11th China Cangzhou International Wushu Competition celebrates global martial arts heritage

The 11th China Cangzhou International Wushu Competition was held in Cangzhou, Hebei province, from Friday to Sunday, attracting more than 4,800 martial artists from 32 countries and regions, including China, Russia and Pakistan.

Founded in 1989, the competition is one of the earliest martial arts events in the country.

According to Ma Wenyan, director of the Martial Arts Festival Activity Management Center of the Cangzhou Sports Bureau, Cangzhou has a long history of preserving and developing Chinese martial arts, with 53 hand-to-hand or weapon-based styles. Cangzhou's martial arts styles account for over 40 percent of the 129 types nationwide.

Over the past few decades, inheritors of various types of martial arts in Cangzhou have established schools and promoted education domestically. They have also persistently traveled abroad to showcase and teach Chinese martial arts to foreigners.

Their footprints have spread to more than 30 countries and regions worldwide, making martial arts a shining feature in the city's cultural exchanges with the world.