Jade Fox, Li Mu Bai, and Jen are all using the Wudan martial arts, as opposed to the Shaolin style. "There are two main divisions in Chinese martial arts, Shaolin and Wu Tang (Wudan). Shaolin Ssu is a Ch'an Buddhist temple on Sung Shan in central China, Wu Tang Shan is a mountain range with a complex of Hygienic Taoist monasteries and temples a few hundred miles to the SW of Shaolin. Shaolin is primarily what is called hard or external style, Wu Tang is primarily what is called soft or internal style martial art." Source: http://gate8.com/bbs-tai/messages/3738.html Also: "I'd like to make sure that readers understand that Ang Lee went to great lengths to separate the Wudan martial arts in this movie from the more popular Shaolin style that has been popularized by Hong Kong cinema in the past few decades. The scene where Bo, the guardsman of Sir Te, is immobilized by Jade Fox and then released from immobilization by Li Mu Bai by hits on acupuncture points is specific to the Wudan school of martial arts and is done to disrupt the flow of 'chi' within the body. Also, the wire-work flying in the movie was not just fantasy. Wudan practitioners of Tai Chi were said to attain levels where one could fall from great heights and land safely as a cat as well as jump much farther and higher than non-enlightened people. Even the choice of the poisoned needle as the vehicle for Li Mu Bai's demise was chosen because it was a common weapon in the Wudan arsenal. Many people describe Shaolin as the 'outer fighting (thus more flamboyant and better for movies), and Wudan as the 'inner' fighting where the challenge is to control your own body and emotions and chi." Source: http://www.kanai.net/weblog/archive/2001/01/17/00h40m50s Bear in mind that what was in the movie was also highly stylized movie-style martial arts, even though based on actual disciplines.