The history of Shaolin Kung Fu is deeply bounded to the history of Buddhism in China and to the history of the Shaolin Temple itself.   There is a Chinese saying 拳以寺名，寺以武 (Quan yi si ming, si yi wu xian), which can be translated as: “Kung Fu takes its name from the temple; the temple takes its eminence from Kung Fu.’

The fortune of the temple and of the kung fu that was practiced there waxed and waned over the centuries depending on whether the emperor of the time was either supportive or hostile to Shaolin. This historically pattern of rise and decline was repeated throughout the whole history of the Shaolin temple.

The Shaolin Temple was initially founded by an Indian monk who came to China to spread the word of Buddha 1,500 years ago.  The temple was built under the patronage of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty around 495AD.  Thirty years later another Indian monk named Bodhidharma, settled in Shaolin in Henan Province after coming to China to preach Buddhism in about 527 AD, he developed a series of exercises designed to promote health and fitness and to improve the practice of meditation. He then developed a set of exercises that later became the foundation of the unique style of martial arts at Shaolin.  It is thought that some of these forms were the foundation of Yijingjing and Xisuijing, both highly advanced internal forms of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Because of constant attacks perpetrated on the Shaolin Temple by robbers and thieves, the monks evolved these exercises into a method of self-defense. At the same time, other martial art practitioners came to Shaolin and became monks to avoid persecution. They brought with them advanced fighting skills that were incorporated into the Shaolin form of Kung Fu, enriching its development.

Tang Dynasty

Shaolin Kung Fu really came into prominence and entered its golden era during the subsequent Tang dynasty (618-907AD). In the final stage of the transition from the Sui to the Tang Dynasty, they latter controlled all of China except for the city of Luoyang which was still occupied by the Sui warlord Wang Shichong. Li Shimin, son of Tang Emperor Li Yuan, was captured in Luoyang in a scouting expedition. When the news reached Shaolin Temple, thirteen monks were dispatched to Luoyang to rescue the prince. After the rescue, the monks helped Prince Li to take over the city. Once the prince became emperor, he rewarded the monks in many ways: giving them land, presenting them with a tablet immortalizing the story, in addition, the emperor gave the temple permission to train an additional five hundred warrior monks so they could be summoned if the country was in danger. During the Tang Dynasty, the warrior monks fought in battlefields using the Kung Fu they practiced in the Temple, since the art of  Shaolin Kung Fu was suited for actual combat and dominance on the battlefield.

Song Dynasty

Over the next few centuries Shaolin Temple and its style of martial arts enjoyed a flourishing development and advancement. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279) which followed the Tang, Shaolin especially flourished under the Emperor Song Taizu who had trained at Shaolin when he was young, he realized the value and importance of Kung Fu. Once he rose to power, he encouraged the practice of Kung Fu all over China.

In order to increase its development, he ordered to many famous masters throughout China to come to Shaolin Temple, where they stayed for many years, sharing skills and further enriching the theories and practice of Shaolin’s martial arts. The support of the emperor was very important, and as homage to him, the monks named a form they had created using various fighting techniques derived from 18 different Kung Fu lineages after him: Taizu Chang Quan. The art of Kung Fu grew a lot during the Song Dynasty and became highly developed in many of its aspects, including the internal and external practices.

Yuan Dynasty

The Song Dynasty ended when the Mongolian emperor, Kublai Khan (the grandson of Genghis Khan), took control of China and established himself as the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). In order to pacify the entire country, the emperor was eager to recruit someone to a key government position who had knowledge of both political and military affairs. One of his ministers, Ye Lü Chu Cai, recommended a monk named Fu Yu, who was the leader of the Caodong sect of Chan Buddhism. After some years of Fu Yu’s service to the emperor, various conflicts subsided and China was finally pacified.

Later the emperor appointed Fu Yu to the position of abbot of Shaolin Temple and head of all Buddhist temples across China. Fu Yu made great contributions to Buddhism and managed the temples well. He instigated the creation of five branches of Shaolin Temple in other provinces. He also tried to extend the same method of Buddhist study used in Shaolin to all Buddhist temples in China: a method of practice that centered primarily on the master/disciple relationship. To clarify his concept he wrote a poem assigning names to future Caodong Shaolin generations (the vast majority of Shaolin monks have always belonged to the Caodong sect) in order to easily identify every monk’s lineage. Since then, Shaolin Temple has used this poem to classify the different generations of monks. For example, ’Su’, as in ’Su Xi’, represents the 30th generation. The name of the monk, Shi De Chan, who was in charge of the Scripture Depository before the fire of 1928, includes the word "De", which represents the 31st generation.

Ming Dynasty

It was during the subsequent Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that Shaolin monks where utilized in many battles and became famous throughout the whole territory. especially the famous and celebrated monk named Xiao Shan, who was the abbot of the temple from 1557 to 1566. He was sent three times by the emperor to fight off Japanese pirates who invaded China. The years of Xiao Shan’s leadership were extremely prosperous for Shaolin. And His pagoda is still standing in the Temple’s Pagoda Forest.

Because of the Shaolin monks’ continuous involvement in battles, the Kung Fu they cultivated continued to grow and become an even more effective in combat. Many warriors who made great contributions to China during this period became celebrated as heroes – for example, Yue Kong and Yu Daqiu. Shaolin Temple blossomed and became known as the “Number One Temple under Heaven.”

Due to Shaolin’s fame, people of great importance, such as princes were ordained as monks, and visits by other important people became a common occurrence.

Qing Dynasty

Shaolin became a place of refuge for many loyalists during the Ming Dynasty when Manchu invaders came from the north and established the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).  In order to prevent a Han uprising, the emperor suppressed the practice of martial arts by ordinary citizens. The third Qing emperor, Yongzheng (who began to rule in 1722), spent two years studying at Shaolin Temple when he was young. Despite this experience, he was much harsher than previous emperors and extended the suppression of the monks. A possible explanation for this is that while he was at Shaolin, he realized that the monks were a potential threat, because of their martial art skills and because some people at the temple were still strongly connected to the previous Ming Dynasty. Emperor Yongzheng imposed a ban on Kung Fu training at Shaolin temple that lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty. At that time, traditional Shaolin Kung Fu almost went extinct.

Fortunately, a few Shaolin monks continued to practice behind closed doors. In the final years of the Qing Dynasty, a general by the name of Ling Qing, a Shaolin martial art enthusiast, knew that some monks had continued to train their Kung Fu, and asked the abbot if he could watch them. The abbot denied his request, but after the general continued to express enthusiasm, he finally gave in and allowed the monks to demonstrate their skills. Soon afterwards, news reached the Temple that the local government was going to investigate the matter. This frightened the monks who were still practicing, so they left the temple. Some returned to a secular life while others went to Shigou Si, a small temple linked to Shaolin, where they worked to preserve Shaolin Kung Fu at its highest level.

Among these monks were Zhan Ju, Zhan Mo, and Ji Qing (also known as Wu Gulun). After a few years had passed and interest in accepting the art of Kung Fu came back, a fresco showing the visit of General Ling Qing was painted on a wall within the Temple. This amazing piece of art and history includes portraits of the (real life) faces of the monks and can be seen in Shaolin temple to this very day.

Modern Times

With the growth of modern weaponry during the 1800’s and with the repression of Kung Fu during that period, the tradition of Shaolin Kung fu suffered severely. The kung fu masters including Shaolin monks who were once celebrated as national heroes faded into the background as their fighting skills became no longer used.

There has always been a long tradition of exhibition of Kung Fu (starting from the Yuan dynasty) as acrobatic performances and shows were very popular in China.  This was known as “flowery fists and embroidery kicks” and they integrated some movements drawn from Kung Fu without mastering the internal practices.  This tradition was never suppressed as it posed no threat to those in power, and it became a tradition on itself with the stylized movements that are often seen in Chinese Opera.  With the establishment of the Republic of China (1912-1949) martial arts lost their importance in modern army training and this resulted in a shift in Shaolin Temple toward more modern non-practical martial arts primarily aimed at physical prowess and visual appeal.

The Shaolin temple was heavily damaged by a fire in 1928 caused by a local warlord, at that time many valuable documents were lost. And during that era, Shaolin Temple was virtually without Kung Fu masters. Wu Shanlin, the child of Ji Qing (Wu Gulun), was invited to return to the Temple in an effort to restore its original culture and heritage.

When political stability finally came to China years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Practicing Kung Fu was endorsed by the new government, but it as more of a sport than a way of life. Many martial arts in China at this time in history morphed into sports that were regulated by official organizations. Those martial arts sport were quite different from the traditional practice of Kung Fu.

The Cultural Revolution period (1966-1976) also deeply disrupted the Shaolin school and religious practice whereby a civilian youth movement called the Red Guards spread throughout China to destroy the 4 olds (old customs, old culture, old habits, old ideas). This included the persecution of religions and the destruction of many temples.  Monks were forced to leave the temple and  work in the fields in communes, the teaching of the old traditions was prohibited.

Shaolin Temple was dealt yet another blow as the monks of the temple were accused of being landowners and were paraded through the street and publicly denounced. Shi Su Xi, the previous abbot of Shaolin temple, was among those denounced.

After the death of Mao in 1976 and the fall of the Gang of Four, stability was restored to China and monks were allowed to return to the temple and continue with their practice.

In 1978, a Hong Kong film director came to Shaolin with the intention of gathering information to make a movie. He encountered a ramshackle temple, poorly maintained and practically falling apart. But among the things that still stood was a carved tablet   which gave the account of thirteen monks rescuing the Tang emperor’s son. The result of the film director’s research became, the 1982 movie Shaolin Temple, starring a young five-time national martial arts champion named Li Lianjie, who later became known in the West as Jet Li. The film turned out to be hugely popular, reigniting general interest among Chinese in their martial arts tradition and fueling an unprecedented commercialization of martial arts. Dozens of Kung Fu schools opened in the Dengfeng area over the next two decades. Thousands of young people have enrolled at these schools, and growth over the past 10 years has been truly impressive.

In 1982, the Chinese government decided to take Wushu, the non-combat martial arts sport form that was taught at Shaolin and other centers and turned it into a full-contact sport with rules and regulations that allowed for the creation of fighting competitions that focused on the combative aspect of martial arts, known in Chinese as Sanda. This was mostly created by borrowing techniques from fighting forms such as boxing that are vastly different from the tradition of Kung Fu.  Mr. Wei Jizhong, former secretary general of the Beijing Olympic Games Bidding Committee has said "…Sanda mainly uses Western boxing, grappling and kicking techniques, without using many traditional martial art techniques; this makes us somewhat confused as to what “Wushu” is."

With the monumental development of the Wushu/Sanda tandem, a campaign to list Wushu as an Olympic sport has been gathering much support and will likely happen in the future.

The Future:

Today, Kung Fu has become most well known as a form of cultural exhibition. The sport of combat fighting – Wushu/Sanda – is something that people watch, not something which people think about participating in. Increasingly lost behind this flashy artistic show hides the Kung Fu lifestyle – a way of being in which combat fighting is just one of it’s many components.

The long history and development of Chinese martial arts has reached a point where it is imperative to distinguish between the traditional practices – Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Xing Yi, and Bagua – and the modern evolution of that art – present-day Wushu sport – and to acknowledge their differences. Traditional Shaolin Kung Fu, also known as Wugulun Kung Fu, is a practice focused on promoting health and fitness and creating an internal state of meditation, in addition to being an effective combat art.

This form is currently practiced by a small group of people from the Shaolin Wugulun lineage, popularized by leading Chan Wu Yi figures such as Master Shi Dejian.

The now-popular Wushu is a regulated sport that might one day be accepted as an Olympic sport.

The global popularity of different practices all casually uttered in the same breath as “Shaolin” has made it more difficult to determine what authentic martial arts truly are in their purest form. In the words of Mr. Weijizhong "Kung Fu movies, television shows, performances and opera are very popular in China and overseas. Especially overseas, “Kung Fu”, “Shaolin monk skills” and similar names have gradually taken the place of [Chinese] martial arts. This phenomenon has caused us to take [modern] Wushu as a national tradition and promote it as such to the world. Should this make us happy or worried? I’m afraid that the [Chinese] martial arts community hasn’t taken time to ponder this situation."

Kung Fu Zen Garden Retreat (the former Shaolin Wugulun Kung Fu Academy) is considering these important questions, and cares about promoting and spreading authentic teachings. The Academy believes that the world today is a place where sharing these skills and promoting this sacred knowledge on an interested global community is the wisest thing to do. The Shaolin Kung Fu lifestyle does not just belong Chinese people; it belongs to the world. The more people study traditional martial arts, the better these treasures of human development and ability will be preserved.

 Xin Yi Ba

Xin Yi Ba is also known as Chu Jue Tou (鋤钁头). It was developed by Shaolin monks through using Kung Fu movements while farming. The exact time of the founding of Xin Yi Ba can not be retraced. Due to the several disasters in the history of the Shaolin temple many manuscripts were lost. However, Xin Yi Ba became very famous during the Song Dynasty.

Xin Yi Ba consists only of a main series of forward movements and a few movements in other directions. When one can become proficient in mastering those movements, he can then apply Xin Yi Ba in every movements he does. In fact, the study of Xin Yi Ba is not only to practice and fortify your Qi  but also your outer strength, the purpose is to manipulate your Qi to nourish your internal organs and enrich the muscles of the body. Then one can move the Qi out of the body as well, and the Qi can help your body avoid being injured in some situations, it also helps to calm your mind, prevent illness, and makes your body strong. The study of Xin Yi Ba consists of many aspects of different theories and practical training, such as: Understanding of the three sections (Ming San Jie)/the four extremities (Qi Si Shao)/guard the five elements (Bi Wu Xing)/Liu He/Three emptiness and so on.

To understand what the theories listed above are about please read the following explanations:

Six Harmony (Liu He 六合)

Most people, when they hear about external and internal martial arts think that they are separated. But the truth is, to train only internal or external is like training only one side of Kung Fu. The hardest “harmony” to train is the combination of “Xin” and “Yi”. “Xin” is known as the “heart” or the “mind”, “Yi” is known as the “intent”, Liu He means the coordination (harmony) of the six body sections, of which 3 are external and 3 are internal. When the six sections are combined as the 6 Harmonies (well coordinated) including the “Xin Yi” they can develop limitless power from their body.

The three external harmonies:

Feet and hands in harmony

Knee and elbow in harmony

Waist and shoulder in harmony

From the training of Shaolin traditional movements, one learns how to incorporate the three sections of the body, and through constant practice, learns how to set them in motion as a perfect whole. Then, it becomes difficult for the opponent to win from the technical aspect. Through practicing the physical aspect of training and maintaining a vegetarian diet, your Qi will be of a better quality and the inner structure of your body will be purified and allow the Qi to operate better. One will then build and store more Qi within the body, and thus will be ready for advanced internal training.

The three internal harmonies:

Xin (Mind) and Yi (Intent) in harmony

Yi and Qi (Energy) in harmony

Qi and Li (Power) in harmony

The most important aspect of internal training is one's mind and intention. In other words, one's intention must be combined with the Qi and focused on each movement. Many people know about Qi-gong which is the art of breathing, the majority of people who have read about Qi-gong will know that many theories are similar. However, the methods of practice may vary. Nowadays people's breathing is not fully complete, so the practice of deep breathing (through the Dantian) which is your lower abdomen can complete your breathing. In this way, your breathing can guide more oxygen to every organs and nerves, and activates the nerves to make them more sensitive, which makes the immune system stronger and more resistant to viruses and illness. This allows the body to generate more internal energy. That's how some people who practice Qi-gong are able to be cured their own illness that conventional medicine cannot cure. In traditional Shaolin training, there are some advanced methods and forms for internal training such as Yi Jin Jing and Shi Sui Jing, these forms enable you to manipulate the Qi and produce more physical power in fighting movements. Movements are led by one's mind, only when you can purify your mind and combine it with your intent, you will be able to control the Qi to make it flow through all the nerves smoothly, then you can bring out the power generated through Qi in your movements.  To follow the theory we explained above, your Mind, Intention, Qi and Power must be well combined (coordinated), Those are the three internal combinations of Xin Yi Liu He.

Understanding Of The Three Sections (Ming San Jie明三节)

The body has three main sections which are the following: from the hands to shoulders (upper section) chest to waist (middle section) hips to feet (root section).

We can analyze the three major sections which contains

another three sections.

Upper section: hands(upper), elbows(middle) and shoulders(root).

Middle section: chest(upper) heart(middle) and lower abdomen(root).

Root section: feet(upper) knees(middle) and hips(root).

The relationship between the three sections has its own unique functions. For instance when a movement is performed from one of the three sections，the other two sections must be in harmony to generate more power from the movement done, which means any movements must be supported by the power generated from the whole body. That’s how important it is for practitioners to understand the Three Sections “San Jie”.

Four Internal Extremities (Qi Si Shao-齐四稍)

According to the original Kung Fu theory, all parts of the body are connected to the central nerve system for instance, the hair is assumed as being the ending(extremity) of the blood, the nails is the ending(extremity) of the ligament, teeth is the ending(extremity) of your bones and tongue is the ending(extremity) of your muscles.

When you are practicing, you should get the sensations that your hair is lifting your scalp, that your nails are trying to penetrate the bones of the opponent, that you teeth are like bitting through steel, and your tongue is trying to push your teeth out of place. Then the internal power can be generated. When the Qi rises from the Dantian, the Qi produces a sound with each movement, the sound follows the movements and work together as a whole. When all the parts of the body are set into motion the internal energy can be generated completely.

Guarding The Five Elements (Bi Wu Xing 闭五行)

The five elements are: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. The world consists of the five elements, they have a mutual feeding and restraining relationship between each other (for example: Fire feeds the Earth but is restrained by water). Our Chinese ancestors used the theory of the five elements to explain the relationship between the five major organs of the body, in later years, the ancient Kung Fu practitioners used the five elements theory into Kung Fu training as well.  For example, the hand is linked to heart which represent the fire element, and the nose link to lung which represent the metal element.  Fire is capable of melting metal, thus the nose can be damaged easily by the hand.  The five major organs are like the five entrances of the body, we have to guard our own entrances and keep the opponent from attacking them.

Three Emptiness (San Kong)

The key points of the practice is about the “ 3 Emptiness” (also know as “San Kong”). Which are “the emptiness of heart”(心空), ”the Emptiness of body”（身空）, “the Emptiness of eyes”（目空）.

The emptiness of heart(心空): “Xin Kong” enable you to purify your heart calm your mind, which can make the practitioner thoughtless and fearless.

The emptiness of the body(身空)：”Sheng Kong” makes you release any tightness of your body so you can move fluently and smoothly according to your will.

The emptiness of the eyes(目空)：”Mu Kong” makes you consider everybody and everything without creating thoughts or nervousness, so that you  can feel no fear when facing your enemy.

So when you practice Kung Fu you must first understand the theory behind the method. Also you have to understand every part of your body within the movements and what it is used for. Only when you understand these, your practice will be effective and efficient. The theories we have explained above are only a part of the requirements of the practice of Xin Yi Ba.  there are much more theories which can not be put into words, that the practitioner must experience personally through training.

Xin Yi Ba is known as the highest level of Shaolin Kung Fu, there are some precise postures and movements to practice with the requirements that we explained above, by this practice you body can generate his highest potential power and you can be proficient in the fighting strategy. The practice can improve your Kung Fu to the unlimited state. If one can reach the peak of the practice of Xin Yi Ba, then any movements performed can be called Xin Yi Ba.

The information written above has been translated from the copy of the original ancient Kung Fu manuscripts, even though the theory of Yin Xi Ba is very difficult to translate, we have tried as much as we can to give an understandable explanation about the theories that makes Xin Yi Ba such a valuable training art.