A brief history of Kung Fu- by The Chief Instructor Mr Russell Suthern

A BRIEF HISTORY OF KUNG FU
RUSSELL SUTHERN

The history of Kung Fu is a difficult subject for several reasons:
Many Chinese histories are oral in tradition, rather than being written down. Often this was to preserve secrecy but also because many ancient Chinese were illiterate, especially in the rural areas. When stories are passed on verbally, there is a huge temptation to embellish the story, sometimes to the point where only a grain of truth is left, almost lost in a sea of myth & legend.
Secondly, the writing materials used in ancient China were very fragile & many important texts have long ago crumbled to dust, leaving many gaps in Chinas 1,000 year plus history.
Also, whenever a new dynasty took power, they would often destroy much of the previous dynasties history, culture, art & treasures, as if to set themselves up as the only legitimate dynasty. Such brutality would also quash any thoughts of rebellion. This is one reason that pre-Ching dynasty artefacts are so rare & valuable. It also contributes to the lack of hard fact available & the proliferation of myth & legend. These problems were increased by the natural secrecy of martial arts & the various groups suspicion of each other. Finally, the martial arts were banned in China for several long periods, during which they went underground which led to more secrecy & their histories being lost or distorted.
The Chinese government is currently giving large grants to academic institutions engaged in the study & research of China’s martial history. But new information is hard to find & even harder to verify.
With these almost insurmountable problems standing in the martial historians way, it is advisable to take the histories & legends of the martial arts with a pinch of salt. Enjoy them for what they are, which is a cracking good series of inspirational adventure yarns, but don’t get too hung up on their veracity!

THE LEGEND OF BODIDHARMA &
THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE.

There are many variations to this myth & this is but one:
It is said that the Songshan Shaolin temple was built in 495 AD for a monk called Batuo.
It was not until 527 AD that Bodidharma came to Shaolin from India. (Bodidharma’s Chinese name is Da Mo.)
Bodidharma was spreading the philosophy of Buddism, which in China became Chan Buddism. (Indian, Chinese & Japanese Buddism all have their own unique flavours.) Bodidarma’s Buddism contained a great deal of meditation. It is said that he once spent nine years meditating, staring at the wall of a cave.
Bodidharma could see that although the monks were very good at praying & meditating, all those hours of sitting in contemplation had made them physically weak. He gave them 14 Da Mo exercises which strengthened them internally & externally. He introduced what are called the “Bone marrow washing” exercises & the Sinew & tendon changing” exercises. Many various interpretations of these exercises still exist today.
Many of the exercises were based on animal movements. Although the monks were peaceful, ancient China was a rough & often lawless place. Many times the monks had to defend themselves from bandits out to steal their treasures. Thus, many of their exercises were converted into fighting movements & the martial arts were born. It is the unique combination of learning killing movements combined with the pacifist principles of Buddist & Taoist philosophy that characterises traditional Asian martial arts.
The monks became so well known for their martial ability that many emperors employed them to aid their armies in quelling insurrection & invasion. However, the monks became quite feared & were betrayed several times. Legend states that the monastery was burnt down three times. Once in the Sui dynasty, once in the Qing dynasty &, finally, in the early days of the Peoples Republic of China, when warlord Feng Yuxiang’s troops wiped out the monastery under the command of Shi Yousan.
Every time the monastery was threatened, some of the monks would flee. Many made their living from teaching martial arts & so these skills passed into civil life.
Although probably an exaggeration, there is probably some truth in the Chinese saying: “All martial arts under the sun come from Shaolin”.