Chin Woo Athletic Association

Jing Wu was founded as the Jing Wu Athletic Association in Shanghai, China in the early 20th century. Many sources, including the official websites of its branches in various countries, claim that Jing Wu was founded by the martial artist Huo Yuanjia, who died not long after its establishment. Jing Wu was actually founded by a committee of persons, including members of the Tongmenghui, such as Chen Qimei, Nong Zhu/Jinsun农劲荪, and Chen Tiesheng. As one of the first public martial arts institutes in China, Jing Wu was intended to create a structured environment for teaching and learning martial arts as opposed to the secretive training that had been common in the past. The founders of Jing Wu felt that the association would keep alive traditions that secrecy and social change would otherwise doom. The basic curriculum drew from several styles of martial arts, giving practitioners a well-rounded martial background in addition to whatever they wished to specialize in. Jing Wu inspired the ecumenism seen in the Chinese martial arts community during the Republican era, giving rise to such efforts as the National Martial Arts Institutes. Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China, attended the third annual event held by Jing Wu in 1915, giving a speech of encouragement to the attendees. These representatives were martial arts teacher Ye Shutian, editor-in-chief of Seventy-two Commercial Daily Luo Xiaoao, Shanghai businessman Li Huisheng, principal of Shanghai Guangzhao Public Girls School Chen Shichao, and Shanghai business celebrity Chen Gongzhe. After departing from Hong Kong, the five ambassadors first arrived in Saigon, Vietnam on August 24, 1920. Ten days later, they would arrive in Singapore. On September 2, 1920 the five ambassadors would take an overnight train to Kuala Lumpur where following their martial arts performance, local leaders would lobby to propose the establishing Jing Wu branches. In 1924, Jing Wu organizations would also be successfully established in the former French colonial areas of Vietnam, including Saigon and Haiphong. ==Training system==

After the Boxer Rebellion, Chinese martial arts faced ridicule and uncertainty. Through creating a leadership network of political and commercial elites, replicating formal organizational structures, and establishing a system of membership, Chin Woo aimed to preserve and develop Chinese martial arts using a professionally organized model in order to ensure its survival as China transitioned into a modern country. Chin Woo offered three foundational lessons as part of their course: Tan Tui, Gong Li Quan, and Jie Quan. These lessons also came with specially made instructional materials. Another major focus of Chin Woo was a distinctive style of boxing gymnastics that combined Chinese martial arts with Western style military drills that aimed to, "strengthen the body, the race, and the nation." Along with Chinese martial arts, Chin Woo incorporated western sports into their programming. These included Western boxing as well as establishing a ball games department to facilitate tennis, soccer, volleyball, and table tennis. In addition to hosting friendly matches, Chin Woo also organized leagues for members of various sectors to participate in, for example in 1924 Chin Woo began the Shanghai Volleyball league which included representatives of Fudan University, Anglo-Chinese College, Pujian High School, Nanhua Academy, Lingnan Athletic Association, and Chin Woo. ==Notes==