Brief History:

Internal and external martial forms in China are generally known as "Chung Kuo",Chinese boxing. Although Chinese boxing is a form of combat, its structure as a whole reaches beyond the physical contexts of just a self-defense form.

Chinese martial forms are based on the philosophy of Ying & Yang. Male and female characteristics which control all changes of phenomenon in the universe. Ying representing: female, inactivity, softness and light; and Yang representing: male, activity, hardness and dark is the basis of understanding natures existence. This indicates that within strength is found weakness; within hardness softness exists and where there is activity, nonactivity is present. These alternating forces contradict and compliment one another.

In ( 500 BC ) the legendary Lao Tzu, philosopher and scholar would base and draw inspiration from the internal and external arts and place it in a seminal Taoist text called Toa Te Ching "The way and the power"-- the two very forces that exist in all life form. Through this constructed philosophy, Buddhism and Taoism religion flourished throughout the Far East, and eventually influenced what is known today as Confucianism and Ch'an (Zen).

With the arrival of Buddhist monks from India, into China in the Christian era, (2nd century) a Budhidharma monk from India known as TaMo, son of King Sugandh, popularized such practices as Buddhist philosophy and internal breathing exercises in China.

It has also been suggested that India's posture exercise "Yoga" influenced some of the Chinese internal systems. Similarities can be equally identified between these systems.

But did humans discover such universal understanding of harmonizing their existence in a primitive time? Perhaps so.

Dating back to the Zho Dynasty (1100 - 700 BC) practitioners in China began to incorporate exercise consisting of "Chui" (exhaling) and "Xu" (inhaling) techniques.

These forms of exercises were trained to strengthen the internal organs, gather energy for daily activities and to harmonize the mind and body. These exercises are known as Chi Gong.

In the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD) tombs in Changsha, China were found with weapons and medical artifacts. In particular scrolls inscribed with over 40 diagrams of human figures in various positions performing internal exercises called Doa Yin. These are perhaps some of the earliest recordings of humans preventing and curing illnesses. Other discoverers also found in the same tombs scrolls on the method of Pi Gu (fasting) translated as "The way of immortality" another level of Chi Gong.

In other ancient countries, internal strength may have been discovered before Asia's time. India's internal strength is was known "Prana" and in Greek and Roman empires it was known as "Pheuma".

The internal arts popularly known as Tai - Chi, (Grand fist) and Chi Gong gain an understanding of maximizing energy through tranquility, encompassing the six senses of the human body by physiologically and biologically empowering the mind by increase flow of blood and breath through respiratory rhythm and movement. This also proved to be an effective defense against diseases and daily stress that is found in human societies.

With the arrival of Spring and Autumn period (722-481 B.C.) and the Warring States period (403-221 B.C.) warfare characteristics were changing. The demand for more foot soldiers became necessary when warfare against other empires and nations were on the horizon. Weaponry and mobility were to play a keyroll in ones survival on the battlefield as well as in ones everyday habitat.

The external arts known as Chang Chuan, accompanied practitioners with hard, powerful foot and hand blows, conditioning the exterior muscularity for endurance and strength. By the Han dynasty (207-220 AD) the rigid and immobile way of fighting had transformed. Strenuous ridged hard self-defense techniques would gradually take on a more natural relaxed formation by wielding soft, fluid techniques to its defense. Attacks that were once meet with equal amount of force were now absorbed and recounted by the defender force.

With the fusing of the two divided approaches of Ying & Yang, rigid combat became mobile in offensive and defensive applications, internal & external forces coordinated as one, and ones thinking became a philosophical understanding of one existence in the presence of life or death. Combat became complex with a scientific level of intelligence behind it. For the scholar and warrior life and death, night and day, give and take, became a mutual understanding of one unit, with the two different forces involved at all times,Ying & Yang.

In the Tang dynasty (A.D. 616-906) monks from the Buddhist and Taoist teachings
flourished in temples throughout China. Famous temples such as that of Honan, incorporated physical exercises and empty hand self-defense forms into its daily rituals. Shaolin boxing and Shaolin Kung Fu emerged and spread until today's forms and styles developed to mimic animal behavior defense mechanisms. Many of today's Internal and External Kung-Fu styles are an ancient decent of this lineage.