VING CHUN KUEN - THE ART OF INVINCIBILITY

KUNG-FU ORIGINS & HISTORY

KUNG-FU ORIGINS part 2​

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS BY TYPE: A SIMPLE OVERVIEW

There are four divisions of Wu Shu (Kung-Fu).

They are the Martial (Military) Arts of Weaponry and Pugilism;

The skills of Wrestling practiced mainly among the civilian population

& Health Nourishing.

WEAPONRY

There are four divisions of Weaponry

1. Rod

2. Knife

3. Lance

4. Sword

Those are the four broad categories of Chinese weaponry. The different types of weapons actually number more than 18. Within each grouping may be many different weapons; for example it is said that there are more than 40 types of broadsword. Consider that just as today's Special Forces receive specialized training for advanced combat situations, the warrior of 4,000 years ago might specialize and become expert in one particular weapon or class of weapon, yet might also become familiar with any number of weapons.

PUGILISM

It is my opinion that the military arts of pugilism are weapon forms, their original intent being not for sport but to practice the art of destroying the enemy with a weapon. As there are many types of weapon, so to there are many methods of pugilism. Regardless of ones opinion there are two primary divisions of Pugilism from which spring forth many methods

Soft Fist - which might be divided into three main categories

1. Yee Chuan

2. Pai Kua

3. Tai Chi Chuan - which might be divided into three major systems: Chen; Yang; and Wu; each representing dozens of styles of Tai Chi.

Hard Fist - which might be divided into two main categories - both might be divided into many

branches. The two main categories are:

1. South Shaolin

2. North Shaolin

WRESTLING: As described in part 1

Wrestling and grappling arts are not suited for battle, but are best suited for practice within the civilian population. This is in accordance with the war strategies of Sun Tzu; and as espoused by Miyamoto Musashi thus "Do not permit yourself to grapple with the enemy, for this becomes a contest of strength and may prevent you from performing with conviction to slay the enemy with one strike."

Two Divisions of Health Nourishing - Passive & Active.

Note: these are the health nourishing exercises introduced to China by the Indian Monk Damo, which developed seperately to and later than the fighting arts of China.

Passive Course - might be divided into three main catagories;

1. Marrow washing

2. Posing

3. Meditation

Active Course - might also be divided into three main catagories:

1.Sinew Changing

2. Acts Of 5 Birds

3. 8 Peices Of Brocade

Summary of Charts:

There are literally hundreds of different styles of kungfu, each with its own unique history and flavour. Therefore it is important when discussing a particular style that one does not convey to the listener/reader that the facts pertaining to that system, such as origin, or theory, are common to all systems of kungfu.

Through Asia To The West

During the Ming Dynasty the Chinese arts of self defense had great influence over those of the neighboring countries. The tour of Chang Wo throughout the South East Asian countries (1413-1419) produced a great effect on the many arts of various countries which adopted the Chinese way. A classic example is Japanese "Karate", which was derived from the Shaolin pugilism and introduced to Japan via Korea and Okinawa in the 1920's. (First National Athletic Exhibition in Tokyo, 1922, by the then president of the Okinawa Association for the Spirit of Martial Arts, Gichin Funakoshi).

Contrary to once popular opinion that kung fu is "new" to the western world, kung fu has been practiced in the United States since 1848 when it was introduced by Chinese Coolies who labored in the mines and on the building of the transcontinental railways. The first organized Kung Fu Association on United States soil was the Chinese Physical Culture Association (Ching-wu t'i-yu hui), located on Kapena Lane, Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1922, it is still in existence today. (Author: Is it?).

Kevin Earle