Behind the first Gold Medal: Wushu Changquan explained

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Originating in the Song Dynasty in the 10th century, Changquan was developed by founding Emperor Zhao Kuang-yin.

The style once named "Taizu Changquan" refers to a family of external martial arts styles from northern China.

The forms of the Changquan style emphasizes fully extended kicks and striking techniques and would be considered a long-range fighting system.

The style requires a right balance of hand and foot techniques, but in particular, it is known for its impressive acrobatic kicks.

Contemporary Changquan is challenging to perform as it requires great flexibility and athleticism, and is more likely to be seen in demonstration events, while its acrobatics are most popular and memorable.

Since Martial Arts first became part of the Asian Games in 1990, China has won seven out of eight gold medals offered in Changquan.

The only time China didn't win was in Incheon in 2014 when China did not compete in the event.

The scoring method for Changquan is similar to diving and artistic gymnastics as it is based on judging.

Sun Peiyuan's winning score of 9.75 points consisted of 5.0 points based on specific actions, 2.75 points on performance, and 2.0 points based on innovation.

During his routine, Sun also completed a combination of side somersaults and flying jump kicks.

Changquan is still not as well known as Judo and taekwondo, and it will not be part of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so Changquan must continue to grow to become part of the Olympic catalog.