![]() One day while out walking, Wong Long witnessed a fight between a Praying Mantis and a Cicada (a large broad winged insect of the homopterous family). While he was away his martial skills had grown to a higher level, but his Kung Fu brothers were also training hard and so their skills had kept pace with his. When he returned to Shaolin he would again train with his Kung Fu brothers, although he had obtained the techniques of seventeen different Kung Fu styles he could still not defeat the other monks. Wong would often travel to other areas of China seeking out famous Kung Fu masters to help improve his skills. At Shaolin, Wong Long would train with his Kung Fu brothers, but no matter how hard he trained, he could never reach their standard and was always defeated by them. The Manchus were Mongoloid people of Manchuria who conquered China in the 17th century establishing an imperial dynasty that lasted until 1912. Wong Long entered the Shaolin Monastery around 350-400 years ago in the period between the Ming (1368- 1644) and the Ching (1644-1911) Dynasties, it was a time of chaos for China with the Manchus committing many atrocities. Wong Long was a native of Shandong province he came from a wealthy family and studied the martial arts in his youth. According to tradition the founder of the Seven Star Praying Mantis style was Master Wong Long, an unshaven monk of the Henan Shaolin Temple. ![]() The Temple has acted as a catalyst for the development of the Chinese Martial Arts for generations. Throughout Chinas turbulent history there have been many styles of Martial Arts that owe their development to the Shaolin Temple in Henan province. The question of what works will depend on the individual and his own natural strengths and weakness. Many people today question the validity of forms practise saying that it is now an out dated mode of training and that their styles are only concern with what works and is useful for real fighting. The forms are prearranged sequences of movements and contain the fighting techniques and principles of their style these forms have been handed down through generations of Masters and form an integral part of Chinese martial arts training. Forms in Chinese Martial Arts One of the things that all Traditional Kung Fu styles have in common is the practise of forms. Only the most committed students will be added to the family tree to pass on the tradition to future generations and preserve the style in its entirety. If you do Traditional Chinese Martial Arts you also have a linage that can be trace back though many generations to the founder, a clear family tree which represents the history of the style. ![]() So how can we define what the Traditional arts are? For me they must be developed in China this might seem obvious but I remember some years back a guy in the UK telling me that his style is tradition and it was developed by an English guy 25 years ago so its now traditional! For me this is nonsense firstly and foremost it should have been developed in China pre 1900 not in the UK, USA or anywhere else in the world. What is Traditional Kung Fu / Wushu? Traditional Kung Fu / Chinese Martial Arts Styles, Wushu is the martial art of China developed by the Chinese people for self-defence over many centuries. ![]()
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