Central Guoshu Institute

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The Central Guoshu Institute (simplified Chinese: 中央国术馆; traditional Chinese: 中央國術館; pinyin: Zhōngyāng Guóshù Guǎn; lit. 'Central Martial Arts Academy') was established in Nanjing by the Kuomintang government of the Republic of China in March 1928 for the propagation of Chinese martial arts, and was an important center of martial arts during the Nanjing decade. Guoshu (國術; romanized in Wade-Giles as Kuoshu) "national art" was the term for martial arts adopted by the Republic of China at the time. The institute was created by Zhang Zhijiang (张之江, 1882–1966) under the sponsorship of elite government officials such as Li Liejun and others. Along with the Jing Wu Athletic Association (established in 1910), the academy played a crucial role in the transmission of traditional Chinese martial arts into the 20th century.

In April 1928, The Institute held its first national martial arts competition in Beijing in the form of a highly competitive lei tai tournament. It was presided by General Zhang Zhijiang. This competition attracted 400 of the best martial artists in China.^[1]

In October 1928, the Central Guoshu Institute held another national examination in Nanjing. This event came to be regarded as one of the most significant historic gatherings of Chinese martial arts masters. The tournament was presided by generals Zhang Zhijiang, Li Liejun, and Li Jinglin, who separated the 600 participants into two categories: Shaolin and Wudang.^[2] After the first several days of competition, the fighting competitions had to be halted because many participants were severely injured. The final 12 contestants were not permitted to continue, with the public excuse being the fear more injury or a death. The winner was determined by a vote by the participants.

Many of the "Top 15" finishers went on to teach at the institute..^[3] The Fifteen athletes in particular that distinguished themselves: Zhu Guofu (朱国福), Gu Ruzhang (顾 汝 章), Wang Yunpeng (王云鹏), Zhang Changyi (张长义), Ma Yufu (马裕甫), Dou Laigeng (窦 来 庚), Yang Shiwen (杨士文), Zhang Yingzhen(张英振), Yang Fawu (杨 法 武), Wang Chengzhang (王成章), Zhu Guozhen (朱国桢), Zhang Weitong (张维 通), Zhu Guolu (朱国禄), Ma Chengzhi (马成智), Hu Jiong (胡 炯)