Chinese boxing can be reliably traced back to the
Zhou dynasty (1122-255 BC). During the
Spring and Autumn period, the literature mentions displays of archery, fencing and wrestling by nobles. Warfare between rival states was conducted according to Confucian chivalry (deference to rank, attacking in turn, food sent to hungry enemies). During the
Warring States period, warfare grew bloodier and common men were expected to have skill in personal attack (chi-chi). The martial arts
Shuāi Jiāo and
Sun Bin Quan predate the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery by centuries as does shǒubó (手搏).
Indian martial arts may have spread to China via the
transmission of Buddhism in the early 5th or 6th centuries of the common era and thus influenced
Shaolin Kungfu. Elements from
Indian philosophy, like the
Nāga,
Rakshasa, and the fierce
Yaksha were
syncretized into protectors of
Dharma; these mythical figures from the
Dharmic religions figure prominently in
Shaolinquan,
Chang quan and
staff fighting. The religious figures from
Dharmic religions also figure in the movement and fighting techniques of Chinese martial arts. Various styles of kung fu are known to contain movements that are identical to the
Mudra hand positions used in
Hinduism and
Buddhism, both of which derived from India. Similarly, the 108 pressure points in Chinese martial arts are believed by some to be based on the marmam points of Indian
varmakalai. The predominant telling of the diffusion of the martial arts from India to China involves a 5th-century prince turned into a
monk named
Bodhidharma who is said to have traveled to
Shaolin, sharing his own style and thus creating
Shaolinquan. According to
Wong Kiew Kit, the Monk's creation of Shaolin arts "...marked a watershed in the history of kungfu, because it led to a change of course, as kungfu became institutionalized. Before this, martial arts were known only in general sense." . The association of Bodhidharma with martial arts is attributed to Bodhidharma's own
Yi Jin Jing, though its authorship has been disputed by several modern historians such as Tang Hao, Xu Zhen and
Matsuda Ryuchi. The oldest known available copy of the Yi Jin Jing was published in 1827 The discovery of arms caches in the monasteries of
Chang'an during government raids in 446 AD suggests that Chinese monks practiced martial arts prior to the establishment of the Shaolin Monastery in 497. Moreover, Chinese monasteries, not unlike those of Europe, in many ways were effectively large landed estates, that is, sources of considerable wealth which required protection that had to be supplied by the monasteries' own manpower. ==Japan==