History Of Chinese Martial Art
The roots of martial arts go back for centuries, even in the absence of written records, but we would like to give you some information to expand your knowledge about its origins.
                                         Kung Fu
The word of "kung fu" simply means "skill" or "ability". It does not have any specific meaning pertaining to the martial arts. Today, the term "Wushu" is the actual word used for Chinese Martial Arts in China. The word "kung fu" was first used by a westerner in Th. 17th century. A Jesuit Missionary named Pere Amoit wrote in his journals about a strange exercises he witnessed and wrote it down as "Cong Fou". The term "kuo-shu" was popular in China, to describe their brand of the martial arts, until about 1930. This term has now been adopted by the Taiwanese government to describe martial arts and other sports. But in the western world, KUNG FU sticks. The exact origins and dates of Kung Fu's formation will forever be disputed and argued over. It is argued that it was founded as early as the 16th century B.C. and as late as 220 B.C. One thing is quite obvious, it has flourished over the centuries and has some sort of root in every single fighting style in existence today. Kung Fu is so large, diverse, and complex that it would take a number of books filled with history, styles, and applications to understand the vastness of it.
In ancient times, a talented Chinese boxer would travel from province to province looking for the best techniques and teachers, although each and every one specialized with some sort of specific "style". That boxer would commonly take that best techniques from different styles and produce a new style of Kung Fu.

The Shaolin "Styles" Origins
There are three popular theories on the original early evolution of the monks famous fighting style. The first is Ta-mo, or Bodhidharma, brought combat applications to the monks from his travels in India and through China and his meditations in a famous cave for nine years.. The second is that two monks named Sung-Chou and Hwei-Kuang preceded Ta-mo with their combat insight by several years. The third and most plausible theory is that not one person had a defining hand in the Shaolin styles, but a number of factors and experiences by many people contributed to the monks combat art over the years.

The Shaolin Temple
A Chinese Buddhist monastery located in the Sung Shan Mountains, Hunan Province. The Temple is named after the surrounding "small forest" of trees. It was built by Emperor Hsiao-Wen in the 5th century. This was to pay homage to the Indian Monk, Bodhiruchi. Later, the emperor Tai-Chung recognized the huge force the Monks had become and pleaded for their help in his battle against Wang-She Chung, who wanted to establish a separate dynasty. The Shaolin soldiers defeated Wang and in return, was given more land and supplies. This was not the only battles the Monks fought for the emperor. They were used to defeat Japanese invaders, fight the "Red Turbans", and so on. The soldier monks grew to over 5000 at their peak. Their skill in battle and their devotion to a cause eventually made the ruling class in China wary however. Over the course of time, they were feared and oppressed to keep the warrior monks from ever having the ability to destroy the ruling dynasty.
Monks learned barehanded and weapon combat techniques, Chi Kung, and horsemanship skills. They were most notable for combining the best of the hard and soft elements of combat.


 
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