Justin Turcotte

Martial Arts in Early China

Shang- Oracle Bones mention wrestling

Zhou- Classic “Book of Odes”

Quoted “without the fist, there is no bravery”

We can conclude from this that chuanfa, or “the way of the fist” was being practiced. Specific techniques are not known.

~300 BCE “Warring States” Period:

Escorts needed for nobility, needed to be good at martial arts to protect them

Sima Qian recorded the emergence of a distinct fighting class during this period.

Poverty stricken peasants, unemployed artisans, merchants, and many former warriors became knight-errants offering their skills, mostly swordsmanship, to the feuding lords.

Qin Shihuangdi- 246 BCE Qin Shihuangdi bans the practice of martial arts so there would be no uprisings. All weapons not owned by troops were seized and melted down, any one who broke the law was executed.

Liu Bang- Turned China back to martial arts. Originally an escort, one day he freed the prisoners he was transporting, began to accumulate a gang, and overthrew the emperor.

This was the beginning of the Han dynasty when martial arts flourished

Gao Ye (during the later Han [25 – 220 C.E.]): Developed changshou – “long arm” form

Suspected to have influence on modern day Chinese martial arts.

Hua To (Era of the Three Kingdoms [220-265 C.E.]): Developed series of exercised depicting animals (tiger, deer, monkey, bird, and bear); not originally a martial art, thought to be a forerunner of animal forms of kung fu

Bodhidharma-Father of Shaolin Chuan: Lived from 448-527 C.E.:

Came from India to help spread Buddhism to China: traveled to the Young Forest Shaolin Temple; the Head Monk did not permit him to enter since he did not believe in books and the monastery used books. For nine years he meditated in a nearby cave.

After that time, it is said that his eyes had bore a hole in the cave wall from staring at it so much, the Head Monk conceded that he was a greater authority and let him in where he began to teach his meditation practices.

The monks were not used to prolonged mental exercises and would constantly become drowsy or fall asleep. Bodhidharma taught the monks systemized exercises to keep them awake. Later self-defense techniques were derived from these exercises. They had characteristics of Indian boxing techniques that Bodhidharma knew about. This marked the beginning of Shaolin Temple Boxing, which was later refined by Chuan masters.

Most important: introduced qi cultivation!

Without it Kung Fu would have just been physical motions lacking mental mastery

Later, monasteries became legal refuge for anyone so often fighters would come, disguise themselves as monks, and teach their art to others

First Formal Martial Arts School: Later Six Dynasties Era [264-581 C.E.]