Nowadays real Kungfu masters, or Martial Artists, are difficult to find in China. Finding a genuine master is more difficult than finding a gem in a hay stack. However, actually in ancient China there were many good Kungfu masters. Here are some of the best ancient Chinese martial artists.
Hua Tuo 华佗
Hua Tuo in the Han Dynasty was more famous as a physician. However he was also known for the early Qi Gong exercise named Five – Animal Exercises, in which the practicer imitates the actions of tigers, deer, bears, apes, and birds. These practices later developed into many kinds of martial arts such as Tai Chi.
Dong Haichuan 董海川
Dong Haichuan is widely regarded to be the founder of Bagua Zhang, which features very effective fighting system. He integrated ideas from the The Book of Changes into marital arts and created the famous Bagua Zhang.
Wang Lang 王朗
Wang Lang is said to create the Praying Mantis Boxing during the Northern Song Dynasty (969-1126). He was inspired to develop this special Kung Fu by observing the mantis insect.
Yue Fei 岳飞
Yue Fei was a well-known patriotic general in Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279). Besides he is widely credited for creating Xingyiquan, a kind of Chinese martial arts featuring aggressive, seemingly linear movements and explosive power. Several more martial arts were also attributed to Yue Fei such as Eagle Claw, Fanziquan, and Chuojiao.
Qi Jiguang 戚继光
Qi Jiguang was well-known as a patriotic military general in the Ming Dynasty. He made great contribution in sorting out and researching folk Kung Fu, leaving behind a famous book JiXiao Xinshu, a book dedicated to the practice of Wushu.
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