Chinese Martial Arts, or commonly referred to as 'kung fu' or 'wushu', hit explosive popularity in the 1900's where it was first exposed to the Western World.
Famous practitioners of Martial Arts today include world-renowned actors such as Bruce Lee, Jet Li and Jackie Chan whose incredible, acrobatic fighting styles have awed audiences of all ages for years. Any style of kung fu takes years to master and as a result, few masters of it exist today such as the Shaolin Monks.
So how far does kung fu trace back? It is difficult to pin point exactly when or where kung fu originated since it is an umbrella term used collectively to include a multitude of different styles, however it is safe to say that kung fu has been around for approximately 4000 years.
Kung fu revolves deeply around the spiritual. Religion and culture both played a major role in Chinese martial arts, in particular the integration of Buddhist philosophy and that study of animal movement. By Chinese legend, kung fu originated in semi-mythical Xia Dynasty where the ex-general, Yellow Emperor Huangdi allegedly introduced hand-to-hand combat for the first time, however, the first record that mentions martial arts was much later in the 5th century BCE. Kung fu was designed and altered over many years through trial and error during fights between tribes and against the wild until techniques were perfected and then passed down. Animals such as snakes, monkeys, cranes and even the praying mantis were imitated in the hopes to adopt their natural skill and talent which they believed far surpassed a human's. Taoist monks were said to have been practicing exercises similar to Tai Chi as early as 500 BC, simply to improve their health.
Buddhism arrived in China around the 1st century AD and was immensely popular among the Emperors and people of China. Historians argue whether India influenced Chinese Martial Arts at all, however, the fact that Buddhism entered China from Nepal and India, it is likely there was at least some influence. Chinese monks travelled to India to learn about Buddhist philosophy and in turn, many Indian monks came to China to preach. An Indian monk by the name of Da Mo was invited to teach in China in 527 AD and is considered to be fundamental in shaping the Shaolin Temple. Using Da Mo's philosophy and techniques, the Shaolin monks gradually improved their health and strength by using their 'Qi'. This newfound strength coupled with Chinese Martial Arts greatly enhanced results. The official Shaolin Temple website also states that the underlying basis of the belief system of Shaolin Kung fu was introduced to them by a prestigious Indian monk by the name of Bodhidharma in the 6th century and the temple has since been regarded as the origin of Chan Buddhism in China.
Once styles and techniques of kung fu had been stabilised, they were passed down orally to the next generation and spread across China and even further, where is it said to have also influenced some Japanese styles of Martial Arts. While China did seem to already have some sort of fighting style, India also influenced their Martial Arts philosophy and methods.
How far can Indian Martial Arts be traced back? How far can others?
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34300 (this thread was interesting in disputing Indian influence on Chinese Martial Arts)
http://ymaa.com/articles/history/history-chinese-martial-arts (this is an article by an author and teacher of Chinese Martial Arts which describes a brief history)
http://shaolin.org.cn/templates/EN_T_new_list/index.aspx?nodeid=374 (an overview of kung fu by the official shaolin temple website)
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