Wing Chun
Southern gung fu style developed in 1776 by Shaolin priestess Ng Mui, founded on techniques of White Crane and Snake. The style was named for her first student, Wing Chun ("Blessed Springtime"). As with so many Chinese to English translation, this term is spelled in a variety of ways including "Ving Tsun," "Wing Choon," and "Weng Tson." The common legend involved Yim Wing Chun. A young woman who has rebuffed the local warlord's marriage offer, and he says he'll rescind his proposal if she can beat him in a fight. She asks a local buddhist nun, Ng Mui, to teach her boxing, the style they develop enables Yim Wing Chun to defeat the warlord. It should be noted that the system was developed during the Shaolin and Ming resistance movement against the Qing Dynasty and thus many legends about the creator of Wing Chun were spread.

Wing Chun techniques emphasize practicality and efficiency to maintain its ideals on effectiveness. Strikes are intended to injure or disrupt the target. Efficiency in Wing Chun is based on the concept that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Likewise its primary targets all lie along the centerline of one's opponent.

Lohan / Long Fist
The forms within Long Fist style emphasize fully extended kicks and striking techniques, and by its appearance would be considered a long range fighting system. Long Fist uses large, extended, circular movements to improve overall body mobility in the muscles, tendons, and joints.

Hung Gar
This style of gong fu is sometimes known as "Souther Tiger-Crane," and "seeped" out of the Fukien Temple. Consequently, Hung Gar is sometimes called "Fu Hok Pai." The situation with Hung Gar is analogous to that of Northern Praying Mantis. Both were Shaolin-originated styles, and both were often taught to rebels trying to restore the Ming dynasty.

According to legend, Hung Gar was named after Hung Hei-Gun, who learned martial arts from Jee Sin, a Chan (Zen) master at the Southern Shaolin Temple. Jee Sin (aka Gee Sum Sim See) was also the master of the following 4 students, namely Choy Gau Lee, Mok Da Si, Lau SamNgan and LI Yao San. These five student later became the famous founders of other Souther Shaolin styles.

Choy Li Fut
Especially in the South, Choy Li Fut was taught in the temples but it was primarily taught to non-Shaolin coming to the temples for instruction. It features Five Animal techniques based on the tiger, dragon, crane, leopard, and snake but is distinguished from other southern styles by long, swinging, circular movements and twisting body motions more indicative of northern styles.

Choy Li Fut is characterized as a "soft-hard," "external" style. The stances of Choy Li Fut are as wide as those of Hung Kuen, but highter, though not as high as those of Wing Chun. In order to generate the characteristic whipping power of Choy Li Fut, the hips and shoulders must be decoupled. Hung Gar and Wing Chun both hold the torso perpendicular to an opponent, to allow for the full use of both arms. By contrast, Choy Li Fut holds the torso at an angle to the opponent to reduce the target area exposed to him.

Pa Kua Chang
A style developed around and at the Wutang Monastery. The kuen are performed walking in a circle. The style specializes in non-linear lines of attack, and also works to develop the practitioner's ch'i. "Pa Kua" means "Eight Directions," or "Eight Trigrams," as the style is based on the eight trigrams of I-Ching philosophy. Each trigram has an associated martial movement. Initial training is soft, latter training is hard. Like Tai Chi Chuan, many student who never advanced to the external, hard phase of training set themselves up as teachers of the style. So, like Tai Chi Chuan, the style suffers from a plethora of half-trained instructors teaching the public only a part of the style.

Pa Kua Chang (Baguazhang) is a style whose forms are performed while walking a circle, making angle of attack very difficult for an opponent to follow. This is on of the "internal" Wutang styles. There are strong connections between Pa Kua, snake, and dragon.

Drunken
Drunken Style (Chui Ch'uan) mimics a drunken man's movements, but under strict control. The looseness of body and unpredictability of the direction of motion are major characteristics.

Fut Gar
Fut Gar (Sil Lum Fut Ga Kuen, or Shaolin Buddhist Family Fist) is a southern style formed from the influences of many different southern styles. It emphasizes tremendous speed, often foregoing stepping in favor of stance shifting, and training hand technique to match the planting of a solid foundation. As with many other southern styles, Fut Gar encourages rapid successive striking.

Praying Mantis
Southern Praying Mantis is a Chinese martial art native to the Hakka communities of Southern China. Despite having the name "Praying Mantis," this style is completely unrelated to the Northern Praying Mantis styles.

Southern Parying Mantis is a close range fighting system that places much emphasis on short power and has aspects of both internal and external techniques. f any style truly emphasizes the direct us of attack as defense, it must be the Southern Praying Mantis, or Kwong Sai Jook Lum ("Kwong Sai Bamboo Forest," the full Chinese name would be "Kwong Sai Jook Lum T'ang Lang"). The few moves that initiate as parries (Or, rarely, blocks) are deceptive in that they are actually subtle strikes against pressure points in the wrists or elbows that, in turn, generate reflexive force to drive a second more obvious strike at the opponent. As with the other centerline styles, both the number of moves and forms is limited, but what the style lacks in variety and flamboyance, it more than compensates for in efficiency.

Monkey
Monkey (Tai Sing, or Hou Ch'uan) is noted for comical facial expressions and noises, rolling and tumbling, and sneaky, usually open-handed attacks. Footwork is complex, and kicks are generally low and powerful, aimed at vital spots such as knees and groin. There are many money-inspired styles, included: Hou Er Ch'uan (Young Monkey), Taodo Hou Ch'uan (Harmony of Monkey Fist), Bai Hou (White Monkey), Sun Wu Kung Men (Monkey King Style), and Ta Sheng Men (Great Sage Style). Sun Wu Kung Men is closer to Wushu than a martial art; it is purely theatrical and used in Chinese opera. Taodo Hou Ch'uan has three key forms: Iron Monkey, Crafty Monkey, and Drunken Monkey (which blends techniques from Drunken styles and Lost Track). Ta Sheng Men, Great Sage style, is a widespread version. Today, Ta Sheng Pek Kwar, or Great Sage Axe Hand, is probably the most common variant and has five core forms: Lost Monkey (appears lost, circles opponent); Drunken monkey (deception by feints and high-low combinations); Tall Monkey (long arm movements and long, low sweeps); Stone Monkey (powerful, most direct form); Wooden Monkey (sneakiest, uses many feints).

Pak Mei
The Chinese-language translation of "White Eyebrow." Pak Mei was a dark figure in Shaolin's history, and not to be valorized in any way. His style was preserved because of its usefulness. We remind ourselves of his actions not to inflate him or his role in Shaolin, but as a way of cautioning ourselves so that we do not repeat his mistakes. Pak Mei is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders - survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty imperial regime (1644-1912) - who, according to some accounts, betrayed Shaolin to the imperial government. Pak Mei is characterized by its emphasis on powerful close range hand strikes.