Shaolin kung fu is originated from the Shaolin Temple. Since the Temple was built in Songshan offshoot, it is named Songshan Shaolin Temple.
There are many stories about the origin of shaolin kung fu, but the credible evidence should start from Sui and Tang dynasties. In 620, Li Yuan and Li Shimin fought against the general of the Sui Dynasty-Wang Shichong in Luoyang, in the crucial moment of the battle, Tan Zong headed Shaolin monks to arrest Wang Shichong's nephew-Wang Renze, and sent him to the Tang camp. After Li Shimin became the emperor, he rewarded the monks for their help, and Tan Zong was awarded the title of the General. This battle made Shaolin monks famous for their boxing. From then on, Shaolin martial arts had a glorious start. Afterwards Shaolin Temple has developed rapidly, its reputation has grown.
In the Ming Dynasty, the Shaolin martial arts flourished and getting famous in the world. The Shaolin stick held an important status in the Shaolin martial arts, which was also known as the most famous enginery for the monks. Mao Yuanyi, author of the book Records of the weapon highly the Shaolin stick. In his opinion, "Stick is the ancestor of all marital arts, Shaolin is the cradle of the stick." The Shaolin Boxing is one of the biggest section of Chinese kung fu. It is rich and colorful in contents.What's more, there are some contents which are relevant with health preserving shaolin kung fu medicine, and Chikung, etc. Many people learn kung fu to keep fit.They all belong to the very precious national cultures of tradition.
