a “gentle sparring” that sparked ridicule across the internet.
On October 5, the mentioned video of the event spread on social media. In the video, two athletes dressed in black and red respectively were seen engaging in unarmed combat, displaying coordinated and seemingly “gentle” moves.
The video quickly sparked heated discussions online, with netizens jokingly commenting, “Most fights are more intense than this.” “Is it a rule that whoever laughs first loses?” “It’s supposed to be an exhibition match, lacking basic aesthetics; claiming to be martial arts but lacking fundamental strength.” “They’ve ruined martial arts, might as well turn it into monkey tricks.”
“The 2024 National Wushu Taolu Championship clearly states it’s a taolu competition, why take it so seriously.” “Even taolu routines should have some level of appeal, what kind of appeal does this have?” “There are partnered sword and knife drills, classic empty-hand against weapons moves, and unarmed combat with spears in taolu routines, none of which look gentle.”
In a post by the author of the headline article, popular Weibo influencer “Bigmouth Spokesperson” said, “I’ve watched Wushu competitions from the 1990s, sparring, single sabers against spears and such, none of it was as slow-paced, twirling long spears around necks, much faster than this. Let traditional martial arts be merely for entertainment, invite Ma Baoguo next time.”
“While competition is not about life or death, there should at least be a winner, and what is martial arts? Martial arts are skills for killing, techniques for life-threatening combat, determining a winner and loser as well as life and death. This so-called taolu and Ma Baoguo’s lightning-fast five-chain whip share a similar nature, ultimately distorting the true essence of martial arts. If we truly respect the core principles of martial arts, then such superficial, self-deceptive forms that prioritize form over substance, should be abolished.”
On October 5, the “Xiaoxiang Morning News” contacted the event’s staff, who explained that the competition category in the video is “two-person sparring,” emphasizing the focus on coordination and rapport between the participants, more of a performance-based routine rather than actual combat. The staff member clarified that the event judges the athletes’ technical proficiency, akin to a diving competition.