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History The History of China is the history of its Kung Fu. Through most of its turbulent past, China has been a nation beset by invaders and internal strife. In Cantonese the word China is jung gok and means middle or central country. A vast land mass, much desired by invaders from other lands, China has had to develop martial arts as a way of life. As far as birth of Kung fu is concerned there are two main theories behind it. One stream believes that Kung fu was already in existence long before Bodhidharma, the great Buddhist monk arrived in China. His main contribution was the introduction of Chan(zen) into the Sil Lum Temple. And the large number of people believes that the great Buddhist monk Bodhidharma is a founder of Kung fu. Throughout history credit has been given to Bodhidharma as a creator of Sil Lum Kung fu or the man responsible of introducing the martial arts to China. It all began, so the legends say, when a stern Indian monk noticed that his young Chinese disciples couldn't stay awake during the long and tiring meditation of the new religion known as Chan or Zen Buddhism, he was trying to teach them. Not conditioned to endure the exhaustive meditative methods developed by the Hindu, Yogic and Buddhist monks of their Master's homeland, the young disciples seemed on the verge of failure in their new undertaking. Realizing this the first patriarch Bodhidharma took the initiative and introduced his frail disciples to an 18 movement exercise based on techniques discovered and developed beyond the Himalayas. Soon daily practice of the 18 movements strengthened the young disciples at the Sil Lum Temple enough to receive their Master's teachings thus sowing two seeds that would later known as chan (Zen Buddhism) and Sil Lum Kung fu . Three hundred years before Christ, China was in its age of chivalry. Only the nobility participated in warfare, using the symbol of medieval chivalry, the chariot. These chariots were drawn by four horses, harnessed with a multitude of small musical bells. Three men rode in each chariot, a driver, an archer, and a man proficient with the lance. The lance was like a spear, but with the addition of a hook used for snaring the enemy Behind the chariots were standard bearers carrying standards depicting the symbolic animal of each direction - the red bird of south, the black tortoise of the north, the white tiger of the west, the green dragon representing the east. This was honorable warfare. Warriors from opposing armies would often drink together before a battle. Then came the period of the "Warring States" (300 B.C.). During the era, Chivalry gave way to warfare carried on by adventures or knight-errands. They were literally soldiers of fortune. The chariot was replaced by mounted archers, cavalry and an abundance of foot soldiers. Many of the lone adventurers became famous as ascorts for the nobility and rich travelling through the countryside. Because there was violence everywhere, these escorts had to be good fighters. Martial arts among the civilian population of China began to gain importance. In 246 B.C., the first emperor of the Ch'in dynasty came to power. He assumed the name , Ch'in Shih-huang-ti or "first emperor of the Ch'in" known to the history as Chinese Caesar. He was able to do what none before had accomplished, unite China into complete Empire. He ruled China with an iron hand, enslaving multitudes to build the Great Wall of China, and burning all books which might conflict with his rigid rule. He also prohibited the practice of martial arts and carrying of weapons by civilians. It was the next emperor, an adventurer named Liu Pang, who turned China back to the study of martial arts. He was originally an escort, a freelance martial artist. One day while escorting the band of prisoners to jail, Liu Pang decided to free them and become their leader. He led his rapidly growing army of ruffians throughout China and soon assumed the throne, from soldier of fortune to emperor. He became the first emperor of the Han dynasty, destined to rule China for four centuries. (202 B.C. - 220 A.D.) It was Liu Pang who said " It was while dressed in rough cloth and wielding a three-foot sword that I conquered the empire!" He was truly a soldier's king and from his influence, martial arts flourished throughout the Han dynasty. During the Ching Dynasty (A.D. 1644 - 1911), protection from government forces reached a peak when revolutionary martial artists were engaged in rebellious activities while headquartered in the safety of the Shaolin temple, kung fu systems like choy-li-fut, hung gar and white eyebrow grew from such origins. In retaliation, the Manchurian government of the Ching dynasty burned the Shaolin temple, forcing the rebels to go into hiding and to form secret societies. Martial arts spread throughout China during the Republic (A.D. 1912 - 1948). Military tactics were taught in all schools and fighting arts became very popular in China. There is one thing that all Chinese martial arts have in common; the idea that kung fu itself is merely skill. Of course, it's a skill that requires serious and diligent training to perfect, but it is just a skill that anyone can learn. The literal translation of kung fu is "a skill or knowledge of something physical". The real value of Chinese martial arts goes beyond self defense alone. It lies within the strong traditional training that all kung fu systems emphasize: training that teaches the kung fu student to respect his teacher and his teacher's advice; to be respectful towards other kung fu styles, because they are part of China's legacy; and perhaps most important, to only use his kung fu skill in a morally correct manner. Also, there is more than just this little story to come!!!!!!!!
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