The origins of Chinese martial arts can be traced over 3,000 years ago to self-defense needs, hunting activities and military training in ancient China.

 

During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, martial arts evolved into a kind of dancing. Usually the dancing movements in martial arts were utilized to train soldiers and increase morale. During the Zhou Dynasty, martial arts dancing was designated as a component of education. The application of wrestling techniques on the battlefield received much attention from various states during the Spring and Autumn Period. The emperor held twice yearly wrestling contests, in spring and autumn, to select the best exponents of martial arts. At the same time, skill and technology in sword forging was increasing and the sword ceremony developed rapidly.

 

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, wrestling, swordplay, and martial arts dancing were very popular. A well-known instance was Xiang Zhuang‘s Sword Dancing in the Hongmen Banquet of the same period. The style of his performance was very close to today‘s martial arts. Spear play reached its summit in the Han Dynasty when many techniques for spear usage were practiced. The Five-animal-style exercise was another innovation of Hua Tuo in the development of Chinese martial arts.

 

Kung Fu examinations were proposed and implemented during the Tang Dynasty. The best combatants would receive titles and awards through the examination thereby propelling the development of martial arts. By this time martial arts had evolved to be an artistic form and an independent genre and they were gradually introduced to many countries in Southeast Asia. Today Kung Fu is honored as the ancestor of kickboxing, karate, aikido, and judo.

 

The Song and Yuan Dynasties was one highpoint Kung Fu‘s development and the practice of Kung Fu by civil organizations became more and more popular. Some organizations or clubs centered on the use of spear play and cudgel, and they were called Yinglue Organizations; while others majored in the practice of arching and therefore called Arching Organizations. Performers were called Luqi .People made a living by performing martial arts all over the country. Usually the performances were carried out by one or two people only.

 

Chinese Kung Fu thrived during the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty saw many genres came into being and numerous books on martial arts were published. The Emperors of the Qing Dynasty banned the practice of martial arts, and the adherants had to set up clubs or societies to pass down the secrets of the art. Many schools sprang up, examples being taiji, xingyi shadowboxing and eight–diagram shadowboxing. The Qing Dynasty also saw the integration among genres. Wrestling techniques were introduced into martial arts, facilitating its improvement and maturing it. This period was a watershed shed between genres for appreciation and those for actual combat.

 

The present view of Chinese martial arts is strongly influenced by the events of the Republican Period (1912–1949). In the transition period between the fall of the Qing Dynasty as well as the turmoil of the Japanese invasion and the Chinese Civil War, Chinese martial arts became more accessible to the general public as many martial artists were encouraged to openly teach their art. At that time, some considered martial arts as a means to promote national pride and build a strong nation. As a result, many martial arts training manuals were published, a training academy was created and two National examinations were organized. As well as this, demonstration teams traveled overseas and numerous martial arts associations were formed throughout China and in various overseas Chinese communities. The Central Guoshu Academy established by the National Government in 1928 and the Jing Wu Athletic Association founded by Huo Yuanjia in 1910 are examples of organizations that promoted a systematic approach for training in Chinese martial arts. A series of provincial and national competitions was organized by the Republican government, starting in 1932, to promote Chinese martial arts. In 1936, at the 11th Olympic Games in Berlin, a group of Chinese martial artists demonstrated their art to an international audience for the first time. Eventually, those events lead to the popular view of martial arts as a sport.

 

Shaolin Kung Fu

Being an important part of Chinese traditional martial arts, Shaolin martial arts are considered to be the authentic Chinese kungfu. Originally, Shaolin Kungfu was developed from the Shaolin Temple, in the region of Songshan Mountain in Henan province. While cultivating in the thick forest of the high mountains, monks created a set of body-building exercises by learning the postures of flying, jumping and running from birds, beasts and fish. Gradually, these body-building exercises developed into a sort of boxing through long practice and improvement, which is generally called ‘Shaolin boxing‘.

Shaolin Kung Fu is comprised of shadowboxing, armed combat, free combat, hitting vital points, and grappling. Shaolin Kung Fu became popular in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and soon grew stronger by absorbing techniques from many schools. It became the largest school of martial arts in China with branches all over the country.

 

Shaolin Temple                                                                                                                                         

Shaolin Temple,is located at the foot of Songshan Mountain and got its name from its location, It is China‘s most famous temple and of the Chan sect.

 

Shaolin Temple has a reputation for its Zen Buddhism and Shaolin Gong Fu, which is the main attraction of the scenery spot. Shaolin Temple was built for the Indian monk Patuo in A.D.495, on the 19th year of the Yaihe year under the reign of Xiaowen Emperor in the Northern Wei Dynasty .

 

Shaolin Temple was built against a backdrop of hills. In the period of its great prosperity, seven buildings lined the central line of the temple, but in the war among warlords in the period of Kuomingtang, some main buildings were burnt by Shisanyou, including the Hall of the Heavenly King, the Abbot‘s Room, the Hall for Preaching the Buddhist Doctrines, and the Bell Tower when many precious Buddhist sutras and pugilism charts were destroyed as well. In the late 20th century, Shaolin Temple was rebuilt to the old design. The stone tablets in Shaolin Temple are also well known, which are mainly in the Ciyun Hall, or the Tablet Passage. About 120 pieces of handwriting works are stored here, dating from the Northern Qi Dynasty. Many famous masters, such as Caijing, Mipei, Zhao Meng Fu and Dong Qichang, once left their handwriting here.

 

Tower Forest is where the monks were buried. The one in Shaolin Temple is the biggest in China, 232 all together. It is of great value in the study of Buddhist scriptures, buildings and Zen Buddhism. Besides, some other famous places include the Buddhist Convent, built in memory of Damo Buddhist meditating facing the wall; Damo Cave and the Sweet Dew Tower, where Batuo, the founder for the Shaolin Temple, translated the sutras.

 

In addition to the visit to the historic buildings, Shaolin can give performances of Shaolin Kung Fu, which will broaden your outlook and let you have a taste of the charm of Shaolin martial arts.

 

Influence

Shaolin, in popular culture, has taken on a second life. Since the 1970s, it has been featured in many films, TV shows, video games, cartoons, and other media. While much of this is a commercialized aspect of Shaolin, it is also widely credited as keeping the 1500 year old temple in the consciousness of the world, and from vanishing into obscurity like many other ancient traditions. The Abbot of Shaolin, Shi Yong Xin, has decided to embrace modern day pop culture and has used it to the advantage of the temple to keep the temple prominent on the world stage.

 

Some lineages of Karate have oral traditions that claim Shaolin origins. Martial arts traditions in Japan and Korea, and Southeast Asia cite Chinese influence as transmitted by Buddhist monks. Recent developments in the 20th century such as Shorinji Kempo practiced in Japan‘s Sohonzan  Shorinji  still maintains close ties with China‘s Song Shan Shaolin Temple due to historic links. Japanese Shorinji Kempo Group‘s financial contributions to the maintenance of the historic edifice of the Songshan Shaolin Temple in 2003 received China‘s recognition.

 

Wudang Martial Arts

The name Wudang refers to the Wudang Mountains of Hubei Province. Chinese legends say that Zhang Sanfeng created Tai Chi Chuan there. The word "quan" translates to English as "boxing" or "fist." In 1669, Huang Zongxi was the first to describe Chinese martial arts in terms of a Wudang or "internal" school versus a Shaolin or "external" school. However, this classification did not become prevalent until 1928 when Generals Li Jing Lin, Zhang Zi Jiang, and Fung Zu Ziang organized a national martial arts tournament in China; they did so to screen the best martial artists in order to begin building the Central Martial Arts Academy.

 

At that time, Sung Wei was the apparent grandmaster of the Wudang Sword. He taught Wudang Sword to General Li (who was nicknamed "God Sword Li") and to Fu Chen Sung. General Li also taught Wudang Sword to Fu Chen Sung, and would later employ Fu to train the Chinese army.

 

The two major lineages of Wudang Chuan were passed down from General Li Jing Lin. These lineages went to Fu Chen Sung and Li Tian-Ji.Fu Chen Sung worked the rest of his life to develop Fu Style Wudang Fist. The basis of the system was to train the mind and body for optimal performance, gradually working the martial aspects into the training. The system included exercises, empty hand and weapons sets in Tai Chi, BaGua, Hsing-Yi-- and Fu Chen Sung‘s signature form, Liang-Yi Chuan. In his lifetime, Fu had many notable students, including General Sun Pao Gung and Lin Chao Zhen. In 2008, there still remain two living students: Liang Qian-Ya in San Francisco and an unknown man in Hong Kong. Fu‘s oldest son, Fu Wing Fay (Fu Yong Hui), became Fu‘s prodigal son. Wing Fay grew up among many of the greatest martial artists in the Golden Era of Martial Arts in China. Wing Fay learned well from his father and the other great masters. Wing Fay practiced hard, and began developing Fu Style Wudang Fist even more. Wing Fay had two top students: his son, Fu Sheng Long and Bow Sim Mark.

 

Wudang Mountains

The Wudang Mountains are a small mountain range in the Hubei Province of China, just to the south of the manufacturing city of Shiyan.

 

In years past, the mountains of Wudang were known for the many Taoist monasteries to be found there, monasteries which became known as an academic centre for the research, teaching and practice of meditation, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, Taoist agriculture practices and related arts. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220A.D.), the mountains attracted the Emperor‘s attention. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D.), the first site of worship - the Five Dragon Temple - was constructed. The monasteries were emptied, damaged and then neglected during and after the Cultural Revolution of 1966–1976, but the Wudang Mountains have lately become increasingly popular with tourists from elsewhere in China and abroad due to their scenic location and historical interest. The monasteries and buildings were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The palaces and temples in Wudang, which was built as an organized complex during the Ming Dynasty (14th–17th centuries), contain Taoist buildings from as early as the 7th century. It represents the highest standards of Chinese art and architecture over a period of nearly 1,000 years. Noted temples include the Golden Hall, the Nanyan Temple and the Purple Cloud Temple.

 

Tai Chi

Tai Chi (Taiji Quan in Chinese Pinyin) is a unique and powerful art, for both internal power and longevity. Tai Chi is a martial art which embodies Taoist philosophy. When Tai Chi was developed, the martial arts were very aggressive. One‘s proficiency was measured by the strength and aggression of attack, in terms of the Taoist principle of Yin and Yang this was a purely "Yang" conception of martial arts. What was revolutionary about Tai Chi was the incorporation of the Yin element to fighting. In Tai Chi one uses a balance of Yin techniques with Yang techniques, a balance between yielding and attacking. It is for this reason that Tai Chi is described as "a needle hidden in cotton" or "hardness concealed in softness".

 

Presently Tai Chi is rapidly growing in popularity for the tremendous health benefits which come through practice. Clinical studies have shown that Tai Chi practice can lower blood pressure, reduce nervous tension, and benefit the immune, digestive, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. At this time, over one hundred million people practice Tai Chi on a regular basis.

 

The heart of the Tai Chi system is the practice of the single Tai Chi form. The form practice of Tai Chi is the foundation of the training. Though Tai Chi is done slowly, the movements are very difficult and strenuous. Regular practice of Tai Chi greatly improves the functioning of the bodily systems.

 

Influence

The Wudang monasteries figure prominently in Chinese martial arts films, especially the genre known as Wuxia film and popular literature. For example, an ending scene of the famous movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, by Taiwanese director Ang Lee, was set at the Wudang monastery, although not actually filmed there. In some Wuxia films about the Shaolin Temple, characters employing Wudang martial arts are featured as Shaolin‘s competitors. It is in reference to this type of film that the American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan named themselves. In many martial arts movies, however, actors portraying Wudang practitioners are also found in heroic or neutral supporting roles.

 

Li Xiaolong (Bruce Lee)

Li Xiaolong (Bruce Jun Fan Lee) was an American-born, Hong Kong Chinese martial artist, philosopher, instructor, martial arts actor and the founder of the Jeet Kune Do combat form. He is widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the twentieth century and a cultural icon. He was also the father of actor Brandon Lee and of actress Shannon Lee.

 

In 1969, Lee made a brief appearance in his first American film Marlowe where he played a henchman hired to intimidate private detective Philip Marlowe (played by James Garner) by smashing up his office with leaping kicks and flashing punches, only to later accidentally jump off a tall building while trying to kick Marlowe off. In 1971, Lee appeared in four episodes of the television series Longstreet as the martial arts instructor of the title character Mike Longstreet (played by James Franciscus). According to statements made primarily after Bruce‘s death by his widow, Linda Lee Caldwell, Bruce would later pitch a television series of his own tentatively titled The Warrior. According to Caldwell, in which Lee‘s concept was retooled and renamed Kung Fu, but Warner Bros. gave Lee no credit. Instead the role of the Shaolin monk in the Wild West, known to have been conceived by Bruce, was awarded to then non-martial artist David Carradine because of the studio‘s fears that a Chinese leading man would not be embraced by the public. Books and documentaries about the show "Kung Fu" dispute Caldwell‘s version. According to these sources, the show was created by two writers and producers, Ed Spielman and Howard Friedlander, and the reason Lee was not cast was in part because of his ethnicity, but more so because he spoke English with a thick Chinese accent.

 

Not happy with his supporting roles in the U.S., Lee returned to Hong Kong and was offered a film contract by legendary director Raymond Chow to star in films produced by his production company Golden Harvest. Lee played his first leading role in The Big Boss (1971) which proved an enormous box office success across Asia and catapulted him to stardom. He soon followed up his success with two huger box office successes: Fist of Fury (1972) and Way of the Dragon (1972). For Way of the Dragon, he took complete control of the film‘s production as the writer, director, star, and choreographer of the fight scenes. In 1964, at a demonstration in Long Beach, California, Lee had met karate champion Chuck Norris. In Way of the Dragon Lee introduced Norris to moviegoers as his opponent in the final death fight at the Coliseum in Rome, today considered one of Lee‘s most legendary fight scenes.

 

In 1973, Lee played the lead role in Enter the Dragon, the first film to be produced jointly by Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. This film would skyrocket Lee to fame in the U.S. and Europe. However, only a few months after the film‘s completion and three weeks before its release, the supremely fit Lee mysteriously died. Enter the Dragon would go on to become one of the year‘s highest grossing films and cement Lee as a martial arts legend. It was made for US/$850,000 in 1973 (equivalent to /$4 million adjusted for inflation as of 2007). To date, Enter the Dragon has grossed over /$200 million worldwide. The movie sparked a brief fad in the martial arts, epitomized in such songs as "Kung Fu Fighting" and such TV shows as Kung Fu.

 

Robert Clouse, the director of Enter the Dragon, and Raymond Chow attempted to finish Lee‘s incomplete film Game of Death which Lee was also set to write and direct. Lee had shot over 100 minutes of footage, including outtakes, for Game of Death before shooting was stopped to allow him to work on Enter the Dragon. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a student of Lee, also appeared in the film, which culminates in Lee‘s character, Hai Tien (clad in the now-famous yellow track suit) taking on the 7‘2" basketball player in a climactic fight scene. In a controversial move, Robert Clouse finished the film using a look-alike and archive footage of Lee from his other films with a new storyline and cast, which was released in 1979. However, the cobbled-together film contained only fifteen minutes of actual footage of Lee (he had printed many unsuccessful takes) while the rest had a Lee look-alike, Tai Chung Kim, and Yuen Biao as stunt double. The unused footage Lee had filmed was recovered 22 years later and was included in the documentary Bruce Lee: A Warrior‘s Journey.

 

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