Abstract:
Building a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future has become the foremost priority in China’s peripheral diplomacy. Chinese wushu, endowed with excellent traditional cultural genes and profound historical heritage, now faces a pressing question of the times: how to fulfill its mission and responsibility in supporting the high-quality development of the China-ASEAN community with a shared future, especially under the new circumstances where regional dynamics and global changes are deeply interconnected. This study examines the value, characteristics, experiences, and challenges of the dissemination of Chinese wushu in ASEAN. It argues that the international spread of Chinese wushu is crucial in serving China’s peripheral diplomacy strategy, enhancing cross-cultural understanding and communication between China and ASEAN countries, and to some extent, improving the health of the people in ASEAN. The transmission of Chinese wushu in the ASEAN region has a profound historical foundation and has demonstrated distinct cultural features in different historical periods, yet it has always been closely linked to the destiny of the nation. Overseas Chinese communities have performed indispensable roles across historical phases; meanwhile, the proactive promotion of competitive wushu has significantly boosted the widespread dissemination of Wushu throughout the ASEAN region. However, issues such as an unbalanced and unstable cultural-ecological environment, along with a content system for wushu dissemination that is not yet fully established, remain practical constraints on its development in the region. To address these challenges, the study advocates for a dual-track strategy combining localized engagement by overseas Chinese communities with regionally coordinated, nation-specific initiatives. Accordingly, the study proposes that through localized engagement of overseas Chinese communities, mutual reinforcement between regional coordination and country-specific approaches, a dual-track mechanism combining official guidance and non-governmental exchanges, innovative mechanisms for wushu education communities, fostering a collaboratively prosperous industrial landscape, and building a harmonious cultural ecology, the dissemination quality of Chinese wushu in the ASEAN region can be significantly enhanced, thereby contributing to the construction of the China–ASEAN community with a shared future.