Kung fu (term)

The term Kung Fu (功夫) is often used for the enormous variety of martial arts native to China; more than 300 distinct styles are registered with the Chinese government. Different spellings are Gung Fu and Gong Fu, "Gung Fu" being the term made popular by Bruce Lee, and "Gong Fu" being the official Pinyin romanization used in China.

The term literally means 'work' (kung) and 'Man' (Fu). Modern Japan still uses this word in their native pronunciation of 'Kofu' to describe a building site labourer. It is not a proper term and was unknown to the traditional teachers. Most likely it was invented in Victorian times by native dockworkers to describe to foreigners what it was they were practicing as a 'in' joke amongst the Chinese themselves. Despite this fact many Chinese stuill believe it is a proper term for what they practice You can say that nowadays it refers to the general training in martial art schools of various types, while a more correct term for describing the vast variety of Chinese martial art styles would be the term Wushu, which simply translates into "martial arts" and is commonly used throughout China.

Martial arts schools of Wushu include widely diverse schools divided into both External and Internal styles. The most famous internal style is the smooth constant-flowing Tai Chi Chuan, and examples of external styles are Wing Chun, which emphasizes short-range punches and blocks, Shaolin Quan with its direct explosive attacks, and the northern "Crane Style" with athletic kicks and punches resembling those of Korean Tae Kwon Do.

Wushu theory often emphasizes the use of the "Qi force", internal styles paying more attention to this than external. Qi is the inner energy that flows through the body and which is also said to be the basis of acupuncture. Ones Qi energy can be improved and strengthened with regular practice of various physical and mental exercises known as Qigong.

Many martial arts claim to have originated at the Shaolin Buddhist monastery. Researchers regard these claims with considerable skepticism, but the Shaolin Temple, located in the Henan province nearby the city of Deng Feng, has of today grown to be one of the largest gathering of Wushu schools in China, with hundreds of schools and over 20 000 practicioners. Much has happened at Shaolin as of late, and the tourism has changed it forever. It has definitely contributed to the popularity of Wushu, but many dislike its current state, saying that it's not what it used to be. No one can argue against that, but the fact remains that it is a place that gives many people a chance to devote their lives to Wushu, and a place where tourists can go watch them train, or pay to train themselves for a short period of time, for the better or the worse.

In modern times Wushu has spawned a popular genre of films. The films of Bruce Lee were instrumental for the initial burst of the martial art's popularity in the West, and lately, actors such as Jet Li and Jackie Chan have appeared in many Western films. This type of martial art films are often referred to as Kung Fu movies (see Martial arts film, Wu Xia film). A cult television series of the early 1970s by that name which starred David Carradine also popularized the martial art on television.