The development of a philosophy of physical education and sport in China experienced has gone through three stages. Stage one was the beginning phase, from 1980 to 1985, during which China's physical education and sport philosophy grew from nothing. Its influence was extended through academic activities, and organizationally it was put under the China Sport Science Society. Stage two was one of rapid development, from 1986 to 1995, during which much attention was paid to the study of basic theories, and significant achievements were made by scholars. Stage three was a period of slow development, from 1996 to the present. During this stage, organized academic activities almost ceased, the research atmosphere weakened, and little progress was achieved in research. The internal cause of this was the lack of development of the Chinese physical education and sport philosophy as a systematic knowledge system, and inadequate attention was paid to its combination with sporting practice. The external cause was the existence in China's sport theory circles a tendency to attach more importance to natural science studies than to the studies of humanities and social sciences.
Today in China, the central interests of physical education and sport philosophy researchers are the ownership, the essence, and the function of physical education, the relationship between physical education and sport, the connection between man and sport, and the globalization of sport.
Looking ahead, China's physical education and sport philosophy will surely experience a new age of rapid development as China has already set it as an important and urgent strategic task to promote national quality in philosophy and social sciences, which create an excellent external environment for the development of China's physical education and sport philosophy. The theoretical and practical problems encountered in the sporting fields require philosophical considerations, which also provide a wide range of opportunities to develop a physical education and sport philosophy. Moreover, China has many outstanding researchers, and many scholars show great zeal for physical education and sport philosophy studies.