The Warrior Monks of Shaolin
The Warrior Monks of the Shaolin Monastery represent the pinnacle of Chinese Wushu Kungfu. Wushu Kungfu is a general term that refers to the hundreds of Chinese martial arts that have developed over centuries. Wushu literally means martial art or method and Kungfu literally means to gain skill through hard word. Wushu Kungfu therefore means to gain martial arts skill through long and hard training.
Chinese martial arts may possibly be traced to the Xia Dynasty, some than 4000 years ago. According to tradition, the Yellow Emperor (ruled from 2698 BCE) introduced the earliest fighting systems to China. Through the ages various fighting systems developed, and many styles of Wushu Kungfu can trace their history back more than 2000 years (see wiki).
Shaolin Si – The Shaolin Monastery
A turning point, in the history of martial arts must be the development of martial arts at the Shaolin Temple. Shaolin was first and foremost dedicated to the study and practice of Buddhism, and the translation of Buddhist Sutras into Chinese. Shaolin was also a sanctuary for weary travelers, rural folk, and soldiers alike. At was a focal point for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, from philosophy to combat. The Monastery was the ideal place for recording and transmission of Wushu Kungfu.
Traditionally, Bodhidharma, the Indian monk, is said to have taught the monks at Shaolin various physical exercises which formed the basis for the development of Shaolin Quan (Shaolin Fist). Some have disputed this, but there is no debate that the warrior monks of the Shaolin Monastery were a force to be reckoned with.
The oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat is from 728 CE that attests to two occasions: In defense of the Shaolin Monastery from bandits around 610 CE, and their role in the defeat of Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621 CE. While little evidence can be found about the monks from the 8th to the 15th centuries, thereafter there are many sources which provide evidence that the study and practice of martial arts was an integral part of Shaolin monastic life.
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Jul 11th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
hi i just want to say that the shoalin kung fu style was used mainly for show off combat and that a monk with sufficient knollage of this style incoantered sword, long staff(bo)(Jappannese)or spear would be badly ingered or killed in most cases thats why the masters from the of what is known today as the Tiawannese regions brought to the upper parts of China as more brutal and quicker and less showy styles such as Hong Chuan and Chang Chuan northern long fist are considered two off the best styles made
Jul 20th, 2010 at 11:07 am
Perhaps you can say this of Shaolin wushu today, but not of the style of centuries before. Yes, wushu kung fu has become more flashy and acrobatic, but I cannot agree that it was originally simply to show off.