本文旨在以歷史研究法釐清中國國術表演隊參與1936年柏林世界運動會的歷程,及解釋中國國術運動員身體的展示與意義。結果顯示1930年代「國術救國」成為黨政軍的口號,造成民間習武風氣,凝聚民族情感。1936年世運會的體操展示節目提供各國身體文化一個平臺。除了選派代表隊之外,中華全國體育協進會接受此項展演邀請,意圖將國術的身體文化語彙、精神和價值有計畫與系統性地,透過現場演出、文宣品及媒體報導,向全世界宣揚以期改變西方對中國人固有的身體觀。結論闡明儘管中國代表團的表現不盡如人意,但國術人通過柔軟、剛強和堅韌的身體語彙,向世界介紹了新的意象中國。相較於北歐四國和主辦國德國等身體展演的迥異,世人明瞭中西身體觀的差異。
This paper clarifies the history of the Chinese Martial Arts Team's participation in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and discusses the display and significance of the Team's body with the historical research method. The results show that in the 1930s, "Saving the country through marital arts", a slogan used by the political parties, government, and military in China, sparked the people's interest in martial arts and became an emotional rallying point for uniting the nationalistic sentiments. In addition to selecting athletes, the China National Amateur Athletic Federation China prepared a martial arts team for the gymnastics program of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, which provided a platform for exhibiting the body cultures and training methods of countries worldwide. The Federation planned to systematically convey physical and cultural vocabulary and the spirit and value of Chinese martial arts through live performances, publications, and overseas media reports, thereby promoting themselves globally and changing the Western perception of the Chinese body. Although the Chinese athletes was disappointing, the martial arts team managed to convey a new image of China to the world by employing soft, strong, and tough body vocabulary. Notably, they helped the world to understand the differences between the body cultures and concepts of China and Western countries, creating a contrast against the forms, content, and equipment utilized in the gymnastics demonstrations conducted by Nordic countries and the host country Germany.