Wudang Mountains International Martial Arts Academy opens

The Wudang Mountains International Martial Arts Academy held an initiation ceremony for its first session of freshmen since its founding at Wudang Jianguo Hotel on September 16.

He Qinglong, Party Committee secretary of the Martial Arts Administrative Center of China's General Administration of Sport; Sun Wang'an, deputy inspector of Hubei Provincial Department of Education; and Zhang Jin, deputy director general of Hubei Administration of Sport were among the leaders that attended the ceremony.

The Wudang Mountains International Martial Arts Academy holds an initiation ceremony for its first session of freshmen on September 16.[Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

Wudang Mountains International Martial Arts Academy, a branch of Wuhan Institute of Physical Education, is the seventh university in the city of Shiyan, and the first one specializing in tertiary education for martial arts in the area.

Preparation work to establish the Academy started in 2008. It was co-founded by the Wuhan Institute of Physical Education and Shiyan municipal government as an undergraduate college, only invested in by Hubei Wudang Tourism Development Co under the new school-running mechanism of 'state-run with private support'.

The Wuhan Institute of Physical Education is responsible for the enrollment and management of the Academy whose first dean is Professor Jiang Bailong – one of the most renowned contemporary Chinese wushu masters.

Wudang Mountains International Martial Arts Academy[Photo/wudangshan.gov.cn]

The Academy covers more than 1,000 mu (67 hectares), with 100, 000 square meters of construction area. It's the Academy's first enrollment, and a total of 221 new students have enrolled for three majors at present. All of them are national second-level athletes and above, including four first-levels and two CBA bench warmers.

The Academy plans to launch around 14 to 18 majors and reach student numbers of 8,000 by 2025, building itself into a first-class academy with distinct characteristics and international influence.