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Qin Chen

Physical Education (PE) classes are famous for jogging around a track, dodgeball and the occasional competitive sporting match. 
But a primary school in the central city of Xian is finding success with a much older activity: a centuries-old Chinese martial art. 
Three years ago, the school began to try out teaching Hong Quan, or red fist, a type of martial art famous for its focus on precision and skill. School principal Yin Junlong told the online media outlet Sohu that it is now a regular offering in PE classes. 
“Almost 80 per cent of our students can perform the Hong Quan after three years of the classes,” Yin said.

The school’s promotion of Hong Quan was partially the result of a meeting with Shao Zhiyong, the director of the Shaanxi Hong Quan Culture Research Association, who attended a promotional event at the school and told Sohu that it is cost-effective for schools to teach martial arts. 
“You do not need too much space to practice martial arts and it is relatively easy and safe,” Shao said. He emphasised that the practice will enhance students’ coordination and balance. 
“Practising martial arts can be a painful process. If one can endure the pain, this experience will help them to cope with future challenges,” Shao said. 
Since 2012, the government has ramped up a national effort to promote Chinese martial arts in schools to build allegiance to traditional culture. In May 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping said at a governmental meeting that Chinese officials need to firmly establish “cultural confidence.” 

Hong Quan is a martial art focused mainly on the upper body for attacks and defence. It originated in Shaanxi province in central China, where Xian is the capital. It was developed during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) and Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and reached its peak of popularity during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912).
Hong Quan consists of seven other sub-forms and four distinct techniques. It also uses traditional weapons such as long sticks, swords and spears. 
In 2018, China added Hong Quan to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China list. The State Council, China’s cabinet, initiated the list in 2006 to preserve and promote traditional Chinese cultures such as folklore, classic literature and forms of martial arts. 


Elsewhere in China, schools are teaching various forms of martial arts to the younger generation. In January, local media featured a 35-year-old PE teacher in China’s central Sichuan province who had been teaching students traditional sword fighting since 2011. 
The teacher, Zeng Ke, is a martial arts practitioner. To make the course more exciting and practical, he asked students to wear traditional cloth and helmets and designed unique training equipment using metal poles and tires.


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A school in Xian is teaching a centuries-old Chinese martial art to its students and claims 80 per cent of the kids are proficient after the programme started. 
It is another example of schools teaching martial arts in classes, which is part of a national revival of focus on traditional Chinese culture. 



Traditional martial arts are becoming more common in Chinese physical education classes. One teacher in Xian is reviving a centuries-old practice called Hong Quan. 
