■ update on 31-05-2010

   ■ site online 02-12-2004

There are hundreds of different styles of Chinese martial arts, all with their own backgounds, folklore, and characteristics.

They can be devided in the modern contemporary styles, called Wu Shu , (which literally means Martial Art) like Chang Quan and Nan Quan, and the traditional styles, called Kung Fu (or Gong Fu), which  means something like 'effort',or 'achievement after using energy'.

Then after having made the division between the traditional and the modern styles, it's inevitable to make a difference between the northern- and the southern- chinese styles, where as the northern styles lay an emphasis on the footwork, the southern styles lay more of an emphasis on the hand- and arm-techniques. Therefore the Chinese use the expression : 'Nan Quan, Bei Tuei', meaning 'Fists of the South, Legs from the North'. 

Then, to make a final distinction between the different styles, we have to make the division between the 'hard' and the 'soft' styles, like Taiji Quan, Baguazhang, and Omei Quan. 

There are too many styles to line them all up here, so we've tried to devide them into different sections, as you can see in the menu.

This site will be under constant construction, as we try to make this site as complete as possible. However, there's so much information, and so many sources to be checked, that it will be an impossible task for us to cover every detail on every style. That's why we've also listed lots of links, of what we think of as good sites, to help you further in the quest of knowledge of the chinese martial arts, also known in China as 'Guoshu', meaning the 'Art of the People'. 

To navigate this site > at the bottom of most pages you can click on << more >> to find out more about the subject..