Asian martial artists trace their roots back 5,000 years to India and the Greek martial arts of Pankration. Historians also credit the Greeks for organizing the first professional boxing matches 1,000 years before the birth of Christ. The Chinese credit Chinese physician Dr. Hua T'o as the founder of the first martial style, and the first doctor to use anesthesia during surgery. Around 220 AD, T'o devised a series of exercises modeled on the deer, bear, bird, tiger and monkey long before the Shaolin Temple began instruction in the marital arts. T'o designed these exercises to relieve stress, tone the body and provide a means of self-defense.
Chinese historians dispute India's claim to being the cradle of Asian martial arts.
They point to military manuals and documents dated from 206 BC to 220 AD which prove that Han emperors actively funded the study and refinement of Kung-Fu far beyond any fighting system known in India during this period. Records exist dating back to 5 BC crediting an Indian named Han Lo-Ming for creating Chi Hsuan Men, or 'Unusual Style'. This art used the defensive scissors techniques of the White Jade Fan to trap swords and spears, and pressure point strikes with the fan's tip. Sardilli was a prince of a small tribe in Southern India. Ta Mo arrived in China after a brutal trek over Tibet's Himalaya Mountains surviving both the elements and bandits.