The True Origins of Chinese Martial Arts: Kung Fu, Quanshu, Quanfa, Wushu, Wuyi
Significant misinformation surrounds Chinese Martial Arts, particularly the term “Kung Fu.” This document aims to provide accurate insights into their nomenclature and historical development.
Nomenclature
In the Western world, Kung Fu (工夫) is the prevailing term for Chinese Martial Arts. However, within China, specifically in both Mandarin and Cantonese, it is more commonly referred to as Quanshu (拳術) or Quanfa (拳法). Wushu (武術) has also gained global recognition as a modern designation. Historically, the ancient term Wuyi (武藝) was prevalent from approximately the 3rd century BCE until the 19th century CE (Wong Kiew Kit, The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu).
Origins: Predating Civilization
Contrary to popular misconceptions, Kung Fu did not originate in India, nor is it derived from Yoga or any other foreign art form. Kung Fu is uniquely indigenous to ancient China. As asserted by Wong Kiew Kit in The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu, “Kung Fu is older than civilization… it occurred before people began farming and settlement, which were the beginnings of civilization.”
All Martial Art Styles Trace Back to China
The Shaolin Temple/Monastery/University is a pivotal, albeit often misunderstood, institution in martial arts history. Around 495 CE, the Indian Buddhist monk Batuo received land in the Shao Mountains from Emperor Xiao Wen Di of the Northern Wei Dynasty to establish a Buddhist Monastery in China. It is crucial to note that the Shaolin Monastery was initially founded as a center for Buddhist meditation and study.
It is a historical fact that Chinese Martial Arts, as we know them today, were thousands of years old when the Shaolin Temple was founded—approximately 6,000 years old. The term “Wuyi” was in common use almost 800 years prior to Batuo’s establishment of the Shaolin Temple. This alone refutes the assertion, often propagated by Buddhists, Yogis, and Hindus, that Chinese Martial Arts originated in India or with DaMo/Bodhidharma.
Furthermore, evidence suggests that not only did martial arts originate in China, but also practices like Boxing, Wrestling, Calisthenics, Western Exercise, and potentially even Yoga. There is evidence indicating that Qigong predates Yoga by millennia, with Yoga potentially evolving from modified Qigong sets over several thousand years.
The True Creators of Ancient Chinese Martial Arts
All available evidence points to the enigmatic Taoists and Wu Shamans as the originators of ancient Chinese Martial Arts. Approximately 8,000 years ago, the world’s first scientists, philosophers, and medical doctors are credited with creating the arts now recognized as Kung Fu.
A widely circulated, yet factually flawed, narrative attributes the creation of martial arts to DaMo/Bodhidharma. This story claims that upon his arrival at the Shaolin Temple in 527 CE, DaMo found the monks physically frail from excessive meditation and subsequently introduced martial arts to strengthen them. This narrative overlooks several critical points:
- Prior Existence: Kung Fu was already thousands of years old before DaMo’s arrival in China. To suggest he “brought” it from India disregards this extensive history.
- Taoist Knowledge: Taoism, predating Buddhism by millennia, was inherently a science of life, longevity, and union with nature and the cosmos. It is highly improbable that Chinese monks would be ignorant of health and longevity practices.
- Cultural Resistance: Buddhism was initially viewed as a foreign and unwelcome religion by many Chinese.
- Chinese Instruction: Historical accounts indicate that Chinese military generals, likely well-versed in Qigong, actually trained DaMo in martial arts.
- Philosophical Inconsistency: Buddhist philosophy often involves denying the body, the universe, and nature, viewing the body as a temporary vessel. This perspective is fundamentally inconsistent with the creation and development of health, longevity, and martial arts exercises that intrinsically value physical cultivation.
A More Probable Scenario
Interactions between Buddhists and Taoists were frequent throughout history. The Shaolin Temple itself welcomed practitioners of diverse faiths, including Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Hindu, and even Christian. A more probable historical account regarding DaMo’s influence suggests two possibilities:
- Taoist Instruction: If DaMo indeed found the monks physically weak, he would logically have sought the expertise of Taoists, who were renowned for their medicine, exercises, and martial prowess. The Taoists, perhaps the two generals mentioned, would have instructed DaMo in Taoist exercises such as Qigong or Dao Yin. DaMo may then have introduced this knowledge to the Temple to improve the monks’ health, with the original attribution potentially being lost over the past 15 centuries. This would undoubtedly have enhanced the monks’ well-being.
- Myth Creation: Alternatively, the narrative of DaMo finding weak monks and creating Kung Fu may have been fabricated, alongside the myth of his martial arts origins, to bolster Buddhism’s cultural standing and potentially supplant Taoism as China’s dominant cultural religion.
The Significance of Shaolin Kung Fu
While we have established that Kung Fu predates Shaolin and did not originate in India, it is true that Shaolin played a crucial role in shaping what we now recognize as “Kung Fu.” This is not a contradiction.
Prior to Shaolin, Chinese martial arts existed primarily as unstylized, family-specific self-defense systems passed down from father to son. The Shaolin Temple was the first institution to systematically gather and formalize these various martial art forms into distinct “Kung Fu Styles.” Examples include Shaolin Lohan, Monkey, Crane, Snake, Tiger, Leopard, and Wing Chun. These formalized styles were then taught to the Shaolin Monks, many of whom subsequently disseminated this knowledge to the general populace, making martial arts accessible beyond family traditions.
Is Taiji Quan a Form of Shaolin Kung Fu?
Yes, Taiji Quan (太極拳) is definitively a form of Shaolin Kung Fu.
Chang San Feng (also known as Zhang San Feng), a revered Taoist, reportedly studied at the Shaolin Temple and achieved mastery of all its styles. After concluding his studies, he is said to have retreated to Wudang Mountain in pursuit of the secret to immortality. While much of this account is widely accepted, the subsequent events are often subject to various myths.
The popular legend describes Chang San Feng witnessing a fight between a Crane and a Snake. Observing their movements and the stalemate, where neither could defeat the other, he purportedly created the original 13 postures of the Taiji Quan form, also known as Wudang Taiji. He then founded a temple on Mt. Wudang and began teaching disciples Wudang Taiji Quan, which would later evolve into the Chen Style, and subsequently the Yang Style, among others.
Regardless of the veracity of the mythical Crane and Snake encounter, it is certain that the Taiji Quan form/style is a synthesis of two Shaolin styles (the Crane and Snake) combined with Taoist philosophy, principles, medicine, and longevity/immortality secrets.
Chang San Feng’s profound belief in his creation led him to name it not after an animal or a modified style, but after the universe itself and a fundamental Taoist universal symbol: The Supreme Ultimate (Yin/Yang). The true meaning of Taiji Quan extends far beyond its application as a martial art.
It is also highly probable that Zhang San Feng did not literally witness a Crane and Snake fighting; this narrative may be a cryptic Taoist message or a secret revealing the path to Enlightenment and Immortality. For now, consider the possibility that the “snake” represents the mind and body, while the “crane” symbolizes the spirit.