Elements of Chinese martial arts originated more than six thousand years ago as the first cavemen learned simple blocking and striking techniques to protect themselves. The first documented form of Chinese martial arts, classical Chinese wrestling, is noted in the texts written by and about the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huángdì, in the first half of the third millennium B.C.E. Over the ensuing years, other forms of Chinese martial arts evolved.

In about 525 C.E., a holy man named Bodhidharma left his monastery in Southern India to spread the Buddhist faith to China, later called Chán Buddhism. Chán, also known as "Zen", is the Chinese translation for the Sanskrit word "dhyana" meaning yogic concentration. After traveling hundreds of miles to reach Northern China and passing through the Himalaya mountains, he crossed the Yangtze River and headed north to Luoyang, the capital of Henan Province.

In a neighboring forest, he found Shàolín Sì ("Young Forest Temple"). The temple had been built by Emperor Xiàowén of the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534 A.D.) and was famous for scholarly translations of Buddhist scripture into Chinese. Bodhidharma located a nearby cave, where he sat in meditation facing a stone wall for most of the next nine years. Various stories have arisen regarding his meditation practices - it was said that he could hear the screeching of ants crawling along the rock face. Another time, it is said, he fell asleep while meditating and cut off his eyelids to prevent that from happening again. At the end of nine years, Bodhidharma's deep blue piercing eyes had apparently drilled a gaping hole in the cliff wall and the head abbot of the monastery could no longer refuse him entry into the temple.

Bodhidharma became the first zŭ ("patriarch" or "ancestor") of the Chán sect in China. He saw that the monks were weak and could not perform his rigorous meditations, so he incorporated some calisthenics into the monks' training. These in-place exercises were transcribed by later monks as (1) The Muscle Change Classic or The Change of the Sinews, (2) The Marrow Washing and (3) The Eighteen Hand Movements of the Enlightened One (The Eighteen Lúo Hàn Shŏu) and marked the beginning of Shaolin Temple Boxing. Bodhidharma later devised some self-defense movements based on his knowledge of Indian fighting systems. His emphasis on qì (, intrinsic energy which can be cultivated with breathing exercises and meditation) is still an essential foundation of Shaolin gongfu.

Bodhidharma's teachings were further enriched and refined by succeeding Shaolin masters to become the powerful and graceful Shaolin Temple Boxing, also known as Shàolín Quán ("Shaolin Fist") or Shàolín Quán Fă("Way of the Shaolin Fist").

Since bandits frequently attacked the temple, the Shaolin monks hired kung fu masters to teach them to defend themselves. Eventually, the Shaolin monks fought off the attacking bandits and became renowned for their martial arts prowess.

Then, in 1644 A.D., the Manchus came to power (Qing Dynasty, 1644-1911 A.D.). Because many of the officials from the previous Ming dynasty sought refuge in the Shaolin temple, the Manchus destroyed the temple. Only five masters escaped. Those who went north taught the taller northern/Mongolian people accustomed to a cold and rigorous climate, while those who went south taught the shorter southern people accustomed to a warmer climate.

The first Shàolín Sì has long since been destroyed, but several branches of Shaolin gongfu stemming from the first temple have spread out throughout China and the world. Today, the two most well-known branches are Northern Shaolin and Southern Shaolin.

In the colder northern regions of China the ground was hard, allowing more stability when kicking and stepping. Therefore, Northern Shaolin styles emphasize kicking, long-range, acrobatic, and ground-fighting techniques. Many of the fancier kicks are acrobatic and graceful as well as powerful, but the basic kicks can be effectively applied by any well-trained student.

In the warmer southern regions of China, the ground was softer and often muddy, making kicking and stepping more difficult. As a result, Southern Shaolin emphasizes higher stances and hand techniques. The practitioner of Southern Shaolin will patiently wait for an attack, then quickly block and counter as the opponent strikes, catching the opponent off guard.