Central Guoshu Institute

A martial arts academy

中央國術館 · 南京中央国術館

Created

March 1928

Founder

Zhang Zhijiang, Cai Yuanpei, H. H. Kung, Feng Yuxiang

Type

martial arts, academy

The Central Guoshu Institute (simplified Chinese: 中央国术馆; traditional Chinese: 中央國術館; pinyin: Zhōngyāng Guóshù Guǎn; lit. 'Central Martial Arts Academy') was established in Nanjing by the Kuomintang government of the Republic of China in March 1928 for the propagation of Chinese martial arts, and was an important center of martial arts during the Nanjing decade. Guoshu (國術; romanized in Wade-Giles as Kuoshu) "national art" was the term for martial arts adopted by the Republic of China at the time. The institute was created by Zhang Zhijiang (张之江, 1882–1966) under the sponsorship of elite government officials such as Li Liejun and others. Along with the Jing Wu Athletic Association (established in 1910), the academy played a crucial role in the transmission of traditional Chinese martial arts into the 20th century.

In April 1928, The Institute held its first national martial arts competition in Beijing in the form of a highly competitive lei tai tournament. It was presided by General Zhang Zhijiang. This competition attracted 400 of the best martial artists in China.

External links

• Wikipedia
• Wikidata

Facts from Wikidata Q2274126 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.