Reading more about the culture and beliefs of those who provided us the practice of martial arts I came across an entry with some interesting facts of note. Buddhist priests took up the challenge, often life threatening, to spread and practice their faith. This meant travel despite the dangers encountered along the path. They mandate was to seek out distant lands and establish temples to provide spiritual guidance to the people.
It was this mandate that lead monks in the year A.D. 495 to the high Zong Yue Song Mountains where the often legendary told story of the Shaolin temple was founded and built. Shaolin means "temple of the little forest."
It was to become the source of the legend of the place where kung fu/gong fu was developed and practiced. The term kung fu/gong fu literally means "skilled man."
It is believed that the art of kung fu was originally a philosophy and not a martial art. It was brought to the shaolin temple by a monk named, "Tat Mo." Tat Mo came from India to this place for the goal to teach the people Buddhism.
In the 16th century the Shaolin kung fu made a major revival where the original moves and techniques were consolidate into about 170 basic techniques classified into five groups patterned after the defensive/offensive moves of dragons, leopards, snakes, cranes and tigers.
The power that made kung fu so effective was the discovery by the priests that a concentration of energy of the below beneath or behind the point of contact was to compress it and then releasing the blow with blinding speed. Their secret to the deadly power of their art was thus in the speed of the blow, and the area of the body targeted. A matter of form and speed.
The Chinese say that the real name of thier martial art is Gong fu, not kung fu, and it is in reference to all martial arts. It means "outstanding achievement."
Bibliography:
DeMente, Boye LaFayette. "The Chinese Have a Word for It: The Complete Guide to Chinese Thought and Culture." McGraw Hill Publishing. New York. 1996.
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