The basic principle a martial artist

 The basic principle a martial artist must adhere to when he participates in a boxing bout consists in the most economical usage of his physical strength. Whether his wushu movements on such an occasion strike his opponent or onlookers as graceful or enchanting with their aesthetic appeal is practically of little importance. As a matter of fact, the wushu movements of a martial artist who is most masterly in employing his physical strength must be full of aesthetic appeal. The criterion that is appropriate for assessing the wushu proficiency of a martial artist must be one that is acceptable to all the martial artists concerned. A rule which is strictly adhered to by Shaolin Monastery gong-fu monkhood is this: “In launching an attack with the foot, it is not allowed to be flung higher than the opponent’s kneecap.” The rule is in contradiction with a criterion proclaimed by the central authorities in charge of China’s national sports affairs. Anyway Shaolin gong-fu monkhood has never countenanced the criterion, even though a portion of the secular folk who have learned Shaolin gong-fu from our monastery now chooses to be obedient to the criterion laid down by the central authorities. Moreover the same portion of the secular folk now has also chosen to do more pirouettes in doing martial-art demonstrations than Shaolin gong-fu dictates. Most of the guys belonging in the aforesaid portion are young people who are more susceptible to stooping before the central authorities’ behest, because they desire to take part in numerous wushu contests sponsored or organized by the central authorities in charge of China’s national sports affairs. Such young people say that the reason they have discarded the old rule is that they need to keep abreast of the new development which materializes in the form of the new criterion. Generally speaking, everybody needs to keep abreast of a positive development. But this does not mean that all conventions or traditions should be indiscriminately or gratuitously demolished. Nowadays the central authorities concerned are still frantically popularizing the so-called “model wushu”. This has resulted in rushing a great number of people to the “model wushu” training courses across the country. Thus has emerged the new nationwide wushu-training landscape: The number of people participating in martial-art training has been appreciably enhanced. But in actuality, the gong-fu level in China is now experiencing a drastic downturn. It is expressly for keeping the monastic tradition intact that the gong-fu monkhood of Shaolin Monastery clings adamantly to the monastic tradition and sila and declines to take part in wushu contests organized or sponsored by the central authorities.