What was known about Shaolin Kung Fu prior to the 20th century?

[r.(shaolin)]

Not teaching one and all. But teaching lay disciples. Who then taught their families and a few choice disciples in their home town what they had learned. Also monks were often local . . .

But the style the techniques are done in now are quite obviously Shaolin temple style. Because over those 700 years there has been so much influence from the local styles,

You see?? The influence from 100 similar styles on its doorstep, the influence from Temple Monks visiting folk masters, from local villagers taking the style to shaolin then returning, for centuries. . . .

When you learn it from a monk, but you let it evolve in another place for centuries, without the influence of song mountian, then it is no longer SHaolin. Doesn't make it any worse or better.

Buddhism in great centres like Luoyang, or close to Imperial capitals, tended to be more orthodox and stable. A further important distinguishing feature of monasteries like Shaolin was that they were designated official places of worship. These monasteries received their name via Imperial decree, as well as land, money, servants, subject families, rights to maintain certain industries that generated profits and other benefits. The monks who resided in these official establishments were selected and ordained by Imperial decree and required higher qualifications. Generally the monks residing at Imperial monstaries were not the local folks. Their supervisory clergy was appointed by the Imperial throne and accountable to it. In fact it was customary for three respected monks to be appointed by the Emperor as supervisory members in official monasteries. (the dean, the abbot, and the overseer). The Imperial government was fully aware of the security issues that monastic wealth created for the large Imperial monasteries and would often send military households to be attached to them. These were rights only the emperor could assign to the official institutions. As one would expect, discipline in the official monasteries tended to be stricter and the more monks living in a monastery, the stricter the rules. As a result of strict supervision and Imperial accountability for their conduct, it is understandable that the Shaolin Monastery would have been reluctant to teach martial arts to the laity or outsiders. “Do not pass to anyone outside the temple the religion and the teachings." What is peculiar is the sudden publicity of Shaolin martial arts expertise during the late Ming and Ching Dynasties, apparently encouraged by the monastery itself. There was a swing from monastery martial practice, for the pragmatic purpose of defence, to a badge of identity. Professor Kang Gewu of the Chinese Research Institute noted that there are records of Shaolin monks giving demonstrations of “Jian, Bian (whip), Ji and combat with staves for visitors between 1573 and 1620. Although there are some records of some training of the laity by Shaolin monks during this later period. Still, it must not have been totally acceptable, as Professor, Gewu noted, “In the year 1775, Xu Ji, Acting Governor of Honan Province, invited a Shaolin monk to teach his soldiers spear techniques.” This action was criticized by Emperor Qian Long of the Qing Dynasty. But again the training of laity at Shaolin seems to have happened but was limited and rare. There are however records of notable interactions with outsiders such as senior military personnel and members of the imperial government with Shaolin monks.

I understand that at one point during the 19century martial arts completely stopped at Shaolin and were re-introduced by one of Liu Baoshan's relatives, which could explain why their martial art resembles his so closely.

I would like to point out as well that the development of martial art in the villages had more to do with Henan’s history of natural calamities and economic, social and politic unrest which led to the development of extensive community-based security systems. There was regular cooperation between villages on crop-watching and guarding crops before and during harvest times. To protect villages against attacks of bandit groups, local self-defence-groups (鄉勇) were organized. There a few stories about a villagers going to Shaolin for some training for this expressed purpose.These groups later developed into a para-military organizations which crossed village and even county borders. This pattern of collective organization was increased as imperial order fell apart during the late Qing dynasty specially in the countryside.

r.