Kung Fu – Origins

Let’s start with an explanation of few terms and expressions. The term ‘kung fu’ (or ‘gung fu’) literally means ‘achievement through great effort’ but is also taken to be the name of a group of Chinese martial arts which typically feature sharp blows and kicks. The term ‘kung’ means something like achievement or merit, and ‘fu’ can be translated into man.

History of Kung Fu
Many people are under the impression that Kung Fu originated with the Shaolin Temple. It did not. Read on to get the details.
Although many people believe that the Chinese martial arts originated at the Shaolin Temple there is some evidence to suggest that the Chinese martial arts were well developed before the Shaolin Temple was built. The temple was built in the third century A.D. but there are references to such individuals as the physician Hwa Tuo who was using exercises based on animal movements to improve the physical health of his patients well before that date. Hwa Tuo lived at the time of the Three Kingdom, around A.D. 220-65. Hwa Tuo is said to have created a set of exercises based upon five animals: the tiger, bear, monkey, stork and dear. The reason this is significant is that there is even today a strong relationship between animal movement and the Chinese martial arts.