What's Your Style? A History of Kung Fu

By | July 12, 2019

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People perform kung fu during the opening ceremony of the 12th Zhengzhou (China) International Shaolin Kongfu Festival at Daixian gorge 2018 in Dengfeng, Henan Province of China. Source: (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Almost everybody has heard or has an opinion about the Chinese martial art known as Kung Fu. But it also one of the most misunderstood branches of martial art with the average person developing their opinions mostly from flicks such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Bruce Lee films, Five Deadly Venoms, or even Carl Douglas’s song “Kung Fu Fighting.” The fact is that Kung Fu has a long and curious history that is fully integrated into Chinese culture.

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The mythical Yellow Emperor. Source: (Wikimedia)

Myth and Legend

According to myth, the legendary Yellow Emperor of the Xia Dynasty introduced many aspects of Chinese culture including fighting techniques to the military at some point during his reign from 2,698 to 2,598 B.C.