Italian National Wushu Academy

The oldest School of Chinese Martial Arts in Italy (Year 1970)

Entrance to the Academy

Via del Savena, 9/A ~ 40065 Pianoro (BO) ~ (Pian di Macina) ~ ITALY
Phone +39 – 348 811 0082 – +39 – 335 20 68 91

Talking about the Academy would take too many pages. In order to better become acquainted with it, we are going to mention only the most significant stages this school played a leading role in from 1970 to this day.

The Academy was founded in S. Lazzaro di Savena (Bologna – Italy) on 22 September 1970 by Master Dan Sita, who is also the pioneer of Wushu in Italy.

The Academy was in San Lazzaro from 1970 to 1991. On 6 November 1991 the new headquarters was opened at Pian di Macina (municipality of Pianoro, Bologna province), where it still is today.

The opening occurred in the presence of an official delegation of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Italy, led by its 1st Councillor for Culture Dr. Li Guoqing. Several civil and military authorities also attended the ceremony. The extraordinary participation of RAI (Italian public broadcasting company) on that occasion is worth mentioning.

The Presidents who succeeded one another in the lead of this great school from 1970 to 2004 were in chronological order: Libero Bacchilega, Bruno Bezzi, Rodolfo Valentini, Antonello Merendi, Giuseppe Falconi and Giovanni Mattarelli.

Partial view of the secretariat and waiting room.

On 29 October 1983 the Italian Wushu Federation (Federazione Italiana Wushu – F.I.WUSHU) was founded in San Lazzaro at the Academy headquarters’. An official delegation of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Italy led by Dr. Li Guoqing – who was the Cultural Secretary at that time – took part in the ceremony as a supervisor and founding member.

The Chinese Wushu national team, accompanied by all the directors of the Chinese Wushu Association (C.W.A.), based in Beijing, visited the Academy from 18 November to 7 December 1984. The delegation was led by Dr. Zhao Shuengjin, who was Secretary General of the C.W.A. at that time.
Under the aegis of the Italian Wushu National Academy, the European Wushu Federation (E.W.F.) was founded in Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna) on 15 November 1985. On that occasion,12 European countries plus China were present. China was a guest country and supervised the foundation of this new European federation along with an official delegation of the Chinese Wushu Association, led by Dr. Zhao Shuengjin and Prof. Huan Hongxian. Also an official delegation of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Italy – led by its plenipotentiary Ambassador H.E. Dr. Lin Zhong – participated in the foundation ceremony.

On 7 May 1988, the Wushu Italian Association and the Wushu National College were founded at the press club in Bologna. These organisations were strongly desired by Master Dan Sita, who is also their founder. The foundation occurred with the support of the Italian Wushu National Academy and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Italy, led by the 1st Councillor for Culture Dr. Wang Yao.

In June 1989 Prof. Xu Cai, the President of the International Wushu Federation, paid an official visit to the Academy together with some Chinese directors and athletes of the Chinese national team.

On 1 June 1994 a protocol was signed in Wudang Shan (China) about the outward twinning between the Zhé Xiao temple (“temple of the Taoist fighting monks”) and the Academy. Master Dan Sita attended the ceremony as the Academy founder and representative for Italy.
On the Chinese side, H.E. Wang Guangdé, worldwide supreme head of Taoism, and Master Yu Xuendé, the head of the Taoist fighting monks from Wudang, were present.

On 29 November 1997 H.E. Wang Guangdé and Master Yu Xuendé, accompanied by a few directors of the Chinese Wushu Association in Beijing, came to the Academy in Bologna to complete the twinning procedure – begun on 1 June 1994 in China – by signing the return twinning between Wudang and the Academy.

In order to seal and make the twinning official, delegation of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Italy was present, as well. It was led by the 1st Councillor for Culture Dr. Sun Yi. Patroness of the ceremony was Countess Maria Teresa Maschio.

On 27 Mach 2004, on the occasion of the 34th foundation anniversary of the Academy, the twinning with the famous St-Petersburg Sporting Wushu Federation (Russia) took place in Pianoro. The President of the school is Prof. Eleonora Volokontzeva. She and her athletes often dominated the international scene of modern Wushu during international competitions of this specialty.