Martial Art: Wushu
Translation: "Arts of War"
Country of Origin: China
Created: circa 520 AD
Wushu is the term
used in China to encompass all indigenous martial arts. Also referred to as
Chinese boxing and in the West the term Kung Fu has been commonly adopted
to mean the same thing. Originating in the Shaolin Temple on a mountain in
North China, wushu has fragmented incredibly over the many, many years of
it's evolution with at least 1500 styles practised today. Styles would often
be passed from family to family and the most secret techniques would only
taught to the most worthy of students. It wasn't until as late as the 1960's
that us Westerners were even allowed to become wushu students. There are many
legends concerning wushu in China that usually either involve little old men
killing bad guys with a single touch or else rival wushu schools trying to
prove who has the ultimate style. The most common way to categorise the various
schools is to refer to Northern China and Southern China schools. Northern
schools teach "internal" or "soft" systems and Southern
teach "external" or "hard" systems. Internal styles focus
on life energy; circular techniques, use the hands more and are based upon
Taoist philosophy. They may also teach healing arts. External styles focus
on muscular force, linear techniques, use the feet more and are based upon
Buddhist philosophy. They may also teach speed and strength conditioning.
In 1674 the emperor after some bad advice from court
decided to destroy the Shaolin temple thinking the monks posed a threat. Legend
has it that the 5 monks who escaped are the ancestors of today's Triad societies.