World Kungfu Championships draw 5,092 athletes to Sichuan

The 10th World Kungfu Championships kicked off on Thursday in Emeishan, Sichuan province, drawing 5,092 athletes from 54 countries and regions.

Hosted by the International Wushu Federation (IWUF), it's an international sporting event established in 2004 to promote the development of wushu, or kung fu, around the world.

At the opening ceremony, Chinese actor Wu Jing was appointed as the new wushu image ambassador for the IWUF and the Chinese Wushu Association, succeeding kung fu actor Li Lianjie, known in the West as Jet Li.

This year's event, which will run through Monday, is divided into domestic and international categories and features individual, duilian (choreographed sparring), and group competitions.

The organizers said the championships provide a stage for wushu enthusiasts to showcase their skills and promote the global inheritance and development of traditional martial arts through diverse cultural exchanges.

A series of supporting activities will be held simultaneously, including a wushu forum, lectures by wushu masters, rank evaluations for international wushu practitioners, kung fu performances, and an exhibition and sale of traditional martial arts weapons.

Emeishan, named after Mount Emei, has been the host city for the World Kungfu Championships for four consecutive sessions.

Mount Emei is the birthplace of the Emei school, one of the three top schools of Chinese martial arts, alongside Shaolin and Wudang. With a history of nearly 3,000 years, the Emei school has developed over 80 branches and hundreds of distinct boxing styles and routines.

In recent years, Emei wushu has established a comprehensive inheritance and development system by establishing a wushu academy and formulating a standardization system, local authorities said.