Martial art schools are losing luster in Anhui Province and Dengfeng city of central China's Henan Province, China Comment, Xinhua's political commentary magazine,?reported.

Martial art schools face declining business

According to the management center of martial art and boxing, in the late 1990s there were more than 200 martial art schools in Anhui. In recent years, however, the number has shrunk to less than 60.

In Dengfeng, the city where the Shaolin Temple is located, the number of martial art schools has decreased from more than 100 in the early 2000s to 48.

Tang Shanzhong, head of the social activity department of the management center of martial art and boxing, said martial art schools usually do not enroll enough students because parents tend to send their children to academic schools where they learn more knowledge.

What's more, national policies to relieve the financial burden of studying allow more rural children to study in average schools, Tang said.

Gloomy employment prospects are another cause for the decline, according to China Comment. While many graduates became security guards or martial art trainers, some ended up as members of mafia-style organizations.

Martial arts are also known as wushu or kung fu. It is a sport encompassing combat techniques for attack and defense involving the use of bare hands and weaponry. Wushu has a long history and broad foundation among the people in China.