Nurturing qi and Moral Cultivation
2 min readKing of Yiyong Wu’an，ink drawing in the Song and Yuan dynasties，collected by Russian St.Peterburg Museum.
Guan Yu is the embodiment of humaneness，righteousness and braveness.In 1123（the fifth year under the reign of Emperor Xuanhe of the Northern Song Dynasty），Guan Yu was conferred the title of”King of Yiyong Wu’an.”Chinese Wushu regards moral cultivation as its foundation.It advocates nurturing qi，integrating law and promotes both civil and military ability，going against aggression and violence.Many Wushu masters regard the practice as a means of moral cultivation and health maintenance.The Chinese Wushu circles always give top priority to Wushu ethics.Every Wushu school has established strict regulations.Any one who does evil or harm，regardless of their martial art techniques is unwelcome among the Wushu circles.Various schools in the Wushu circle also admonish their followers not to fight with others，cause trouble，or bully others ignorant of Wushu.They advocate helping others for a just cause，wiping out bullies and helping the downtrodden.
Chinese Wushu regards the exercises to benefit the internal organs as its foundation，and base exercises on nurturing qi.Nurturing qi aims to reach taihe（grand peace），which is impartial andcombines softness and firmness.The qi of grand peace runs in the opposite direction against theemulative thoughts.Oi is harmonious with rationality，while quan is harmonious with law.The more prosperous the qi is，the weaker the emulative thoughts becomes.The more achievements made by the Wushu learner，the better the temperament of the Wushu practitioner becomes；Wushu learners rarely show off their powers.Moral cultivation and nurturing qi are the unique guiding concepts of Chinese Wushu.
New year picture:Zhao Yun fighting in Changbanpo，mid-Qing Dynasty，Yangliuqing，Tianjin Zhao Yun was a famous general of the Shu state during the Three Kingdom period.According to the picture，Zhao Yun is surrounded at the center with princekin in his arms fighting with Caocao’s troops.The picture in color of black and blue is for use of families after funerals.
