What is Kung Fu? (功夫 / 中國武術)

Kung fu (功夫, gōngfu; also spelled gong fu or kungfu) is the everyday English name for Chinese martial arts — the vast family of fighting, health, and self-cultivation systems developed across China over many centuries. In China the arts are more often called wushu (武術, "martial arts"), guoshu (國術, "national art"), or simply quan (拳, "boxing / fist").

Strictly, gongfu means skill achieved through sustained effort and time — it can describe a master calligrapher or cook as readily as a boxer. The martial meaning is the one that traveled the world through twentieth-century cinema.

Internal (內家) and external (外家)

A traditional — if blurry — split:

• Internal arts (內家) lead with intention (意), breath, sinking, and whole-body connection; power is issued from a relaxed, integrated body. The classic three are Taiji 太極, Bagua 八卦掌, and Xingyi 形意拳.

• External arts (外家) lead with conditioned structure, speed, and percussive power, trained from the frame outward. Most Shaolin-derived and regional folk styles sit here.

The line is porous: Baji and Pigua are "hard" yet deeply mechanical, and Praying Mantis has soft, internal branches.

Northern (北) and Southern (南)

A second axis, roughly north vs south of the Yangtze:

• Northern (北派) — longer stances, expansive footwork, kicks, leaps, long-range entries. Mantis, Bagua, Xingyi, Baji, Cha, Tongbei, Northern Shaolin.

• Southern (南派) — rooted stances, compact powerful hands, bridge-arm work. Hung Ga, Wing Chun, Choy Li Fut, Southern White Crane.

Northern Kung Fu Styles — our first field guide

The major families

Chinese martial arts number in the hundreds of named systems. A few you'll meet often: Shaolin 少林, Taiji 太極, Bagua 八卦掌, Xingyi 形意, Baji 八極, Praying Mantis 螳螂, Wing Chun 詠春, Hung Ga 洪拳, and Tan Tui 彈腿 — the foundational kicking drill-set behind many northern schools.

Legend versus history

Many styles carry romantic origin myths — a wandering Daoist, an animal observed in a courtyard, a secret temple manual. These are part of the culture and worth knowing, but we treat them as legend, not documented history, and say so on each page.