This is, however, a misconception, but shows the historical importance of Shaolin kung fu. In 1784 the Boxing Classic: Essential Boxing Methods made the earliest extant reference to the Shaolin Monastery as Chinese boxing's place of origin. Historical discoveries indicate that, even before the establishment of Shaolin temple, monks had arms and also practiced martial arts. Since Chinese monasteries were large landed estates, sources of considerable regular income, monks required protection. For example, the Chinese martial art of wrestling, Shuai Jiao, predates the establishment of Shaolin temple by several centuries. History Chinese martial arts before Shaolin Ĭhinese historical records, like Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue, the Bibliographies in the Book of the Han Dynasty, the Records of the Grand Historian, and other sources document the existence of martial arts in China for thousands of years.
