Abstract

China is a world’s ancient civilization with a long history of five thousand years; meanwhile, it is also the headstream of sports culture. Chinese sports aim at building the body and self-cultivation. The movement structures of sports are mainly the simulation of all kinds of movement of animals, which are particular about static and dynamic equilibrium, firmness, and gentleness, getting refined internally and externally. The feature of Chinese sports is the unification of form and spirit. The pattern of Chinese sports is closely related with Chinese philosophy thought, and the constructed Chinese sports culture has become the essential part of Chinese traditional philosophy. Chinese sports have integrated fitness and aesthetic appreciation into one, which is the specific expression of Chinese traditional thought. However, western sports have integrated with western philosophy thought with strong athletic tint. The characteristic of western sports has a necessary connection with the ancient Greek thought. Ancient Greeks had realized that the relationship between human and the nature was not totally dependent with contrariety, so they thought only fighting with the nature could they survive. The origins of thought of Chinese and western sports cultures decide the differences between Chinese and western sports. The harmony of China and competition of the west can be both embodied in sports. This thesis will analyze the differences between Chinese and western sports philosophy.