Kung means 'discipline' and Fu means 'person', hence, 'Kung Fu' refers to a disciplined person. Kungfu is often mistaken by the uninitiated as simply as a physical activity. However, it is far from the truth, especially for Shaolin Kungfu.
There are many styles or schools of kungfu. Traditionally, these numerous styles are divided into two major groups, namely internal kungfu and external kungfu. The three well known internal kungfu styles are Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan), Bagua zhang (Pakua Palm), and Xingyiquan (Hsing Yi Kungfu). External kungfu includes Shaolin Kungfu and all its derived styles. Today, the two most well known branches of Shaolin Kungfu are Northern Shaolin which emphasizes on kicking, long range, acrobatic and ground-fighting techniques, and the Southern Shaolin which emphasize on higher stances and hand techniques.
Limited by space, it is impossible to describe each and every school of Chinese Chuan in Chinese Wushu. Therefore only the most representative and influential schools are dealt with. The origins, features, basic theory and technical characteristics for several dozen schools are discussed here. From here one can gain a general understanding of Chinese Wushu.
| Traditional Breath Energy Exercises
The Chinese word qiliterally means air or breath. In traditional Chinese medicine the meaning broadened to refer to a person's vital energy (yuan qi, which includes, but is not limited to , the air one breathes in.
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| Taiji Qigong
Taiji qigongis a simple series of exercises which combines the methods and benefits of taijiquan and qigong. Regular practice can contribute to relieving the symptoms of, and curing disease of the digestive, respiratory and nervous systems, as well as heart disease, hypertension, rheumatism and arthritis.
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| New Developments in Qigong Therapy
In recent years the curative properties of Qigong have attracted increasing interest among medical personnel and patients of cancer and chronic diseases.
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| Baduanjin
Baduan literally means "eight sections" and jin, "brocade". In the course of its development, baduanjin has appeared in a number of different versions.
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| Bagua Zhang (Eight-diagram Palm)
Bagua Zhang or the eight-diagram palm is one of the most popular schools in China. It is also called Youshen Bagua (roving eight-diagram), Longxing Bagua (dragon-shaped eight-diagram), Xingyi Bagua (Xingyi eight-diagram Chuan), Yinyang Bapan Zhang (positive-negative eight-plate palm), etc.
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| Baji Quan (Eight Extremes Chuan)
Baji Quan or the eight extremes Chuan is also known as the open-door eight extremes Chuan, which is one of the traditional Chinese Chuan schools.
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| Cha Quan
The Cha-style Chuan or body posture Chuan has 10 routines. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1795), the Cha-style Chuan divided into three technical schools at Guanxian County and Rencheng County in Shandong Province.
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| Chang Quan (Long-style Chuan)
Chang Quan or the long-style Chinese Chuan is the general term for a dozen schools of Chuan. These include Cha Quan (Cha-family Chuan), flower-style Chuan, China-style Chuan, Paochui (cannon Chuan), Hong-family Chuan, red-style Chuan, Shaolin Chuan, Fanzi Quan (tumbling Chuan), etc.
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| Changjia Quan (Chang-family Chuan)
Changjia Quan or the Chang-family Chuan was created by Chang Naizhou (1724-1783) during the Qing Dynasty. Chang Naizhou was a scholar but when he was not reading, he practised fist and cudgel plays. He traveled far and wide to learn from Wushu masters.
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| Chuojiao (Feet Poking Chuan)
Chuojiao or feet poking is one of the oldest Chuan styles practised in north China. It is known for its range of feet and leg plays. Most of the Chuan styles of the north feature these, so their style is called "Northern Feet." Chuan proverbs about this school say: "Fist plays account for 30 percent whereas feet plays for 70 percent"; "The hands are used as doors for protection but it is always the feet used for attack.".
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| Duan Quan (Short-range Chuan)
Duan Quan or the short-range Chuan is also called the "short-style fight," which is an age-old style of fist play. Mianzhang style of short fighting and Mianzhang Chuan were recorded in Tang Shunzhi's On Martial Arts, Qi Jiguang's A New Essay on Wushu Arts and He Liangchen's Chronicles of Chen, all of which are more than 400 years old.
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| Fanzi Quan (Tumbling Chuan)
Fanzi Quan or tumbling Chuan is also known as Bashanfan (eight-flash Chuan). It is so called because of its eight major flashing movements, which are executed as fast as lightning and thunderclaps. The movements in tumbling Chuan are varied and continuous.
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| He Quan (Crane Chuan)
He Quan or crane Chuan is the general name for five styles of crane-imitating Chuan. The five styles are jumping crane Chuan, flying crane Chuan, crying crane Chuan, sleeping crane Chuan and eating crane Chuan, all of which have a history of some 300 years. The five crane Chuans formed their respective styles by the end of the Qing Dynasty. All the five styles are practised in the south of China.
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| Hong Quan (Hong-clan Chuan)
The Hong clan, named after Hongwu, the title of the reign of the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was one of the secret associations in the Qing Dynasty. It is believed to have been set up in the 13th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1674).
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| Hua Quan (Flower-style Chuan)
Hua Quan or the flower-style Chuan is a close-range fist play which is said to have been taught by Gan Fengchi of Nanjing in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces during the early Qing Dynasty (1662-1735).
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| Liuhe Quan (Six-combinations Chuan)
Liuhe Quan or the six-combination Chuan is combat orientated. It is believed to be a derivative of Shaolin Quan and to have been passed on from an old boxer named Cao who lived at Botou in Hebei Province during Emperor Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1821-1850).
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| Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage in China has a very long history, and was described in huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Manual o fInternal Medicine), the ouldest extant medical treatise.
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| Exercises to Prevent Colds
Notes: Exercises are performed in time to multiples of a basic 8-beat count. Begin by marching in position for two 8-beat counts.
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| Rubbing the stomach
" Rubbing the stomach" is a simple form of self-massage which has a particularly beneficial effect on the nervous and digestive systems.
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| Eye Exercises
According to traditional Chinese medicine, massaging certain acupuncture points on the face and the nape of the neck helps to improve the functioning of blood vessels and nerves and relieves strain on the eye muscles.
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| Mian Quan (Continuous Chuan)
Mian Quan or the continuous Chuan is a northern style of fist play, which is popular in central Hebei Province.
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| Nan Quan (Southern-style Chuan)
Nan Quan or the southern-style Chuan is widely practised in south China. It evolved during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and has many different styles.
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| Sanhuang Paochui (Three-emperor Cannon Chuan)
Sanhuang Paochui or the three-emperor cannon Chuan is also known as the cannon Chuan. It is said to have originated from the three legendary emperors of Fuxi, Shennong and Gonggong in prehistoric China.
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| Shaolin Quan
Shaolin Quan or Shaolin Chuan originated in the Shaolin Temple on Mount Songshan at Dengfeng in Henan Province. It was named after the temple.
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| Tai Chi Chuan history and styles
The word Tai Chi first appeared in Book of Changes of the Zhou Dynasty. The essay says: "Where there is Tai Chi, there is peace and harmony between the positive and the negative." Tai Chi means supremacy, absoluteness, extremity and uniqueness.
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| Tanglang Quan (Mantis Chuan)
Tanglang Quan or the mantis Chuan is also an animal-imitating style of fist play. It copies the form and actions of a mantis adding the attack and defence skills of the martial arts. This unique style of Chuan boasts an assortment of routines which generally fall into the northern and southern styles.
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| Tantui (Leg Flicking Chuan)
Tantui or leg flicking Chuan is also called pond legs. It has 10 routines and was therefore called 10-routine pond legs. When Shaolin monks added two more routines, it became the 12-routine pond legs. As many Moslems in China practise the Chuan, it is also called religious leg flicking Chuan.
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| Wudang Martial Arts
A major aspect of Taoist influence on Chinese culture is its martial arts. Chinese martial arts of all sorts have a long history and a great diversity of methods and styles. Generally speaking, they are divided into two big schools: the south school and the north school.
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| Xingyi Chuan (Form and Meaning Chuan)
Xingyi Quan or the form and meaning Chuan is also called Xinyi Quan (free-mind Chuan), Xinyi Liuhe Quan (free-mind six-combination Chuan) or liuhe Quan (six-combination Chuan).
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| Yingzhao Quan (Eagle Claw Chuan)
Yingzhao Quan or the eagle claw Chuan is a traditional animal-imitating style of fist play that in-corporates the movements, tricks and methods of the eagle. It is a mixture of the Yue-style Chuan and the school of tumbling Chuan.
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| Yi Quan (Mentality Chuan)
Yi Quan or the mentality Chuan, also called Da-cheng Quan, was created by Wang Xiangzhai during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875-1908) of the Qing Dynasty. Wang (1885-1963) was born in Shenxian County in Hebei Province.
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| Yuejia Quan (Yue-family Chuan)
There are many styles of Chuan named after General Yue Fei of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) . These include Yue-family Chuan of Hubei, Henan and Anhui provinces, Yue-school fist plays of Hunan and Sichuan provinces, Yue-family martial arts of Guangdong Province, Yue Fei Sanshau and Yue-style chain of fist plays.
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| Ziran Men (Nature Chuan)
Ziran Men (nature Chuan) was created by Dwarf Xu of Sichuan Province in the late years of the Qing Dynasty. Xu's style of Chuan was standardized by Du Xinwu of Cili County of Hunan Province. Du followed Xu for eight years to learn the nature Chuan and came to understand the essence and secrets of the martial arts.
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| Simplified Pictures of Tai Chi Chuan Movements 2
Directions are given in terms of the 12 hours of the clovk. Begin by facing 12 o'clock , with 6 o'clock behind you, 9 o'clock at your left and 3 o'clock at your right. Thus a turn to 1 o'clock is one of 30o to the right and a turn to 1-2 o'clock is one of 45 du.
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| Simplified Pictures of Tai Chi Chuan Movements 3
Directions are given in terms of the 12 hours of the clovk. Begin by facing 12 o'clock , with 6 o'clock behind you, 9 o'clock at your left and 3 o'clock at your right. Thus a turn to 1 o'clock is one of 30o to the right and a turn to 1-2 o'clock is one of 45 du.
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| Simplified Pictures of Tai Chi Chuan Movements 4
Directions are given in terms of the 12 hours of the clovk. Begin by facing 12 o'clock , with 6 o'clock behind you, 9 o'clock at your left and 3 o'clock at your right. Thus a turn to 1 o'clock is one of 30o to the right and a turn to 1-2 o'clock is one of 45 du.
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| Simplified Pictures of Tai Chi Chuan Movements 5
Directions are given in terms of the 12 hours of the clovk. Begin by facing 12 o'clock , with 6 o'clock behind you, 9 o'clock at your left and 3 o'clock at your right. Thus a turn to 1 o'clock is one of 30o to the right and a turn to 1-2 o'clock is one of 45 du.
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| Simplified Pictures of Tai Chi Chuan Movements 6
Directions are given in terms of the 12 hours of the clovk. Begin by facing 12 o'clock , with 6 o'clock behind you, 9 o'clock at your left and 3 o'clock at your right. Thus a turn to 1 o'clock is one of 30o to the right and a turn to 1-2 o'clock is one of 45 du.
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| Simplified Pictures of Tai Chi Chuan Movements 7
Directions are given in terms of the 12 hours of the clovk. Begin by facing 12 o'clock , with 6 o'clock behind you, 9 o'clock at your left and 3 o'clock at your right. Thus a turn to 1 o'clock is one of 30o to the right and a turn to 1-2 o'clock is one of 45 du.
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| Introduction of Taijiquan(Taichi Quan)
Though legends tell that some eight centuries ago, Emperor Xuanwu taught the art of taijiquanto an alchemist hermit in a dream, the available historical data seem to indicate that ataijiquanwas first devised in henan province some 300 years ago, in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
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| History of Taijiquan (Taichi Quan)
There exists a very ancient history in China of movement systems that are associated with health and philosophy. In some sense one can see all of these as contributing to the climate in which Tai Chi was born.
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| Tai Chi and Tai Chi Chuan
Tai Chi Quan is also called "philosophical Chuan," meaning that its principles and techniques all contain the idea of Tai Chi in Chinese classical philosophy. To learn Tai Chi Quan calls, first of all, for under-standing this philosophical thought. This helps to know the techniques of Tai Chi Quan.
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| Tai Chi Chuan Styles
The Chen-style Tai Chi Quan falls into two categories - the old and new frames. The old frame was created by Chen Wangling himself. It had five routines which were also known as ihe 13 move Chuan.
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| Simplified Pictures of Tai Chi Chuan Movements
Directions are given in terms of the 12 hours of the clovk. Begin by facing 12 o'clock , with 6 o'clock behind you, 9 o'clock at your left and 3 o'clock at your right. Thus a turn to 1 o'clock is one of 30o to the right and a turn to 1-2 o'clock is one of 45 du.
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