Chinese Wushu Transmission among International Students in China: A Qualitative Analysis of Cultural Heritage Processes

Abstract

Background: Chinese Wushu represent a significant component of traditional Chinese culture with considerable potential for international cultural transmission. International students in China occupy a unique position as both cultural learners and potential transmitters, yet their lived experiences of encountering, interpreting, and engaging with Wushu culture remain insufficiently understood. Objectives: This qualitative study aimed to explore how international students in China experience and make meaning of Chinese Wushu, identify the factors that facilitate or hinder their cultural engagement, and understand the processes through which they develop intentions to transmit Wushu culture. Methods: Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 32 international students from diverse cultural backgrounds at universities in Chongqing, China. Supplementary data were gathered through participant observation in Wushu classes and cultural events. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's six-phase framework. Results: Analysis yielded four interconnected themes. The first, 'From Spectacle to Substance,' captures how students' media-derived expectations transformed through direct practice. 'Body as Bridge' describes the distinctive role of physical engagement in cultural understanding. A third theme, 'Negotiating Meanings,' addresses students' interpretive efforts when encountering unfamiliar concepts. Finally, 'Becoming Ambassadors' traces the emergence of transmission intentions among participants. Conclusions: International students' engagement with Chinese Wushu follows a complex, non-linear trajectory shaped by embodied experience, interpretive negotiation, and relational contexts. Effective cultural transmission requires attention to the experiential, cognitive, and relational dimensions of learning, with implications for curriculum design and cultural exchange programming.