For the implementation of the plan of “promoting the development and prosperity of the advanced socialist culture” proposed by the 17th CPC National Congress and the full play of colleges’ enthusiasm and resource of researching the broad and profound Chinese traditional sports culture which has a long history, various kinds and a broad audience, the General Administration of Sport of China decided to set up sports culture research bases in some universities and colleges, and the sports culture research base of Henan University is one of the five firstly built bases by the administration in December 2007. The base mainly studies school physical education, martial arts culture, and social physical education, involving physical education development history, school physical education and quality-oriented education, school physical education and creative education, martial arts philosophy, martial arts and traditional culture, regional martial arts culture, martial arts health-keeping, martial arts literature and art, the modernized development of martial arts, the marketization operation of martial arts culture, sports management science, sports talent science and so on. Henan is the birth place of Shaolin boxing and shadowboxing, making Henan University have a special advantage in the research of martial arts culture.

Now, the base has 7 full-time researchers and 23 part-time inside and outside campus researchers, including 22 professors and 10 doctors, enjoying a reasonable age and scholarship consanguinity structure, a strong research power and rich research achievements.