Chinese Wushu
Research Institute

Founded in 1976 by Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark, the Chinese Wushu Research Institute (CWRI) was the first formal Chinese Wushu school in the Western. At a time when the art was still virtually unknown to most Americans, Bow Sim Mark helped introduce and popularize the term “Wushu” in the United States, expanding public understanding beyond the more familiar label of “kung fu”.

More than a martial arts academy, CWRI was established to preserve and share the richness of traditional Chinese culture through movement, philosophy, education, health, and artistic expression.

Students trained in both external Wushu and the internal arts of Tai Chi, Bagua, Xing Yi, as well as weapons, combat applications, and performance techniques. They also embraced the discipline, history, and cultural values that gave these arts their deeper meaning. Under Bow Sim Mark’s guidance, CWRI became a place where physical training, artistic excellence, and personal growth were inseparable.

The school’s name itself reflected Master Mark’s vision. Rather than identifying a single lineage or style, it was intentionally chosen to represent an institution dedicated to the preservation, study, and exchange of knowledge. CWRI was conceived as a place where practitioners could research techniques, learn across traditions, exchange ideas, and continually advance their understanding of Chinese martial arts through dialogue and shared practice.