"Wu Shu" is the Chinese term that translates into "Military art."
Wushu's History is extremely controversial. However, there are two main theories about its beginnings in the form of Kung Fu. A large number believe that Bodhidharma, (also called Ta Mo), an Indian Buddhist monk is the founder of Kung Fu. Throughout history credit has been given to Bodhidharma as a creator of Sil Lum Kung Fu or as the man responsible for introducing the martial arts to China. But some believe that Kung Fu was already in existence long before Bodhidharma arrived in China. There are vague references to a king in China some thousands of years ago who trained his men in techniques of hand-to-hand combat to use against invading barbarians. Some historians date it as far back as the Shang dynasty (16th century B.C.). Others date it back to the time of Huang Ti Emperor (475-221 B.C.). The first written record we have of Chinese martial arts is from a Taoist acupuncturist from the 5th century.