Northern Kung Fu
Northern styles of Kung Fu rely on legwork, kicking and acrobatics. Some say this is because the Northern Chinese people were generally taller than those living in Southern China, and that they made their styles take advantage of their greater range of motion, especially in their legs.

Others claim that region’s cold winters caused damage to the practitioner's hands and thus kicks were more favored. An example of a Northern style is the modern Changquan (Long Fist) that is the most popular style in competitions held around the world.

Southern Kung Fu
Southern styles originated in Southern China, in the provinces south of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang). The belief is that because of the shorter height, the residence of that region developed styles that were direct and powerful. Similarly, it is speculated that the dense and crowded urban population of the South and its humid climate favored close-quarter hand techniques over North's focus on jumping and kicking.

A generalized Nanquan (Southern Fist) style has become a popular form in modern martial arts competitions. It is similar to Changquan (Long Fist) but includes more rapid punches and blocks. The most popular Southern style is Wing Chun. It is characterized by short range power, centerline strategy, sticking and deflecting techniques. It's most famous student is Bruce Lee.

Wushu
The term Wushu originally referred to military fighting techniques. The first character Wu meaning war or martial. The second character shu translates into art, skill or method. Put together, these characters form the term Wushu or martial art. Although the word can be used to refer to any martial art in the world, it is generally used to describe the various styles of Chinese martial arts. Hundreds of different styles and schools of Wushu exist in China today, and can be categorized as either Northern Shaolin-Style or Southern Shaolin-Style, referring to the style's historic origin.

Wushu is composed of two disciplines: Taolu (forms) and Sanshou (sparring). Taolu forms are similar to gymnastics routines but involve martial art patterns and maneuvers. The sport form of Sanshou is practiced by advanced students and is a form of competitive sparring.