Abstract: At the beginning of the 20th century, the term "National Martial Arts" gradually appeared in public opinions. During the period of the Nanjing Republican Government, the national crisis was aggravated. Under the advocacy of educated people and the promotion of the government, a top-down National Martial Arts Movement swept all the provinces quickly. However, in the process of national martial arts promotion, it was difficult for the martial arts education to adapt to the environment of the time, and was repeatedly criticized by people of the time. At the social level, the National Martial Arts Movement relied heavily on official propaganda, making it difficult to be accepted by the general public. At the school level, although some progress was achieved in its national education, Martial Arts encountered many difficulties in its combination with physical education. Analyzing the complex situation of implementing the National Martial Arts Movement and exploring the dilemmas of national Martial Arts education in the Republic of China would be conducive to its process of modernization.

Key words: National Martial Arts Movement, education, Central National Martial Arts Academy, schools