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'''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 the largest and most famous style of [[Chinese martial arts|kung fu]]. It combines [[Chan Buddhism|Chan philosophy]] and [[martial arts]].
It was developed in the [[Shaolin Temple]] in [[Henan]], [[China]] during its 1500-year history. In [[Chinese folklore]] there is a saying, "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven," which indicates its superiority among martial arts, and "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin," which indicates its influence on 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.
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{{Chinese Buddhism}}
===Chinese martial arts before Shaolin===
These Shaolin monks were found in an ancient temple doing there practises and training with a move called xaun xing cao this is were they take a blow to every part of their body. 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 that made a considerable regular income, monks required some form of protection. Historical discoveries indicate that, even before the establishment of Shaolin temple, monks had been 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 even 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)===
<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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