Chinese martial arts also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu or gung fu, are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified by common traits, identified as “families”, “sects” or “schools” of martial arts. Examples of such traits include physical exercises involving animal mimicry, or training methods inspired by Chinese philosophies, religions and legends. Styles which focus on qi manipulation are labeled as internal, while others concentrate on improving muscle and cardiovascular fitness and are labeled external. Geographical association, as in northern and southern, is another popular method of categorization.
China has a long history of martial traditions that includes hundreds of different styles. Over the past two thousand years, many distinctive styles have been developed each with its own set of techniques and idea. There are also common themes to the different styles, which are often classified by “families”, “sects” or “schools”. There are styles that mimic movements from animals and others that gather inspiration from various Chinese philosophies, myths and legends. Some styles put most their focus into the harnessing of qi, while others concentrate on competition.
Chinese martial arts can be split into various categories to differentiate them: such as, external and internal. Chinese martial arts can also be categories by location, as in northern and southern as well, referring to what part of China the styles originated from, separated by the Yangtze River; Chinese martial arts may even be classified according to their province or city. The main perceived difference between northern and southern styles is that the northern styles tend to emphasize fast and powerful kicks, high jumps, generally fluid and rapid movement, while the southern styles focus more on strong arm and hand techniques, and xingyiquan. Examples of the southern styles include Bak Mei, Wuzuquan, Choy Li Fut and Wing Chun. Chinese martial arts can also be divided into religion, imitative-styles, and family styles such as Hung Gar. There are distinctive differences in the training between different groups of the Chinese martial arts regardless of the type of classification between internal and southern systems relying more heavily on upper-body techniques. Most styles contain both hard and soft elements, regardless of their internal nomenclature. Analyzing the difference in accordance with yin and yang principles, philosophers would assert that the absence of either one would render the practitioner`s skills unbalanced or deficient, as yin and yang alone are each only half of a whole. If such differences did once exist, they have since been blurred.
在中国古代，练习功夫除了注重健体，同时对品德提出了更高的要求，“习武先修德”就是其最好的诠释。这种经过无数人观察自然、领悟自然后总结出来的健身之法，能让忙碌的现代人在强身健体的同时，心灵也得到释放。
中国武术的历史与演变
The genesis of Chinese martial arts has been attributed to the need for self-defense, hunting techniques and military training in ancient China. Hand-to-hand combat and weapons practice were important ancient Chinese soldiers.
According to legend, Chinese martial arts originated during the semi-mythical Xia Dynasty more than 4,000 years ago. It is said the Yellow Emperor Huangdi (legendary date of ascension 2698 BCE), introduced the earliest fighting systems to China. The Yellow Emperor is described as a famous general who, before becoming China`s leader, wrote lengthy treatises on medicine, astrology and the martial arts. One of his main opponents was Chi You who was credited as the creator of jiao di, a forerunner to the modern art of Chinese Wrestling.
The earliest references to Chinese martial arts were found in the Spring and Autumn Annals (5th century BCE), where a hand to hand combat theory, including the integration of notions of “hard”and “soft” techniques, was mentioned. A combat wrestling system called jueli or jiao ol I is mentioned in the Classic of Rites. This combat system included techniques such as strikes, throws, joint manipulation, and pressure point attacks.
The Shaolin styles of wushu is regarded as amongst the first institutionalized Chinese martial arts. The oldest evidence of Shaolin participation in combat is a stele from 728 CE that attests to two occasions: a defense of the Shaolin Monastery from the bandits around 610 CE, and their subsequent role in the defeat of Wang Shichong at the Battle of Hulao in 621 CE. From the 8th to the 15th centuries, there are no extant document that provide evidence of Shaolin participation in combat.
起源于原始社会的武术，经过悠悠5000年的发展和锤炼，形成了了各式各样的套路。正如《中国功夫》中所所唱的那样“南拳和北腿，少林武当功，太极八卦连环掌……”随着中国文化在世界上不断发扬光大，中国功夫迅速引起了全球关注，促成了练习中国功夫健身的热潮。
Something about Chinese martial arts 关于中国功夫
Chinese martial arts have a long history with a distinctive national style.
中国武术历史久远，而且具有鲜明的民族风格。
One of China`s most famous exports is the myriad forms of kung fu.
花样繁多的中国功夫绝对是这个国家最为亮眼的民族名片之一。
Chinese martial arts have a long history and they form an indispensable part of Chinese culture.
中国的武术历史悠久，是中国文化不可分割的一个组成部分。
Martial Art is a sport that created and gradually formed in the long history development of Chinese nation.
武术是中华民族在长期的历史演进过程中不断创造、逐渐形成的一个运动项目。
Chinese wushu involves so many forms and styles of fighting and has so many different schools.
中国武术包括多种形式和打斗风格，也拥有众多的培训学校。
Besides offence and defense, the most outstanding functions of martitial arts are moral cultivation, health improvement and artistic effect.
除了攻击和防守，武术在道德培养、改善健康和艺术影响方面都有重要的作用。
The “crouching tiger and hidden dragon” directed by An Lee, a movie describing Chinese Kung Fu, has been the hottest movie in USA.
由李安导演的一部描述中国功夫的《卧虎藏龙》曾经是美国最火爆的影片。
