Method: Participants of this study (N=400) were international Chinese martial arts practitioners who participated in the 4th International Tai Chi and Fitness Conference, the 5th International Traditional Chinese martial art Festival, the 6th World Cup Sanda Competition and the 9th China Zhengzhou International Shaolin martial art Festival in 2012. Questionnaires were distributed to the participants during the events and 365 were returned; among which 347 (86.75%) were deemed valid. Participants were 59.7% males and 40.3% females and 61.7% with education above the junior college level. Most respondents were from America (38.3%) and Asia (30.8%) respectively. Among all the participants, 61.7% had learned Chinese martial art only.
Analysis/Results: The main perception on the image of Chinese martial arts by international Chinese martial arts practitioners is a long history, followed by great fitness value and cultural content. The main perception on the image of Chinese martial arts practitioners in China is enthusiasm, followed by confidence, courtesy and superb fighter. The main perception on the image of Chinese people is friendliness, followed by self-improvement, enthusiasm and diligence and wisdom. The main perception on the image of China is a long history, followed by a big population, profound cultural accumulation, rapid economic development, and tradition. The main perception of the effects of learning Chinese martial arts is health promotion and physical fitness enhancement.
Conclusions: From the perspective of international practitioners, the images of Chinese martial art, Chinese practitioners, Chinese people and China is highly relevant. Overall, the communication of Chinese martial arts has a substantial correlation with the building of the image of China.