Kung Fu

Histoire

Kung fu (gongfu) means "skill gained through hard work"; in the West it became the name for the hundreds of Chinese martial arts, which the Chinese call wushu. The Shaolin Monastery, founded in 495, is the most famous cradle: in 621 thirteen Shaolin monks helped the future Tang emperor in battle.

Styles are often split into northern (long, high kicks) and southern (low stances, strong arms), and into external and internal (tai chi, bagua, xingyi). In the 16th century General Qi Jiguang included a chapter on boxing in his military manual. In the 20th century the Jingwu Athletic Association (1910) and the Central Guoshu Institute (1928) modernised teaching, and Bruce Lee's films made kung fu known worldwide.

Le saviez-vous ?

• Many southern styles imitate animals: tiger, crane, leopard, snake and dragon.
• Modern wushu has two parts: taolu (forms, judged like gymnastics) and sanda (full-contact fighting).
• Jet Li was national wushu champion of China before becoming a film star.
• The wooden dummy of Wing Chun and the iron rings of Hung Gar are famous training tools.
• In Chinese, kung fu can describe any hard-earned skill — even cooking or calligraphy.

Glossaire des techniques

Ma bu

horse stance

Gong bu

bow stance

Pu bu

drop stance

Tan tui

springing leg kicks

Qin na

seizing and joint locking

Shuai

throws

Formes

Wubuquan (five stances)LianbuquanTan TuiXiao Hong Quan (Shaolin)GongliquanTiger-Crane (Hung Gar)

Armes et équipement

Jian

straight double-edged sword

Dao

broadsword (sabre)

Gun

staff

Qiang

spear

San jie gun

three-section staff

Sheng biao

rope dart

⚔ In the Arsenal

JianDaoGun (bastão)Qiang (lança)GuandaoMartelo meteoroDardo de cordaChicote de nove secçõesBastão de três secçõesEspadas de gancho

☯ Philosophy and quotes

“Know the enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will not be in danger.”— Sun Tzu, The Art of War, ch. 3 (c. 5th century BC)

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”— Sun Tzu, The Art of War, ch. 3 (c. 5th century BC)

Kata / taoluKung fuWu deYin e yangSee all →

Figures clés

• Yang Luchan (1799–1872) — spread tai chi in Beijing
• Wong Fei-hung (1847–1925) — Hung Gar master and folk hero of many films
• Huo Yuanjia (1868–1910) — founder of the Jingwu association
• Ip Man (1893–1972) — Wing Chun master in Hong Kong
• Bruce Lee (1940–1973) — actor and martial artist who took kung fu to the world

Sources: International Wushu Federation (IWUF) · Encyclopaedia Britannica