Shaolin Martial Arts

As one of the most important Chinese Kung Fu, Shaolin Martial Arts is regarded as the symbolization. It originated in the Buddhist culture of the  Shaolin Temple in Mt. Songshan, Henan Province. Its essence lies in the combination of Kung Fu and Buddhist ideology, in which manner the monks not only learn the Kungfu skills, but also cultivate themselves by grasping the Buddhist ideology. Furthermore, this Kung Fu style has been well-known due to the functions of self-defence, body-building and athletics. In these years, it has been presented on the world stage and more and more westerners take interest in learning it.
 

It’s said that during the Dahe Reign (477 - 499) of the Chinese Northen Wei Dyansty (386 - 534), Bodhi Dharma, the 28th generation follower of Sakyamuni, created this Kung Fu styles after nine years of development in the Shaolin Temple.

Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581 - 907), Shaolin Kung Fu started to be developed and promoted. In the end of the Sui Dynasty, the political situations were in chaos because of the contention of the new throne. In the continuous wars, Li Shimin, the Taizong Emperor of the Tang Dynasty later, got great favor from the thirteen monks of the Shaolin Temple. As he was on the throne, he awarded the monks and ordered to massively develop the temple. Since then, the temple had flourished well together with the martial arts, eventually becoming the leading Kung Fu school in the central plains of China.

During the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it further developed. In the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127), some Kung Fu masters gathered in the temple to compare notes, which boosted the diversification of the boxing skills. In the end of the dynasty, the monks there actively took part in the patriotic war to resist the Jin army. In the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), the temple had a close relationship with the imperial court. The Shizu Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) appointed the abbot to direct all the temples around the Mt. Songshan.

In the modern times, Shaolin Kung Fu has become more and more popular, especially some special skills, such as Shaolin Boxing in the central plain, Southern Boxing (Nanquan) in the southeastern China, Northern Leg (Beitui) around Beijing and the Wing Chun Boxing.
 According to the historic records, Shaolin Kung Fu includes 708 series of skills and tricks, 552 boxing styles and weapon skills as well as 72 stunts. The existing 200 series are over 100 boxing skills, over 80 weapon skills and several pair exercise series. The basic skills are daily practices or routine procedures for Shaolin disciples, mainly including tumbling, jumping, rolling and others.

Major boxing styles are the Arhat Boxing, Small Hung Kuen, Big Hung Kuen, Old Hung Kuen, Shaolin Five Fists, Interlink Boxing, Internal Strength Boxing (Neigong Boxing), Plum Blossom Boxing, Drunken Boxing, Soft Boxing and others.With a 3,000-year history, Hung Kuen is the most popular in Guangdong Province. It is abundant in hand skills, limited in step movements and powerful in skills etc. The foundational skills lie in fist, palm, claw, grapple, finger and elbow. The Drunken Boxing style was developed for the movies. It is so named because when performed the person staggers along like being drunk. Animal Imitation Boxing refers to the skills imitating the movements of various animals. It aims to imitate animals’ appearance and spirit, in which manner the players not only improve their capabilities of thinking, but also promote their flexibility. Please let me know whether it makes sense now. Monkey Boxing mainly reflects the participant’s flexibility and lightness just like the monkey.

The influential staff skills include the Evil Subduing Staff, Evil Suppressing Staff, Small Yaksha Staff, Big Yakcha Staff and other styles. The skills include single and pair exercises which can strike a group of people. They can not only contribute to body-building, but also develop skills useful for resisting the enemy in a battle.

Additionally, there are other skills, such as Sword Style, Saber Styles, Finger Style and others. Spear is regarded as the king of the ancient weapons. Spear arts are various, including Shaolin spear, spear for night fighting, spear for keeping the door and so on. The vigorous and graceful movements of the sword dance give the dancer a feeling of participating in a wonderful artistic performance. 
 According to the Buddhist Scriptures, the rules and taboos of Shaolin Kung Fu reach to 5,000 entries which mainly include four impressive manners and ten taboos. Four impressive manners are “lying like a bow, sitting like a bell, waling like a gust of wind and standing like a pine”. Ten taboos refer to ahimsa, abstinence, no stealing, no amativeness, no arrogance, no luxury and other moral disciplines.