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History of Kung Fu Through the Dynasties
Neolithic Period (Mythical)
Archa- bone acupuncture needles. Hung-ecologists dug up stone knives, axes, arrows and Ti- legendary first emperor of China, used copper swords for combat.
Shang (Yin) 770-481 BC
Warlike men of Chou conquered previous Shang ruler. Illness determined through checking pulses.
Spring & Autumn Period 481-256 BC
Kung Fu flourished and was called Ch'uan Young.
Warring States Period 481-256 BC
Kung Fu was termed Chi. Chi Su (The same characters used for Japanese Jiu Jitsu). Confucius and many other well-known philosophers taught their disciples the martial arts of archery and the sword.
Chin 221-207 BC Han 206BC-220AD
Merging of internal and external systems into a single entity. Kung Fu called Chi Ch'iao.
Three Kingdoms 220-265
Huat'o, a famous Chinese physician who was taught by a Taoist named Chin Ch'ien introduced the concept of Chi-Chung (control of the breath). His method included the five animal forms: deer, bird, monkey, tiger and bear. This marked an important development of kung fu exercise.
Six Dynasties 265-589
Ta Mo (Bodidharma) introduced Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism at the Shaolin Temple in Honan Province in 520. Tao Mob's disciples in honor of his name wrote two famous books, The Sinew Change Classic and Washing Marrow. Classic forms such as rock, fist and eighteen hands of Lo Han were created and are still taught intact today. Re-separation of external and internal techniques resumed.
Suit 589-618 Tang 618
China's martial arts spread outside the central area of China for the first time. Chinese soldiers sent to Korea for military duty shared their knowledge with the Korean people. Tang-Su (Tang Hand) or Tang Su Do (Tang Hand Way) was the original fighting art of Korea. It was derived from Chinese methods.
Five Dynasties (Woe Tai) 907-959
Internal systems made significant progress.
Sung 960-1279
Tai Chi was founded in 1000. Hosing I was also practiced. In 1126 kung fu spread from north of the Yangtze River to the Southern Provinces.
Yuan (Mongol) 1279-1368
Kung Fu was used mainly for military. Fighting on horseback was stressed. Towards the end of this dynasty, a monk named Kwon Yuan expanded the Eighteen Hands of Lo Han to seventy-two movements. Not satisfied with his work, he left the Temple of Honan and sought other masters. In his travels, he met Pak Yolk Fong, a famous boxer, and an old man named Li. Kwok Yuan returned to the Temple with two masters.
There they increased his original seventy-two movements to one hundred seventy and classified them into five distinctive styles: dragon, tiger, crane, snake and leopard. The five styles were later improved into a new more effective style known as the five animal styles or five-formed fist. This system comprises the basic internal training of Shaolin Kung Fu.
Ming 1368-1644
Kung Fu was called Chi Young and it made significant progress in the Southern Provinces. The Southern Shaolin System with headquarters at the Temple in Funkier reached equal recognition with the Northern Styles. Praying Mantis, White Crane and Monkey Styles originated. Near the end of the dynasty, Cohen Yuan-Pin traveled to Japan and introduced Chin-an (catch arrest) and Chinese wrestling, creating a basis for Jiu-Jitsu.
Chin (Manchu's) 1664-1911
Some kung fu men reached exceptional skill in their art using empty hand techniques and eighteen weapons. Secret societies like the White Lotus sect of Taoists practiced kung fu for rebellion against the Chin rule.
Okinawa, a former Chinese tributary, was occupied by Japan in 1874. Japan prohibited the Okinawans from having weapons. The Chinese, still dear to their Okinawan neighbors, introduced Southern Shoaling techniques from Funkier Province. This formed the foundation of Okinawan Karate. Kara means Chinese; Te means hand. Karate can be translated to mean Chinese Hand. Shoran Rye (Shaolin Temple way) was the first style practiced.
Secret societies such as the Triads fought against foreign influence in 1890. This was known as the Boxer Rebellion. The heads of these societies taught their members that kung fu rendered them invincible even against bullets. The boxers could not withstand the force of western firearms and were defeated. Kung Fu declined due to lack of faith in its power.
Republic 1912-1949
Lichen Funakoshi went to Japan in 1922 to teach Karate. Sino-Japanese relations were strained at that time and Japan did not want to credit China as the founder of her new art. The word Kara can mean either Chinese or empty in Japanese. The word is pronounced the same, but has different characters. Hence, karate has come to mean empty hands. (kara, empty; tee, hands)
Warlords trained soldiers with Kung Fu to protect their land.People's Republic 1949-Present
Karate taught to U.S. servicemen in Japan, Korea and Okinawa. Kung Fu first taught to Americans in 1960 through Chinese immigrations and cultural exchanges
* It is important to observe that much of China's history may have been recorded incorrectly due to lack of records and the problems in translating characters to words. As a consequence, data is subject to conjecture.
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