Shaolin Gong Fu: China’s Most Famous Martial Art

Perhaps the most famous of all Asian martial arts is the style popularly known as Shaolin Gong Fu (Siu Lum Kung Fu in Cantonese), which was propagated at the legendary Shaolin Temple located in Henan Province in Northern China. Much of what is true about the history of Shaolin Gong Fu has been obscured by myths and fables.

Legend tells us that Shaolin fighting skills originated with the Buddhist monk known as Bodhidharma (whose Chinese name was Damo), who supposedly brought the art from India around 526 A.D. The son of an Indian king, Bodhidharma received his Buddhist teachings from Prajinatara, who was the 27th Patriarch of Indian Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, it was Prajinatara who made Bodhidharma the 28th Patriarch of Indian Buddhism and asked him to transmit the teachings to China.

Although it is true that Bodhidharma settled at the Shaolin Temple and that he is regarded as the father of Chinese Buddhism (Chan), there is no evidence to suggest that he also introduced fighting arts to the Shaolin monks. Documented forms of fighting existed in China long before the arrival of Bodhidharma, so it is almost certain that fighting skills were introduced in the Shaolin Temple through other sources.

Notwithstanding its origins, the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province was made famous through the extraordinary skills and fighting ability of the Shaolin monks. The temple grounds became the fertile birthplace of countless different Gong Fu styles.

In China, many external systems are classified as Shaolin Gong Fu, even some methods that originated outside of its influence. Therefore, it is impossible to characterize any single system as original Shaolin Gong Fu. After all, more than 1500 years have passed in the evolution and transmission of the Shaolin martial arts. Thus, it is understandable that so many styles trace their roots to the famous temple.

In the West, Shaolin Gong Fu is often associated with the Five Animals. These are the Tiger, the Dragon, the Leopard, the Snake and the Crane. However, many Shaolin methods make little or no use of animal forms. The five animals are more common within Southern Gong Fu styles, particularly Hong Jia (Hung Gar in Cantonese).

The Shaolin Gong Fu taught at the Chinese Martial Arts Center is from the Northern school and is generally classified as Long Fist. This method emphasizes long-range fighting techniques that stress kicking, jumping, sweeping, and fully extended hand strikes and punching techniques. Fighting strategy uses soft circular blocks followed by fast, powerful counterstrikes. Shaolin Gong Fu is also renowned for its staff fighting techniques and its Qi Gong, health-building and health maintenance exercises.

Shaolin Gong Fu is represented in our school through the systems of Mizong Luohan (My Jong Law Horn in Cantonese) and Eagle Claw Gong Fu (Ying Zhao Fan Zi) , which are the centerpiece of our external Chinese martial arts curriculum.