David Levinson
There are thousands of different styles of Chinese martial arts and related physical activities that have developed and changed over a period of some 5,000 years. General categories include external (focused on other people), internal (focused on personal development), North China, South China, Shaolin, Buddhist, and Daoist. For most Chinese, the focus of martial-arts practice is mainly internal, with the goal of achieving better health, agility, and a better state of mind and being. Outsiders are mainly interested in martial arts used aggressively to harm others or defensively to protect oneself.
