There is precious little written material available about the snake kung fu styles, although they are foundation sets in traditional Shaolin, family styles, and are incorporated in a host of peripheral schools such as Pa Kua and T'ai Ch'i Chuan. It is possibly because of the near-universal inclusion of snake ...

If Northern Praying Mantis is the epitome of popularized, widely dispersed kung fu, then the true southern counterpart must be the most secretive. It was developed as a style by the Hakka Chinese, considered to be outsiders by the other indigenous peoples of Kwangsi province, and the ...

It is generally conceded that the founder of T'ang L'ang Ch'uan was the boxer Wang Lang, who developed the method of combat around 1600 A.D. Wang was most probably a Ming patriot who left his native Shantung province to improve his kung fu at the Honan Temple. ...

The style encompasses only six forms, yet ranges from hard, external physical development, to soft, internal ch'i movements. Examination of the style shows it to be an excellent natural progression for a student of a single style. Beginners to ...

White Crane kung fu has its origins in Tibet, and is probably the oldest "classical" style, aside from Snake, in the repertoire of Shaolin Chuan. There are three basic schools extant-Hop Gar, Mot Gar, and Pak Hok-the similarities ...

This kung fu style is Tibetan in origin. The legend of its beginnings is with an old man who would contemplate daily near a pond. One day he was observing a beautiful white crane, when out of the ...

A special Chinese martial arts show was staged in the Lyceum Theater in downtown London Monday, giving the British a virtual tour of Beijing. The show, organized by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, aimed to promote tourism in Beijing among Britons, said Zou Weinan, an official with the commission. Starring 10 Chinese martial ...

Jimmy Tong (Jackie Chan) is a taxi driver notorious for his speed and ability to get his customer anywhere in the least amount of time, usually without too many illegal methods. His reputation soon lands him a job as the personal chauffeur of the mysterious but wealthy Clark Devlin (Jason ...

Xingyiquan features aggressive shocking attacks and direct footwork. The linear nature of xingyiquan hints at both the military origins and the influence of spear technique alluded to in its mythology. Despite its hard, angular appearance, cultivating "soft" internal strength or qi is essential to achieving power in Xingyiquan. The goal of ...

Techniques It is characterised by its extensive footwork, acrobatic kicks, low, wide stances, and unique fist position (where the thumb is curled in the same manner as the other fingers, rather than wrapped around them). According to the Shaolin Grandmasters' text the style is the single most external style in the ...