In contemporary China,
Chinese martial arts styles are generally classified into two major groups:
Wudang (
Wutang), named after the
Wudang Mountains; and
Shaolin, named after the
Shaolin Monastery.
Wudang quan translates as "Wudang fist." Whereas Shaolin includes many martial art styles, Wudangquan includes only a few arts that utilize the focused mind to control the waist, and therefore the body; this typically encompasses
T'ai chi ch'uan,
Xing-Yi chuan and
Bagua zhang, but must also include
Baji chuan and
Wudang Sword. Although the name Wudang simply distinguishes the skills, theories and applications of the "internal arts" from those of the Shaolin styles, it falsely suggests these arts originated at the
Wudang Mountains. The name Wudang comes from a popular Chinese legend which incorrectly purports the genesis of Tai chi chuan and Wudang Sword by an immortal, Taoist hermit named
Zhang Sanfeng who lived in the monasteries of Wudang Mountain.