What are the events in wushu taolu?
B · Beginner · The events · 1 of 4Taolu is the routine side of wushu. An athlete performs a set sequence of movements alone on a mat and is given a score out of 10. There are three bare-hand events, five short-weapon events and three long-weapon events, plus choreographed sparring for two or three athletes and a group routine.
How it works
- Bare-hand events: changquan (long fist), nanquan (southern fist) and taijiquan.
- Short-weapon events: jianshu (straight sword), daoshu (broadsword), nandao (southern broadsword), taijijian (taiji sword) and taijishan (taiji fan).
- Long-weapon events: qiangshu (spear), gunshu (cudgel) and nangun (southern cudgel).
- Optional routines: composed by the athlete or coach, within required content.
- Compulsory routines: a fixed sequence every athlete performs.
- Duilian: choreographed sparring, bare-hand, with weapons or bare hands against a weapon.
- Jiti: a group routine.
- Formats: individual events, team events or both.
The glossary has taolu, the routine, changquan, nanquan, taijiquan and the weapon events.
Tricky cases
Is taolu a fight?
No. It is a performance scored by judges. Sanda is the fighting side of wushu.
In duilian, are the athletes trying to hit each other?
No. The sparring is choreographed. A real hit on a partner is an error and costs 0.1 point.
Can an athlete invent their own routine?
Yes, in optional routine events, as long as it contains the compulsory content for that event.
Is the fan an official weapon?
Yes. Taijishan, the taiji fan, is listed among the short-weapon events in the 2024 rules.
Why the rule exists
The events are grouped by style, because the styles ask for different things: changquan is fast and extended, nanquan is rooted and forceful, taijiquan is slow and continuous. Judging each inside its own event lets a routine be measured against its own style.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Optional routine | Athlete's own composition; has a degree of difficulty score where the event uses one | Taolu Rules Art. 2; 22 |
| Compulsory routine | Fixed content; missing or extra movements are deducted | Taolu Rules Art. 2; Judging Methods Table 10-4-1 |
| Duilian | Two or more athletes; 50 seconds to one minute | Taolu Rules Art. 2; 11 |
| Jiti | Group routine; three to four minutes; larger mat | Taolu Rules Art. 11; 18 |
| Traditional wushu | Has its own rule book | Not saved |
From the rule book
International Wushu Federation, Wushu Taolu Competition Rules and Judging Methods (2024), Articles 1 and 2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Wushu Taolu Competition Rules and Judging Methods (2024) (PDF, Chinese and English).