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{{short description|Chinese martial art}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=SeptemberApril 20192024}}▼
{{Chinese Buddhism}}▼
{{Infobox martial art
| logo = Shi DeRu and Shi DeYang.jpg
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| imagesize =
| name = Shaolin kung fu
| aka = Shaolin wushu
| focus = [[Hybrid martial arts|Hybrid]]
| hardness = [[Full contact karate|Full-contact]], [[semi-contact]], [[light-contact]]
| country = [[Greater China]]
| parenthood = [[kung fu]], [[Chinese martial arts|wushu]]
| famous_pract = Shaolin monks
| olympic = No
}}
 
'''Shaolin kung fu''' ({{zh|c=少林功夫|p=Shǎolín gōngfū}}), also called '''Shaolin [[Chinese martial arts|Wushu]]''' ({{zh|c=少林武術|p=Shǎolín wǔshù| labels=no}}), or '''Shaolin quan''' ({{zh|c=少林拳|p=Shàolínquán| labels=no}}), is one of the oldest, largest, and most famous stylesstyle of wushu,[[Chinese ormartial [[arts|kung fu]] of [[Chan Buddhism]]. It combines [[Chan Buddhism|Chan philosophy]] and [[martial arts]].
It was developed in the [[Shaolin Temple]] in [[Henan|Henan province]], [[Greater China]] during its 1500-year history. Popular sayings inIn [[Chinese folklore]] relatedthere tois thisa practice includesaying, "AllShaolin martialkung artsfu is the best under heaven," originatedwhich fromindicates Shaolin"its andsuperiority "Shaolinamong kungmartial fuarts, isand the"All bestmartial arts under heaven," indicatingoriginated thefrom influenceShaolin," ofwhich Shaolinindicates kungits fuinfluence amongon other martial arts. The name ''Shaolin'' is also used as a brand for the so-called external styles of kung fu. Many styles in southern and northern China use the name Shaolin.
{{TOC limit}}
 
==History==
▲{{Chinese Buddhism}}
===Chinese martial arts before Shaolin===
Chinese historical records, like ''Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue'', the ''Bibliographies in the Book of the Han Dynasty,'' the ''Records of the Grand Historian,'' and other sources document the existence of martial arts in China for thousands of years. For example, the Chinese martial art of wrestling, ''[[Shuai Jiao]]'', predates the establishment of Shaolin temple by several centuries.<ref name=canzon/> Since Chinese monasteries were large landed estates, sourcesthat ofmade a considerable regular income, monks required some form of protection. Historical discoveries indicate that, even before the establishment of Shaolin temple, monks had armsbeen armed and also practiced martial arts.<ref name=hanning/> In 1784 the ''Boxing Classic: Essential Boxing Methods'' made the earliest extant reference to the Shaolin Monastery as Chinese boxing's place of origin.<ref name="Henning"/><ref name=kongzhao/> This is, however, a misconception,<ref name=wkk/><ref name=ofc/> but showseven the fact that such a mistake could be made helps to show the historical importance of Shaolin kung fu.
 
===Southern and Northern dynasties (420–589 AD)===
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====Bodhidharma's influence====
[[Bodhidharma]] is traditionally credited as the transmitter of [[Chan Buddhism]] to [[China]], and regarded as its first Chinese [[Lineage (Buddhism)|patriarch]].<ref name="Shaolin Kung fu’s Indian Connection">{{cite web|title=Shaolin Kung fu's Indian Connection|url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2019/02/20/shaolin-kung-fus-indian-connection|access-date=15 May 2020|archive-date=29 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029053837/https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2019/02/20/shaolin-kung-fus-indian-connection|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Japan, he is known as Daruma.▼
 
The idea that Bodhidharma founded martial arts at the Shaolin Temple was spread in the 20th century, however, this idea came from a debunked apocryphal 17th century legend that claimed Bodhidharma taught the monks philosophies of [[Chan Buddhism|Chan Buddihsm]], in which the monks were then able to use these philosophies to create their own combat techniques of [[Shaolin kungfu]]kung fu. The idea of Bodhidharma influencing Shaolin boxing is based on a [[Qigong]] manual written during the 17th century. This is when a Taoist with the [[pen name]] 'Purple Coagulation Man of the Way' wrote the ''[[Yijin Jing|Sinews Changing Classic]]'' in 1624, but claimed to have discovered it. The first of two prefaces of the manual traces this succession from Bodhidharma to the Chinese general [[Li Jing (Tang dynasty)|Li Jing]] via "a chain of Buddhist saints and martial heroes."<ref name=shahar/>{{rp|at=p165}} The work itself is full of anachronistic mistakes and even includes a popular character from Chinese fiction, the 'Qiuran Ke' ('Bushy Bearded Hero') ({{lang|zh|虬髯客}}), as a lineage master.<ref name=liu/> [[Scholar-official]]s as far back as the Qing dynasty have taken note of these mistakes. The scholar Ling Tinkang (1757–1809) described the author as an "ignorant village master."<ref name=shahar/>{{rp|at=p168}} Even then, the association of Bodhidharma with martial arts only became widespread as a result of the 1904–1907 serialization of the novel ''The Travels of Lao Ts'an'' in ''Illustrated Fiction Magazine'':<ref>{{sfncite journal|last=Henning|first=Stanley|title=The Chinese Martial Arts in Historical Perspective|journal=Journal of the Chenstyle Taijiquan Research Association of Hawaii|volume=2|issue=3|year=1994|pages=1–7|url=http://themartialscholar.yolasite.com/resources/henning.pdf}}</ref>▼
▲[[Bodhidharma]] is traditionally credited as the transmitter of [[Chan Buddhism]] to [[China]], and regarded as its first Chinese [[Lineage (Buddhism)|patriarch]].<ref name="Shaolin Kung fu’s Indian Connection">{{cite web|title=Shaolin Kung fu's Indian Connection|url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2019/02/20/shaolin-kung-fus-indian-connection|access-date=15 May 2020|archive-date=29 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029053837/https://www.livehistoryindia.com/snapshort-histories/2019/02/20/shaolin-kung-fus-indian-connection|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Japan, he is known as Daruma.
{{quote|One of the most recently invented and familiar of the Shaolin historical narratives is a story that claims that the Indian monk Bodhidharma, the supposed founder of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism, introduced boxing into the monastery as a form of exercise around a.d. 525. This story first appeared in a popular novel, ''The Travels of Lao T'san'', published as a series in a literary magazine in 1907. This story was quickly picked up by others and spread rapidly through publication in a popular contemporary boxing manual, Secrets of Shaolin Boxing Methods, and the first Chinese physical culture history published in 1919. As a result, it has enjoyed vast oral circulation and is one of the most "sacred" of the narratives shared within Chinese and Chinese-derived martial arts. That this story is clearly a twentieth-century invention is confirmed by writings going back at least 250 years earlier, which mention both Bodhidharma and martial arts but make no connection between the two.<ref>{{sfncite book |last1=Henning |first1=Stan |last2=Green |first2=Tom |year=2001 |chapter=Folklore in the Martial Arts |editor-last=Green |editor-first=Thomas A. |title=Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia |place=Santa Barbara, Calif |publisher=ABC-CLIO}}</ref>{{rp|p=129}} }}▼
 
▲The idea that Bodhidharma founded martial arts at the Shaolin Temple was spread in the 20th century, however, this idea came from a debunked apocryphal 17th century legend that claimed Bodhidharma taught the monks philosophies of [[Chan Buddhism|Chan Buddihsm]], in which the monks were then able to use these philosophies to create their own combat techniques of [[Shaolin kungfu]]. The idea of Bodhidharma influencing Shaolin boxing is based on a [[Qigong]] manual written during the 17th century. This is when a Taoist with the [[pen name]] 'Purple Coagulation Man of the Way' wrote the ''[[Yijin Jing|Sinews Changing Classic]]'' in 1624, but claimed to have discovered it. The first of two prefaces of the manual traces this succession from Bodhidharma to the Chinese general [[Li Jing (Tang dynasty)|Li Jing]] via "a chain of Buddhist saints and martial heroes."<ref name=shahar/>{{rp|at=p165}} The work itself is full of anachronistic mistakes and even includes a popular character from Chinese fiction, the 'Qiuran Ke' ('Bushy Bearded Hero') ({{lang|zh|虬髯客}}), as a lineage master.<ref name=liu/> [[Scholar-official]]s as far back as the Qing dynasty have taken note of these mistakes. The scholar Ling Tinkang (1757–1809) described the author as an "ignorant village master."<ref name=shahar/>{{rp|at=p168}} Even then, the association of Bodhidharma with martial arts only became widespread as a result of the 1904–1907 serialization of the novel ''The Travels of Lao Ts'an'' in ''Illustrated Fiction Magazine'':{{sfn|Henning|1994}}
▲{{quote|One of the most recently invented and familiar of the Shaolin historical narratives is a story that claims that the Indian monk Bodhidharma, the supposed founder of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism, introduced boxing into the monastery as a form of exercise around a.d. 525. This story first appeared in a popular novel, ''The Travels of Lao T'san'', published as a series in a literary magazine in 1907. This story was quickly picked up by others and spread rapidly through publication in a popular contemporary boxing manual, Secrets of Shaolin Boxing Methods, and the first Chinese physical culture history published in 1919. As a result, it has enjoyed vast oral circulation and is one of the most "sacred" of the narratives shared within Chinese and Chinese-derived martial arts. That this story is clearly a twentieth-century invention is confirmed by writings going back at least 250 years earlier, which mention both Bodhidharma and martial arts but make no connection between the two.{{sfn|Henning|Green|2001|p=129}}}}
 
===Sui and Tang dynasties (581–907 AD): Shaolin soldier monks===
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====Pirates====
{{see also|Jiajing wokou raids}}
From the 1540s to the 1560s, [[Pirate|piratespirate]]s known as ''[[wokou]]'' raided [[China]]'s eastern and southeastern coasts on an unprecedented scale.
 
The geographer Zheng Ruoceng provides the most detailed of the 16th-century sources which confirm that, in 1553, Wan Biao, Vice Commissioner in Chief of the Nanjing Chief Military Commission, initiated the conscription of monks—including some from Shaolin—against the pirates.<ref name="SM2001"/> Warrior monks participated in at least four battles: at the [[Hangzhou Bay]] in spring 1553 and in the [[Huangpu River]] delta at Wengjiagang in July 1553, Majiabang in spring 1554, and Taozhai in autumn 1555.<ref name="SM2001"/>
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==Contents==
[[File:Shaolin monks.jpg|thumb|right|Shaolin monks demonstrate kung fu.]]
There is a famous saying that kung fu trains both the body and mind.
Shaolin temple has two main legacies: Chan ({{zh|c=禅| labels=no}}), which refers to [[Chan Buddhism]], the religion of Shaolin, and Quan ({{zh|c=拳| labels=no}}), which refers to the martial arts of Shaolin. In Shaolin, these are not separate disciplines and monks have always pursued the philosophy of the unification of Chan and Quan ({{zh|c=禅拳合一|p=chan quan he yi| labels=no}}). In a deeper point of view, Quan is considered part of Chan. As late Shaolin monk Suxi said in the last moments of his life, "Shaolin is Chan, not Quan."
 
===Body exercises===
On the Quan (martial) side, the contents are abundant. A usual classification of contents are:
Body building exercises improve body abilities, including flexibility, balance, hardness, power, speed, and control of the body. These exercises are altogether called the ''72 arts'' in the folklore. However the actual exercises are not actually countable.
# '''Basic skills''' ({{zh|c=基本功|p=jīběn gōng| labels=no}}): These include stamina, flexibility, and balance, which improve the body abilities in doing martial maneuvers. In Shaolin kung fu, flexibility and balance skills are known as "[[Tóngzigōng|childish skill]]" ({{zh|c=童子功|p=tóngzǐ gōng| labels=no}}), which have been classified into 18 postures.
# '''Power skills''' ({{zh|c=气功|p=[[Qigong|qìgōng]]| labels=no}}): These include:
#* Qigong meditation: Qigong meditation itself has two types, internal ({{zh|c=内|p=nèi| labels=no}}), which is stationary meditation, and external ({{zh|c=外|p=wài| labels=no}}), which is dynamic meditation methods like Shaolin four-part exercise ({{zh|c=|p=si duan gong| labels=no}}), [[Eight Section Brocade|eight-section brocade]] ({{zh|c=八段锦|p=bā duàn jǐn| labels=no}}), Shaolin [[Yi Jin Jing|muscle-changing scripture]] ({{zh|c=易筋经|p=yì jīn jīng| labels=no}}), and others.
#* The 72 arts: These Include 36 soft and 36 hard exercises, which are known as soft and hard qigong.
# '''Combat skills''' ({{zh|c=拳法|p=quánfǎ| labels=no}}, "skills"): These include various barehanded, weapon, and barehanded vs. weapon routines ([[Shaolin kung fu#Styles|styles]]) and their combat ({{zh|c=散打|p=sàndǎ| labels=no}}) methods.
 
===StylesMind exercises===
Combat skills ({{zh|c=拳法|p=quánfǎ| labels=no}}), including techniques, tactics, and strategies for barehanded, weapon, and barehanded vs. weapon situations.
Shaolin styles consist of many different animal forms and techniques. [[Wing Chun]] is widely popular partly due to the Chinese made and produced hit movie series [[Ip Man (film series)|Ip Man]], named for [[Bruce Lee]]’s first teacher of Wing Chun ([[Yip Man]]) the most famous practitioner of the art.
 
====Combat Techniques====
Like the usual system of Chinese martial arts, Shaolin combat methods are taught via [[Chinese martial arts#Forms in Traditional Chinese Martial Arts|forms]] ({{zh|c=套路|p=tàolù| labels=no}}). Forms that are technically closely related are coupled together and are considered of the same sub-style. These are usually called the small and the big forms, like the small and big hong quan, which altogether make the Shaolin hong quan style, and the small and big pao quan, etc. There are also some styles with one form, like taizu chang quan. Indeed, these styles are not complete or stand-alone, this is just a classification of different forms of Shaolin kung fu based on their technical contents.
Kung fu teaches techniques for both defense and offense. Defensive techniques are mostly four types, dodge, block, catch, and parry, and offensive techniques are feint, hit, lock, and throw. Shaolin kung fu teaches all these types of techniques.
In kung fu, techniques are taught via two-person practices. In these practices, one party attacks and the other defends or counters or stands in posture for the other party to perform the technique. In Shaolin kung fu, in addition, two-person forms are taught. In these two-person forms, attacks and defenses are performed one after the other. Each technique is followed by its counter, and the counter by its counter, and so on. These forms ensure perfect memorization and exact transmission of the techniques from generation to generation.
 
====Combat Styles====
In addition to techniques, kung fu styles teach tactics. Tactics govern combination of techniques for better results. Because tactics are not specific techniques, they could not specifically be pre-coded into two-person practices and forms. In Shaolin kung fu, tactics are taught via solo forms ({{zh|c=套路|p=tàolù| labels=no}}). Every form teaches some related tactics, which altogether shape a strategy. In Shaolin, closely related forms are coupled together, and these couples are called the small and the big forms, like the small and big hong quan, which altogether make the Shaolin hong quan style, and the small and big pao quan, etc. There are also some styles with one form, like taizu chang quan. These styles each teach a unique strategy.
 
Shaolin kung fu has more than hundreds of extant styles. There is recorded documentation of more than a thousand extant forms, which makes Shaolin the biggest school of martial art in the world. In the [[Qing dynasty]] (1644–1911), Shaolin monks chose 100 of the best styles of Shaolin kung fu. Then they shortlisted the 18 most famous of them. However, every lineage of Shaolin monks have always chosen their own styles. Every style teaches unique methods for fighting ({{zh|c=散打|p=sàndǎ| labels=no}}) and keeping health via one or a few [[Taolu (martial arts)|forms]]. To learn a complete system, Shaolin monks master a number of styles and weapons. The most famous styles of Shaolin kung fu are:
 
====List of known styles====
* [[Luohan (martial arts)#Shaolin Luohan's 18 hands|Arhat's 18 hands]] ({{zh|c=罗汉十八手|p=luóhàn shíbā shǒu| labels=no}}): known as the oldest style.
* [[Hung Ga|Flood style]] ({{zh|c=洪拳|p=hóngquán| labels=no}}): with the small form ({{zh|c=小洪拳|p=xiǎo hóngquán| labels=no}}) known as the son of the styles, and the big form ({{zh|c=大洪拳|p=dà hóngquán| labels=no}}) known as the mother of the styles,
* 7-star & Long Guard the Heart and Mind Gate style ({{zh|c=七星 & 长护心意门拳|p=qī xīng & cháng hù xīn yì mén quán| labels=no}}),▼
* Explosive style ({{zh|c=炮拳|p=pàoquán| labels=no}}): known as the king of the styles,
* Penetrating-Arms style ({{zh|c=通臂拳|p=tōngbìquán| labels=no}}),
▲* 7-star & Long Guard the Heart and Mind Gate style ({{zh|c=七星 & 长护心意门拳|p=qī xīng & cháng hù xīn yì mén quán| labels=no}}),
* [[Meihuaquan#Shaolin Meihuaquan|Plum Blossom style]] ({{zh|c=梅花拳|p=méihuāquán| labels=no}}),
* Facing & Bright Sun style ({{zh|c=朝&昭 阳拳|p=cháo & zhāo yáng quán| labels=no}}),
* [[Luohan (martial arts)#Shaolin Luohan quan|Arhat style]] ({{zh|c=罗汉拳|p=luóhànquán| labels=no}}): known as the most representative style,
* Vajrapani style ({{zh|c=金刚拳|p=jīn'gāngquán| labels=no}}),
* Emperor's Long-range style ({{zh|c=太祖长拳|p=tàizǔ chángquán| labels=no}}): known as the most graceful style,
* 6-Match style ({{zh|c=六合拳|p=liùhéquán| labels=no}}),
* Soft style ({{zh|c=柔拳|p=róuquán| labels=no}}),
* Mind style ({{zh|c=心意拳|p=xīnyìquán| labels=no}})
* [[Animal styles in Chinese martial arts|Imitative styles]] ({{zh|c=象形拳|p=xiàngxíngquán| labels=no}}) (including [[Southern Dragon kung fu|Dragon]], [[Heihuquan|Tiger]], [[Leopard kung fu|Leopard]], [[Eagle Claw|Eagle]], [[Monkey Kung Fu|Monkey]], [[Northern Praying Mantis|Mantis]], etc.),
* [[Drunken boxing|Drunken style]] ({{zh|c=醉拳|p=zuìquán| labels=no}}),
 
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Several films have been produced, particularly during the 70s and early 80s, about Shaolin kung fu. Films such as 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Shaolin Temple, and Shaolin Wooden Men. Modern films include [[Shaolin Soccer]] and Shaolin.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}
 
Shaolin has influenced numerous rappers, notably the members of [[Wu-Tang Clan|Wu Tang Clan.]].
 
Shaolin kung fu is one of the styles used by [[Mortal Kombat]] protagonist [[Liu Kang]]. His Pao Chui, Choy Lay Fut, Monkey Fist, and Dragon moves derive from Shaolin kung fu. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Shaolin, the Influence - Video Games |url=https://depts.washington.edu/triolive/quest/2007/TTQ07031/influences/gen_media/video_games.html#:~:text=Mortal%20Kombat%20-%20Liu%20Kang&text=Of%20his%20martial%20arts%20styles,foundations%20of%20martial%20arts%20backgrounds. |access-date=2023-08-13 August 2023 |website=depts.washington.edu}}</ref>
 
Shaolin monks (referred to simply as “monks”"monks" in-game) appear in the [[roguelike]] game [[NetHack]], along with [[samurai]]. They are one of the two roles to use martial arts skills, with monks having the most powerful martial arts skills in the game.
 
In the Nickelodeon animated series ''[[Avatar,: theThe Last Airbender]]'', the practice of “firebending”"firebending" is based on Shaolin moves.
 
The ABC TV series ''Kung Fu'' (1972-1974) starring [[David Carradine]] as a fugitive Shaolin monk traveling the Western United States in search of his brother helped to popularize Shaolin Kung Fu with the general American TV audience.
 
==References==
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<ref name=hanning>{{Cite journal| author = Henning, Stanley | year = 1999b | title = Martial arts Myths of Shaolin Monastery, Part I: The Giant with the Flaming Staff | journal = Journal of the Chenstyle Taijiquan Research Association of Hawaii | volume = 5 | issue = 1 }}</ref>
 
* {{cite journal|last=Henning|first=Stanley|title=The Chinese Martial Arts in Historical Perspective|journal=Journal of the Chenstyle Taijiquan Research Association of Hawaii|volume=2|issue=3|year=1994|pages=1–7|url=http://themartialscholar.yolasite.com/resources/henning.pdf}}
* {{cite book |last1=Henning |first1=Stan |last2=Green |first2=Tom |year=2001 |chapter=Folklore in the Martial Arts |editor-last=Green |editor-first=Thomas A. |title=Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia |place=Santa Barbara, Calif |publisher=ABC-CLIO}}
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<ref name=liu>{{cite book |title=The Chinese Knight Errant |first=James J.Y. |last=Liu |year=1967 |publisher=London: Routledge and Kegan Paul |isbn=0-2264-8688-5 |pages=87–88 }}</ref>
 
<ref name=henning3>{{Cite journal | author = Henning, Stanley | date = Autumn–Winter 1994 | title = Ignorance, Legend and Taijiquan | journal = Journal of the Chenstyle Taijiquan Research Association of Hawaii | volume = 2 | issue = 3 | pages = 1–7 | url = http://seinenkai.com/articles/henning/il&t.pdf | url-status = deadusurped | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110223223752/http://seinenkai.com/articles/henning/il&t.pdf | archive-date = 23 February 2011 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>
 
<ref name=francis>{{cite book |title=Power of Internal Martial Arts: Combat Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi, and Hsing-I |first=B.K. |last=Francis |year=1998 |publisher=North Atlantic Books }}</ref>
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{{Zhengzhou}}
{{Authority control}}
▲{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
 
[[Category:Chinese martial arts]]
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