Chinese Martial Arts

CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS

"There are two main divisions in Chinese martial arts, Shaolin and Wu Tang (Wudan). Shaolin Ssu is a Ch'an Buddhist temple on Sung Shan in central China, Wu Tang Shan is a mountain range with a complex of Hygienic Taoist monasteries and temples a few hundred miles to the Southwest of Shaolin. Shaolin is primarily what is called a hard or external style, Wu Tang is primarily what is called a soft or internal style martial art." All T'ai Chi Ch'uan is Wu Tang (Wudan) style.

The style In the movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, is an example of Wudan and included the use of acupuncture points to disrupt the flow of 'chi' within the body and needles as weapons. Wudan practitioners of Tai Chi were said to attain levels where one could fall from great heights and land safely as a cat as well as jump much farther and higher than non-enlightened people. Most other martial arts movies use Shaolin or other hard styles which includes the punching and kicking we are all use to.

AN INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS

PRAYING MANTIS KUNG FU

QIGONG