Top 10 Kung Fu Hometowns in China

Chinese Kung Fu is a commonly used term for all the martial arts styles in China. It is a combination of different styles and techniques. Developing over centuries, Kung Fu well integrated with strength, elegance and philosophy. It becomes an important part of the traditional culture in China. Nowadays, Kung Fu is not only famous in China, but also very popular throughout the world. Kung Fu now is one of the symbols of Chinese Culture. Here list you China's top ten hometowns of Chinese Kung Fu to let you know more about this famed traditional mysterious and fantastic world.

No.1 Dengfeng, Henan

Dengfeng City, located in Zhengzhou, is regarded as “The Land with the Greatest Number of Tough Guys”. There are over 60 Kung Fu schools and institutions in Dengfeng City, training more than 60,000 Chinese and overseas students. When you visit this city, you can feel the enthusiasm for Kung Fu among local people. The 1500 years old Shaolin Temple is located in this city. Shaolin Temple is a world famous temple throughout the world and it is dubbed as the cradle of the original Shaolin Kung Fu sect. Shaolin Kung Fu is also the most influential sect of Kung Fu in China. Dengfeng City is really an unmissable city if you are crazy about Chinese Kung Fu.

No.2 Foshan, Guangdong

Foshan is famous for a powerful title “the capital of Chinese Kung Fu”. The City is situated in the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong Province. Foshan drew in many different Kung Fu sect schools and later these schools prospered making Foshan famous all over the world. Hongsheng Martial Arts Center was founded in 1851. It used to be the largest KungFu center in China. In this center, chan Heung created an effective self-defense system — Choy Li Fut, which developed to be a very popular form in China. Foshan City is the hometown of Wong Feihung. He was a folk hero in Foshan and also the practitioner of the most famous Hung Gar in modern times. Many visitors to Fosha just want to get close distance with the legends of some famous Chinese Kungfu masters such as Wong Fei-hung, Bruce Lee, and Yip Man.

No. 3 Wen County, Henan

Wen County is known as the cradle of Tai Chi Chuan, located in Jiaozou City of Henan Province. The most famous Kung Fu Village is Chenjiagou Village. The skilled Kung Fu artist Cheng Wangting promoted Tai Chi here and developed it by integrating the strengths of the Kung Fu art styles which founded by Qi Jiguan, a Ming General, and also added different elements of Chinese philosophy in training practice. The Chen-style Tai Chi Chuan is the origin of the other four styles: Yang, Wu, Sun and Woo. In Tai Chi fans and practitioners' eyes, this tiny Chengjiagou Village is very attractive to them. And now Tai chi Chuan boasts around 150,000,000 practitioners all over the world.

No. 4 Cangzhou, Hebei

Cangzhou City is situated in Southeast Hebei Province. Cangzhou is a historical city which is well-known for both Chinese Kung Fu and acrobats. Since Cangzhou is a strategically important city which was involved in wars frequently in Chinese history, people living in the city had to learn some Kung Fu to protect themselves and survival. That is why practicing Kung Fu is so prevailng in this City. The history of Cangzhou Kung Fu can be dated back to the Spring and Autumn Period. Kung Fu became popular during the Ming Dynasty and famous in both home and abroad by the end of Qing Dynasty. Cangzhou boasts 53 schools of weapons and boxing. It is also the hometown of many Kung Fu masters such Ding Fangxian, Huo Diange and Zhang Zhijiang.

No.5 Yongnian, Hebei

Yongnian County is situated in Handan City, Hebei Province. It is the hometown of Tai Chi Chuan, which attracts numerous fans in both domestic and overseas. It is also famous in Guanggu Ancient Town, a worldwide-known place of pilgrimage for Tai Chi fans. The county is the cradle of other Wu and Yang Tai Chi schools. Yang Tai Chi was founded by Yang luchan who lived during the reign of King Daoguan of the Qing Dynasty. It is handed down for 5 generations and has a history of over 180 years. Now, it is the most popular Tai Chi Sect in the world.

No.6 Quanzhou, Fujian

Lying in the southeastern Fujian Province, Quanzhou is the birthplace of the Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Sect. Southern Shaoli Kung Fu originated during the Jin and Tang Dynasties. Wuzu Quan belongs to southern Shaolin sect. It has 5 different styles: White Crane Quan, Luohan Quan, Monkey, breathing methods and iron body of Da Mo and light techniques of Emperor Tai Tzu. Wing Chun Quan and Japanese Karate are originated from the white Crane Quan which founded by Fang Qiniang. Fang Qiniang is a woman who lived in Yongchun County. She was a female martial artist in the Qing Dynasty. Many Quanzhou's historical figures, such as Zheng chenggong, were good martial artists.

No. 7 Mount Emei, Sichuan

Emei Kung Fu is one of the three biggest Kung Fu sects in China. The other two are Shaolin Kung Fu and Wudang Kung Fu. Mount Emei is one of the four Buddhist holy mountains in China, located in Emei City, Sichuan Province. Emei Kung Fu was founded by Situ XuanKung, who lived in the late Warring States Period, with a history of over 2,000 years. Absorbing different martial art styles' essence, Emei Kung Fu developed into a unique, myth-generating and eye-catching sect. Emei Kung Fu's skills focus on the concepts as “A strike delivered later hits first”,” Using a soft approach to subdue a tough opponent”. It has 1638 boxing styles, weapons and training methods.

No. 8 Danjiangkou, Hubei Province

Danjiangkou city is situated in Shiyang City, Hubei Province. The city is reputed as the cradle of Wudang Kung Fu Sect. Wudang Mountain in Danjiangkou city may be the most famous Taoist holy site in China as well as in the world. The Wudang martial arts are a treasure of Chinese Kung Fu culture. It was created by Zhang Sangfeng, a semi-legendary taoist in China, during the late Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty. Zhang Sangfeng originated the Wudan Neijia Boxing which is a perfect combination of both Kung Fu and methods of health preservation.

No.9 Huaiyang, Henan Province

Huaiyang County, situated in Zhoukou City of Henan Province, can be said to be the birthplace of Chinese Kung Fu. Legend has it the about 6,000 years ago, the first of the Three Sovereigns of ancient China, Fu Xi set his capital in Wanqie, the present Huaiyang. It was Fu Xi who devised the Diagrams of Yin and Yang or the positive and negative, which became Chinese Kung Fu's theoretical foundation. Fu Xi did not just created weapons, but also set up systematic routines for fighting moves. Today, there are over 20 Kung Fu styles in Huaiyang and more than 300,000 local citizens practice Kung Fu.

No.10 Bozhou, Anhui Province

Bozhou City is located in northwestern Anhui Province. It is an ancient city with a history of over 3,000 years. The city is well-known as the hometown of famous martial art forms-Liuhebafa Chuan, Muslim-Style Xiyang Fist-fighting and Wuqinxi. Among them, the most historical one is Wuqinxi, which is also called Five Animal Frolics, with a history of over 1,800 years. It was founded by Hua Tuo, a highly-skilled Chinese physician in Eastern Han Dynasty. The five animals are the deer, bear, tiger, crane and the monkey. Wuqinxi was deigned for health-building as a Qi Gong exercise. It is now very popular both in domestic and aboard. There are over 100,000 practitioners of Wuqinxi just in Bozhou City. Besides, the Liuhebafa Chuan or Six Harmonies Eight Methods Boxing has also a long history of more than 1,000 years, and it was founded by Chen Chuan, a legendary Taoist sage.