While it’s difficult to know for sure, the origins of East Asian martial arts are thought to have originated from India. Martial arts was said to have been introduced to China through Bodhidharma, the first Chan (Zen) patriarch, who brought his teachings to the famed Shaolin Temple. In its infancy, East Asian, or Chinese martial arts was a set of postures and exercises Bodhidharma taught the monks so that they could be healthier. The exercises he taught were recorded and is known as the “Yi Jin Jing” or Muscle Changing Classic. Eventually, after centuries of changes and variations, the movements were changed into more dynamic actions. During this time, Chinese martial arts was spread to other countries such as Japan, and laid the foundations for styles such as Karate and Judo.

During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), rebellions were frequent as the majority of the Chinese population, the Han, were being ruled by Manchurians, an ethnic minority from the north. The Shaolin Temple assisted the rebels, and the imperial army was devastated by a small band of the warrior monks. The imperial court realized that if the whole temple were to rebel, they would be overthrown in an instant. They quickly decided to burn the temple down. While most of the monks perished in the flames, five were able to escape. The five created secret societies throughout China and taught their techniques to rebels in hopes of overthrowing the Manchurian rule.

During this time period, there were many advancements and innovations in the world of martial arts, one being the art of lion dancing. While northern lion dancing was created much earlier, the secret societies needed a way to communicate discreetly. They invented southern lion dancing as a way to pass messages to each other. Even today, there is anti-qing symbolism inside of the lion dance. One is the objective of the lion dance, plucking the greens, which is pronounced “choy cheng” in Cantonese, the most popular southern Chinese dialect. It is homonymous with the word “stomping on the Qing.” While lion dance is no longer involved with secret societies, traditional schools often teach martial arts as the base for the lion dance.

While the martial artists never succeeded in their rebellion, their techniques were spread and popularized. As the Chinese immigrated, they brought their cultural heritage and martial arts with them, sharing it with the outside world. However, in China, when the Communists took over, they decided that martial arts would give the people too much power and persecuted numerous masters. Those who did not comply with the Communists’ demands to change their lethal techniques into aesthetic, harmless routines were executed.

Eventually, the Communists devised a way to keep the Chinese culture of martial arts, but reformed and standardized it so that it would not be used against them, and created the sport of Wushu. This is the style that is usually used in kung fu movies as it is the most aesthetic. The Communists also created Sanda, a more practical fighting system that is taught to the country’s national army.