The practice of Shaolin Kung Fu developed significantly after Bodhidharma, the twenty-eighth patriarch of Chinese Buddhism, the first patriarch of Shaolin Chan, came to the temple in (457 CE). His first innovation was the introduction of internal training routines organized in powerful ‘classic’ ways.
5 Elements Internal Kung Fu (Wuxing)
Less known than its external counterpart in the West, internal Kung Fu is more difficult to learn and more valued wherever it is practiced, especially for its ability to considerably prolong the lives of practitioners. The 5 Elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth, including the interior of the body and its main internal organs and internal training routines, strengthen and interrelate them.
Harnessing the body’s qi while holding extreme body positions increases the power of the torso, arms and legs, greatly increasing the effectiveness of many techniques and ultimately leading to the acquisition of the legendary ‘iron shirt’ ‘Wuxing’ means both 5 Elements and 5 Animals in Chinese and there are fundamental links between the two.
5 animal style (Wuxing)
The 5 Elements make up the physical world and the next great Shaolin innovation was the development of 5 Animals, which represent the 5 Elements to help externalize their inner power into 5 stylized forms for use in combat. The technique incorporates admirable “higher” aspects of animal behavior, not blind savagery.
The 5 traditional animals: snake, crane, leopard, tiger and dragon are ranked in that order. The first two are considered lower animals, the last two higher animals, and the mid-range leopard as a ‘bridge’ animal linking the first two categories.
Long Fist (Changchuan)
The first distinctive ‘variant’ of Shaolin Changchuan ‘long fist’ Kung Fu originated from the establishment of the Sung Dynasty by the general Zhao Kuang-Yin (960-1269 CE). Zhao Kuang-Yin, later the Shaolin-trained second emperor of Taizu China, is the Tai Jo (Supreme Founder) of the style.
Longfist practitioners have the mobility, agility, dexterous footwork, plus the ability to leap and leap, to fight effectively on steep and obstacle-filled terrain such as battlefields. Longfist’s kicking techniques and long-range attacks made him ideal for General Zhao’s campaign to reunify a divided China, and he embodies the original 5 elements and animals that emerged from his training in the Shaolin Temple.
Fist of the 5 Ancestors (Wu Tzu Quan)
The Chee Kim Thong School attributes the founding of Wu Tzu Quan to the 13th century efforts of Bai Yue Feng, towards the end of the Sung Dynasty (see above). At this time, the Shaolin Temple was quite weak, and Bai Yue Feng was inspired by Zhou Kuang-Yin’s previous achievements, also the Tai Jo of this style.
Many monks migrated, stripped, and resettled in frontier areas during the Tang dynasty, to help in the recurring fights against nomadic raids. Bai Yue Feng explored these areas in search of Masters to help him craft a new style, to invigorate contemporary Shaolin.
Bai Yue Feng persuaded 5 Masters to return for this purpose. These were: a White Crane expert; prominent jumpsuit stylist; a renowned practitioner of Tai Jo (Fists of the Emperor); a Master Lohan (Immortal Fist) plus another specialized in Kung Fu of the 5 Inner Elements of Da Mo. These are the ‘5 Ancestors’ and their specialties, the 5 key elements of 5 Ancestors Fist!
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Da Mo’s continuing influence on Shaolin Kung Fu can be discerned throughout this progression of styles and continues unabated today. Zhao Kuang-Yin, the ‘Emperor’ of Emperor Fist is an equally influential figure arising from the same tradition.