Kung-fu (also known as Wushu or martial arts) is one of the typical demonstrations of traditional Chinese culture. It is a sport which utilizes both brawn and brain.

The theory of Wushu is based upon classical Chinese philosophy, while the skills of Wushu consist of various forms of fighting: fist fights, weapon fights, and other fighting routines (including such offence and defense acts as kicking, hitting, throwing, holding, chopping and thrusting) and unarmed combats.

Shaolin Chuan (Shaolin Boxing)

Shaolin Chuan or Shaolin boxing originated in the Shaolin Temple on Mount Songshan at Dengfeng in Henan Province. It was named after the temple. The founder of the Shaolin Chuan was said to be an Indian monk, Bodhi-dharma. The proposition, though very influential,was proved to be false, for there was a monk named Bodhi-dharma but he knew nothing at all about Chinese boxing. In fact, Shaolin Chuan was the manifestation of the wisdom of the monks of the temple, secular Wushu masters and army generals and soldiers.

According to historical records, the Shaolin Temple was built during the Northern Wei Dynasty in the 19th calendar year of the reign of Emperor Taihe (495) and is one of China’s most famous ancient temples. The Shaolin Temple once had many monks on its premises. Those monks of the lower level mostly came from the secular society and some of them knew some martial arts before entering the temple. Those who knew martial arts taught and helped each other to improve their skills. They also absorbed the experience of their predecessors and gradually developed their martial arts into the unique Shaolin School.               

During the Northern Qi Dynasty (550-577), Shaolin monks could lift hundreds of kilograms in weight and were good at boxing and horse riding. By the end of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), LiShimin, king of the Qin state, fought with the self-appointed emperor of the Zheng state, Wang Shichong. Shaolin monks Zhi Cao, Hui Yang, and Tan Zong took the side of Li and helped him atch the latter’s nephew Wang Renze to force the self-appointed emperor to surrender. After Li Shimin was enthroned as the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he awarded his followers according to their military merits and contributions. Monk Tan Zong had the title of chief general conferred on him, while the Shaolin Temple was given large grants of land and money to expand the temple complex. The Shaolin Temple was allowed to organize an army of monk soldiers, who acted as military people in warring time. The Shaolin School of boxing improved and developed through the trials of battles and wars.

The Shaolin monks in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were all taught to practise Wushu. In the 32nd calendar year of the Jiajing reign (1553), the Shaolin military monks took part in the battles against Japanese invaders in southern China and accomplished nasty wrote in his Tour of Mount Song: “All of the 400 Shaolin Temple monks have good Wushu skills.” “Fists practice.” Cheng Chongdou also of the Ming Dynasty wrote in his book the dossier of Shaolin Cudgel Fight: “Shaolin monks are best known for their cudgel fights.” Ming general Yu Dayou, who was reputed for his anti-Japanese military service, went to teach cudgel fighting the Ming Dynasty that Shaolin monks switched from cudgel fighting to fist fighting, so that fist fights could be promoted to match cudgel fights.

In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the people living around the Shaolin Temple were very active in practicing Wushu, which boosted the development of the Shaolin School of martial arts. In the Shaolin Temple, the Rear hall was used for Wushu exercises, where various kinds of weapons were displayed on the weapon stands ready for use at any time. Some monks practiced fist fighting to safeguard the temple. After years of exercises and practicing, foot prints were stamped on the brick floor of the rear hall and these prints can be seen clearly even today. On the north and south walls of the White-Clothes Hall, there are Qing Dynasty murals vividly depicting the exercises practiced by monks in the temple.

In the fifth calendar year of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing dynasty (1727), people were not allowed to practise Wushu. However, they could not be stopped either in the secular society or in the Shaolin Temple, where Wushu was practiced underground.

Apart from the Shaolin Temple on Mount Songshan, the Shaolin, the Shaolin Temple was said to have set up more than a dozen Shaolin affiliates in other temples in the country. The Shaolin Temple on Mount Nine Lotus in Fujian Province during the Ming Dynasty was famous for developing the Shaolin Quan.

Around the 1911 revolution against the Qing Dynasty, the Shaolin martial arts underwent further developments. Wushu clubs were established all over the country and most of them took the Shaolin Quan. Lots of patriots organized sabre and flying sword groups in order to overthrow the dynasty. They constantly practiced their skills and contributed greatly to the cause.

The Shaolin School is very popular in secular society with a myriad of followers. Over the years it was enriched theoretically and its techniques perfected to form a colossal system of fist fight.

Compactness is a feature of the Shaolin School. The moves and tricks of this school are short, simple and succinct as well as versatile. While fighting, Shaolin boxers would advance and retreat straightforwardly. They need only a small space to execute their style of fist fight which is described as “fighting along a single straight line.” Shaolin Quan is powerful and speedy with rhythmic rising and falling of body movements. It stresses hardness of actions and blows but it also advocates softness in support of the hardness. The motto of the Shaolin fist fight says “hardness first and softness second.” When jabbing or palming, the arm is required to be neither bent nor straight, in an attempt to blend external and internal forces.

Tai Chi Chuan (Shadow Boxing)

The word Tai Chi first appeared in Book of Changes of the Zhou Dynasty. The essay say: 'Where there is Tai Chi, there is peace and harmony between the positive and the negative'. Tai Chi means supremacy, absoluteness, extremity and uniqueness. Tai Chi Chuan takes its name for the implication of superiority. Tai Chi Chuan got its name when Shanxi secular Wushu master Wang Zongyue used the philosophy of the positive and negative from the Book of Changes to explain the principles of the boxing.

There are different opinions on the origin of Tai Chi Chuan. Some think it was created by Zhang Sanfeng of the Song Dynasty(961-1279) while others believe it was created by Han Gongyue and Cheng Lingxi in the Liang Dynasty(502-557).Still others say that it was created by either Xu Xuanping or Li Daozi of the Tang  Dynasty(618-907).Yet all propositions cannot be proved from authenticate historical records. According to the research of Wushu historian Tang Hao, Tai Chi Chuan was first exercised and practised among the Chen family members at the Chenjia Valley which is located in Wenxian County in Henan Province. The earliest choreographer of the Taiji boxing was Chen Wangting who was both a scholar and a martial artist. Chen combined his knowledge of ancient psychological exercises; the positive and negative philosophy describe in the Book of Changes and Chinese medical theory of passages and channels of blood, air flow and energy inside the human body with the exercises and practices of Wushu. He absorbed the strong points from various schools and style of martial arts of the Ming Dynasty, especially the 32-move Qi Jiguang style of boxing(long-style boxing),to form the school of Tai Chi Chuan.

After years of dissemination, many styles of Tai Chi Chuan were created. The most popular and widespread are the following five styles: Chen-style Tai Chi Chuan, Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan, Wu-style Tai Chi Chuan, Wu Yuxiang Style of Tai Chi Chuan, Sun-style Tai Chi Chuan.