SUKAN TANAH AIR

The first Shaolin Buddhist Temple was built in 377 AD on Shaoshi Mountain (少室山) in Deng Feng (登封) county of Henan (河南) province, by order of Emperor Wei (魏). Bodhidharma (菩提達摩), or Da Mo, came to Shaolin from India to teach Buddhism around 527 AD. Additionally, he passed on techniques of strengthening the body and mind, and developing internal energy. The improved body power and health encouraged the monks to develop ways of applying the teachings in self-defense situations against thieves and robbers. Consequently, martial techniques became a required addendum to the monk' studies.

From 600 to 1600 A.D., the martial arts of the Shaolin Temple grew into the most complete system of Wushu (武術), martial techniques, in China and eventually, the rest of the world. During this period, the Shaolin monks researched and developed internal power, external power, meditation, various barehand and weapons techniques, massage, herbal remedies, and more. The Shaolin system soon came to be recognized as the authoritative way of Wushu. In this period, more than ten Shaolin Temples were built. Moreover, especially during the Ming Dynasty (明朝, 1368-1644), the monks and their Wushu system were also viewed as agents of virtue and justice. Shaolin monks were known to use their martial abilities to help and to protect people.

The Shaolin way became so influential that it even spread to Japan, Korea, and other parts of Indo-China. The oldest recorded martial art in Japan is described as the "seizing technique of the Ming [Dynasty] people" (明人捕盗術) or the "soft technique" (柔術). This “soft technique” was taught by a Chinese monk named Chen, Yuan-Yen (陳元), who spent much of his life in Japan during the Ming Dynasty. Chen's soft technique later developed into the "soft way," or Judo.

In 1644, disaster struck the Chinese people and the Shaolin Temple. Manchurians invaded and conquered China, thus starting the Qing Dynasty (清朝). In order to consolidate their control, the Manchurians began to destroy the largest martial arts organization in China: the Shaolin Temple. Two hundred years of murder and destruction followed the invasion of the Manchus. Around 1760, a massive attack was launched against the Shaolin monks which resulted in the death of countless people and the burning of many temples. Many monks went into hiding amongst the laymen people. Others fled to Japan, Korea, and elsewhere. Never again was the Shaolin Temple to regain its original strength and greatness.

With the dispersion of the Shaolin monks and the destruction of their temples, it became impossible to train new monks in the complete Shaolin system. However, the monks who were in hiding began to teach people the Shaolin system all over the country, leading to the derivation and creation of many modern styles. Although all of the Shaolin monks followed and trained a common martial arts system, many different styles were developed by their students. The reason this happened may be traced back to the original training regimen of the Shaolin monks. Every monk was required to pass ten separate stages of training, each of which emphasized a different aspect of Wushu. After the monks completed the stages, they were required to specialize in one or two stages. Consequently, when the monks taught ordinary people, they naturally put more emphasis on their specialty. As time progressed and generations passed, the styles practiced by the different groups of students became more and more distinct. Furthermore, because the different groups of students oftentimes had no contact with one another, primarily due to the monks being in hiding and the oppressive Manchu rule, the students of monks who shared common specialties still ended up developing unique, although similar, styles.