by Gene Ching
Loyal readers, if you will lend me your attention once again, I would like to share my experience of another summer spent training at Shaolin Temple. As many of you already know, last year I traveled there as part of a personal pilgrimage during 1500th anniversary of our treasured temple. This year I returned, to see what had changed and what and remained the same. Returning to Shaolin is like stepping back into another dimension, a dimension of legends and heroes, a place like no other. There is something about the spirit of Shaolin, as if the land itself has absorbed the Chi of generations of Kung Fu practice. Today much of the hoopla of the anniversary celebrations has subsided. Shaolin Temple is settling down to face the next millennium and a half.
Trouble at Shaolin Temple
The effects of last year's festivities are slowly echoing around the world. Many writers have voiced opinions to fuel the debates on Shaolin's authenticity (many who have not spent much serious time there). Even my modest stay has permitted me to add my own shallow opinion in a few of our martial magazines with some authority. Some authors have gone so far as to call Shaolin a hoax.
These criticisms stem from many superficial perspectives. Chinese tourism under communist rule is gaudy spectacle which detracts from the sanctity of our venerable temple. Also, most western visitors are offended by the filth and poverty of rural China where Shaolin is located. The most devastating criticisms are a result of most Westerner's poor understanding of the state of Chinese martial arts. Modern Wushu dominates the type of Kung Fu practiced across the nation of China, including at Shaolin Temple. Many see Wushu as a break from the traditional teachings, with no place at Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of martial arts.
However, in the midst of all this perceived controversy, Shaolin Kung Fu presses forward. Those critics lack the patience and perseverance to penetrate the grimy tourist facade. They will forever stand outside of the Temple gates, shouting their blasphemies to the deaf ears of Shaolin's guarding door god statues. While it is true that modern wushu (forms competition), as well as modern San Da (free sparring), have both been heavily incorporated into the Shaolin curriculum, the traditional Kung Fu is still practiced. However, just like the old days, you have to earn it. You have to spend enough time and effort at Shaolin before you can find some one willing to teach you the real stuff. While Shaolin definitely has it's charlatans, remember this: Shaolin Temple has many hidden tigers.
Shaolin Spreads to the world
I am sure that those of you who keep up on Authentic Shaolin have had a lot ore to think about recently, beyond these infrequent articles. Over the summer, the m toured the United States. In an innovative twist to Shaolin history, they joined the rock tour Lollapalooza, opening for the heavy metal band Metallica. They even made it on the Dave Letterman show!
Also, another monk defected. This time it was the extraordinary Shi Xing Peng, one of Shaolin's finest warrior monks, who now resides in Holland. Before this happened, Shi Yan Ming (the Shaolin Monk in New York) told me that he believed that there was five other monks aside from himself that are now outside of China, including Shi Gou Lin (also in the United States) and four other in France. Rumors are flying that more are on the way…
Recently another martial tour, advertising child actor Chen Shao Lung (a child actor famous for portraying a Shaolin Monk), made its way across the states, promoting "authentic Shaolin Kung Fu" from the Henan Province Team. There were no actual Shaolin monks on his team. Some members were trained at Shaolin village and possessed some extraordinary Shaolin skills (obviously, you do not have to be a monk to practice Shaolin, or a lot of us would be out of business). Unfortunately, Chen Shao Lung didn't make it on the tour. However, the fact that this national tour billed itself as "Authentic Shaolin Kung Fu" and feature Chen is interesting. It is a testament to Shaolin's rising popularity.
Probably the most exciting prospect on the horizon of Shaolin is the reopening of the Southern Shaolin Temple in November. According to legend, the southern temple was burned down in the Qing Dynasty. Five monks who escaped this destruction (known as the "five elders") are attributed with establishing the southern school such as Hung Gar and Wing Chun. The central Chinese government funded research to located the ruins of this lost temple. In September of 1991, it was announced that the Linquanruan Temple in Putian county, Fujian Province, was actually the site of the southern Shaolin Temple. At this writing, I haven't heard yet if this is the temple that will be unveiled as the new Southern Shaolin Temple this November or not. There were other temples that were in contention as the southern temple site. It will be interesting to see what is taught there. Will it have some valid connection to authentic southern styles, or will everyone be learning compulsory Nanquan (the modern wushu version of "southern fist")? With the tardy opinionated coverage of Shaolin's 1500th anniversary in our martial magazines, I would be surprised to find very much information about this reopened southern temple.
Original Style at the Original Temple
So, what is really happening at the Henan Shaolin Temple? Hell if I know. Every time I arrange my thoughts on the subject in some sort of cohesive manner, I am overwhelmed by all of the factors that need to be addressed. There is so much going on there, and so little information about in the West, that it may take a whole book to describe it. Rather than voicing yet another opinion on the state of the modern Shaolin Temple, I thought I might simply give you my observations of what I saw there.
For the rest of this article, I will serve as your humble guide as we go on a walking tour of Shaolin village. I will try to describe what we might see if we were to walk a few miles up main street, from one end of Shaolin Village to the other. My goal is to provide you with a more penetrating look than at Shaolin than what you might see if you were only there for the usually four hour tour. Hopefully, this will give you with a better understanding of the complex situation at Shaolin Temple, and how many of the criticisms directed at Shaolin are short sighted.
The village- Locals only
Shaolin village is located in a small stream-cut gorge on one of the five holy mountains of China, Mount Song. The closest major city is Zhengzhou, a few hours bus ride away. The closest neighboring town is Dengfeng, which is home to several large Shaolin martial arts schools of its own and a few "Shaolin" hotels.
At the front of Shaolin Village, you are greeted with a large statue of a noble Shaolin monk, with his palms placed together in front of his hart. This monk stands in a fenced off yard with benches, trees and grass. The gate to this yard is always locked, but it is easy to hop over. The locals will yell at you if we are caught inside the gates. They like to think of it as there private little place to hang out and smoke cigarettes. At night, it is a great place to practice. It is very inspirational.
The village itself has one main street with several small alleys. This main street is lined with small store shacks. These stores sell all sort of tings: from martial arts equipment such as punching bags, sparring pads, uniforms and weapons, to sundries that the student might need, like soap, clothes, drinks and food, even fake pagers (actually, they are cheap LCD watches that look like pagers). This year the hot item was tasers. Thee electric stun guns are very popular as a means of self defense, since guns are not as abundant as in the U.S.A. Even the cops don't have guns, which is another reason why there is such high value placed on Kung Fu. I was on the prowl for a Taser with Shaolin Temple written on it (that would have been my own personal treasure!), but I never found one. There are also restaurants and liquor stores, primarily for the Chinese tourists and many, many martial arts schools.
This is rural China so "main street" is filthy. Pigs run wild and children defecate on the side walks. Garbage is littered into the gutters and in unused corners. Both the tourist and the locals are very inconsiderate when it comes to trash. Rats, centipedes, stinging wasps, scorpions and other unmentionable vermin thrive here. There is noisy construction all around. New buildings, more pavement, and new attractions are all signs of the economic development of Shaolin Village. The stench and the dust can be overpowering. The village can be also be a nasty place if you not used to poverty. Many people live on the streets and sleep in the dirt. They possess little more than their clothes and their hunger.
Poking through the little stores of the village is a trip in itself. Last year, I counted over 50 stores that sold martial arts equipment. This year, there may have been more. Most of the weapons that are available here are of the cheapest materials and are of the flimsy wushu variety. I once read a criticism of this point by an American writer. That writer believed that those weapons were too light for traditional Kung Fu and cited it as evidence against Shaolin's authenticity. What that writer failed to see was that the thousands of people that train at Shaolin would love to work with better, heavier weapons, but they just can't afford it. Most of the Kung Fu teachers and students are very poor. Good weapons and equipment are a rare commodity. When you are poor, you make the best of what you can get. Believe me, when you show anyone in Shaolin a true combat weapon, they drool with desire. Even the monks will light up when they see a good piece of battle hardware. They like the real stuff as much, if not more, than we do.
Hidden in the back rooms of some of these shops are some remarkable examples of combat steel weapons-real treasures the like cannot be found anywhere else. The catch is that you have to bribe the storekeepers with cigarettes just to look at them. One weapon dealer recognized me from last year when I had bought a lot of his stuff. This year, he told me to bring all of my American friends to his place and he would give me some kick back on any sales we made together. We hustled each other for days over Marlboro Reds (better than gold in China), sales to my friends, and my broken Mandarin. Every once in a while he scurry to the back room and bring out another amazing piece for some outlandish price and we would haggle. Many of his weapons were pieces like I have never ever seen before (and I earned my living just as a sword maker for five years!) I still believe he had more stuff in back that I never got to see. Perhaps next time…
In the center of main street, to the left is the most significant Shaolin school beside the Wushu Guan, Ta Gou. I have heard Ta Gou has anywhere from 2000 to 5000 students (depends on who you talk to). It has one of the most impressive competitive records of any school in China, especially in San Da (free sparring). Their trophy room is packed to the rafters. Behind its impressive gate, is nothing more than a big field and a few small buildings. However, if you get up at daybreak (when there are no tourists), the street are lined with students in Ta Gou uniforms, jogging and sprinting up main street with military precision. That field becomes packed with classes. There are thousands of children, divided into class groups. They execute astounding techniques and routines, over and over again, all under the watchful eye of their instructors. And these kids work it hard or they can be severely punished. To feel the energy of all those children training every day is truly magnificent.
Next stop, the Tourist Zone
The village is split by the gate to the Tourist Zone. The guards at the gate of the tourist zone are your typical communist officials. They will block you or make you go through a different gate for no particular reason beyond their own personal whim. Most of the time, they will ignore you completely. It is best to do what they say when in their presence. Communist officials can make your life hard if they do not get the "face" that they think they deserve. If you go to your right, up a small road, you can get into the Zone by cutting through the Wushu Guan and avoid these guards completely.
Outside the gate to the right is where you should purchase your tickets. There is one general ticket that gets you all the official attractions. Private owned attractions, such as the prehistoric mummy (which I am sure is fake) or the fat Buddha that houses some dingy mannequins, are all extra. Most of these tourist traps are nasty rip-offs, but they only rip you off for pennies, so personally, I find them irresistible. The depth of their sleaziness never ceases to amaze and impress me.
Across main street is the Quanzhou cinema. As tourist attractions go at Shaolin, this "official" one is surprisingly good quality. It is one of those 360 degree movie houses, where multiple projectors and screens surround you. Every half hour, a twenty minute documentary on Shaolin Temple is shown here. It is completely in Chinese without subtitles, but it is still very worthwhile. Check out the tasty Popsicles with the squid on the label at the concession stand.
The first building complex inside the tourist zone is the Shaolinsi Wushu Guan. The Shaolin Wushu Guan is a 40,000 square meter complex, 7000 meters east of the temple. It is the largest training facility devoted exclusively to Kung Fu in China, possibly the largest in the world. about thirty of the Shaolin Monks reside at the Wushu Guan. They perform everyday for the endless parade of tourists and teach us weak and clumsy foreigners. These monks can be hard to recognize until you get to know them. They seldom wear their robes because when they do, they are mobbed by tourists who want photos. They tend to prefer T-shirt souvenirs from their international tours and baseball caps to cover their bald heads from the sun. Once you get to know them, they are a great group of people, not only for their amazing skill but for their individual characters. Their generous demeanor and intense discipline is everything you might expect from such a legendary figure as a Shaolin monk.
On the left side of main street is the Wushu Guan amphitheater. This is where hundreds of children trained under the auspices of Wushu Guan instructors (not necessarily the monks). To the right is the center of the Wushu Guan. In the courtyard are eighteen exquisite bronze statues upon which the locals like to hang their laundry. This courtyard is the entrance to the central main demonstration hall, and two smaller training halls. The main hall is where the monks demonstrate and train, the other halls are where they train themselves and their students. The main hall was probably gorgeous when it first opened, but now it has fallen into a stage of disrepair. It has a beautiful ceiling mural and dragon chandelier, which can only be seen when you are lying on your back in the center of the demonstration floor (due to my training regimen this year, I spent a lot of time looking at it, much more than I would have wished). Behind building this is the training yard. This yard has all sorts of obstacles, like plum flower posts, and is used primarily for photo shoots. On the other side of the yard are two foreigners dormitories (an old disheveled one in front and a new disheveled one in back), a Kareoke bar and a restaurant. These dormitories offer the best facilities in town: rooms with balconies, a T.V., a toilet, a shower with tub, a sink and occasionally- running water. The restaurant is rat infested and tea pot are frequently plugged with dead bugs; It is one of the cleaner eating establishment in town. The Karaoke bar is the best place of all. In this noisy, tiny and gaudy bar, you may find yourself listening to a communist party leader or a Hong Kong organized crime boss sing his heart out (better applaud loudly) or get caught in a drinking contest with a Shaolin Monk (watch out for the drunken style masters, they will sucker punch you with their Chinese drinking games).
One of the most hideous aspects of the Tourist Zone are dragon buses. These run-down, filthy, nasty buses give Shaolin the feeling of a ride at a cheap carnival. You can catch tern anywhere in the Zone, just like an infection. There are also horse and buggy rides, which aren't quite as evil as the buses. I was once in such a buggy, brimming with some of my travel companions and several of the monks almost a dozen of us - when one of the monks decides to start pushing us, the full buggy, the horse, and all uphill. I think it was his idea of a joke. Everyone laughed but the horse.
Further up main street, on the right, is the Shaolin Temple. It is still in the process of restoration. Last year, the bell tower that was destroyed by the Japanese in 1928 was rebuilt. A vegetarian restaurant was also constructed. This year, another symmetrical tower is nearing completion. While it is easy to be critical of the garish tourism that surrounds the Temple, it is the revenues generated by this tourism that is funding this restoration. Without tourism, the entire Temple would still be ruins. Everyone who visits Shaolin village will visit the temple. Some of us have even trained in there. Perhaps I will describe what lies inside in a later article, but let's trod onward.
Across form the Shaolin Temple, on the left, is new temple, The Temple of Four Directions. This temple is laid out on the cardinal directions, like a compass. In the center is a stunning Avalokiteshavara Buddha. The four wings of this temple are filled with statues of the Lohan or Arhats, which are sort of like Buddhist saints. Some of these statues are disturbingly lifelike, so that you might swear that they gaze back at you. Others are delightfully surreal, with grossly extended arms, or six feet long eyebrows, or two pares of eyes. There is even a Christ figure, holding a lamb (Jesus is sometimes considered an Buddhist arhat!) This temple is not very well attended, which makes it a lot more peaceful and pleasant. Personally, I found this place was a little too quiet; All of those statues can get a little creepy.
Just past the temple, on the right, is the trail up the peak to Ta Mo's cave. This stone carved trail is breathtaking and steep. The hike takes an hour or two, depending on how fast you climb steep, uneven stairs. It is the most extraordinary part of Shaolin village, not to be missed. This modest cave is where Ta Mo meditated for nine years. Last, year, a magnificent marble statue of Ta Mo was built on top of this peak. It overlooks the entire gorge and can be seen from anywhere in Shaolin Village. This statue is another contribution of tourist money.
Beyond the trail and past another array of tourist stands is the Pagoda forest. It is now fenced off but they tend not to check your ticket. This is another significant relic of Shaolin that is worth checking out. Right next to the Pagoda forest is a new large aviary. I never went in the aviary; it was way too tourist, even for me. It did not seem like a lot of others were going there either. It may soon fade away, like so many other tourist traps that have risen then faded over the past decade of Shaolin's popularity.
Holy Mount Song
Towards the end of the main street is the Song Yang cableway. This delightful ski lift will spirit you up to the top of one of the nearby peaks where there is a small monastery and a gun range. The gun range is situated against a sheer rock wall where there is a powerful echo. For a small fee, you can shoot fully automatic machine guns into the mountainside and listen to it reverberate. It's great way to relax after a hard day's work out.
On one side of the cableway is a high wire suspended between two peaks that some old guy rids a bike across for a tourist stunt. I never saw this happen myself. He used to do it everyday, bur apparently has slowed down in his old age. The cable is very high, so I am sure it is impressive. Beyond that is one of Mount Song's sacred spots, the Nine Dragon Polls. This is a series of natural polls, one of which is at the bottom of a thirty-foot cliff dive, if you dare. Trust me, take a guide to the polls. It is a treacherous trail and difficult to find, but quite pristine.
On the other side of the cableway is a trail that can take you across mount Song. If you are into hiking in nature, this trail is well worth it. You will have to hike up and down hundreds of stone stairs, traverse thin causeways on sheer cliffs, and brave a rickety suspension bridge over a vertiginous plunge, but the sights are so beautiful that you cannot but be spiritually moved. There is a reason that Mount Song has earned a place as on the five holy mountains; It is truly majestic. The natural wonders of Mount Song have heavenly to behold. Few westerners get out here, which makes it all the more special. Too many western tourists become so focused on the village and the Temple, that they miss the real power of the holy land. In my opinion, this is the best part of all.
Shaolin Tomorrow
What is happening at Shaolin right now is tremendously exciting for us in the marital world. No other place in the world can claim such an extraordinary history, and I challenge anyone to find such an immense concentration of martial arts anywhere else in the world. Shaolin's tourism is a two-edged sword. While it also generates much needed income to continue restoration efforts. I asked one of the monks who resided in the temple how he felt about this situation. He said that Shaolin was experiencing a time of great economic wealth, and that was good. While the money was coming in, it should be funneled toward rebuilding and improving the temple. He felt that, in time, the tourist chaos will subside. Meanwhile, there was always a time a place to practice, away from the prying eyes of the tourists. You just have to get up earlier in the morning or stay up later into the night.
In truth, it is very difficult for outsiders to penetrate the tourist facade of Shaolin. Personally, I feel that I have barely scratched the surface. I can't imaging what impression one might have after spending less than a day there, which is what most tourists do. I saw a very reputed Sifu take his tour group through Shaolin village in just four hours. They only saw the Temple, the Pagoda forest, and a demonstration by one of the local schools that dressed their top students up like monks. It was a good demonstration, but it wasn't the real monks. I cannot but wonder how those tourist might have perceived about Shaolin. When anyone tells you their opinion about what is really happening at Shaolin Temple, be skeptical.
Ultimately, it does not matter what opinion we voice here about Shaolin Temple. No one person, even the Abbot of Shaolin can control the situation. Our treasured temple is the hands of fate. What we can do is attempt to preserve and restore what is left. We can work to pass its legacy on to further generations. This begins by educating ourselves and others about what is really there, not what we think is there or what we wish would be there. Perhaps, if we can understand where we are coming from, we will have a clearer idea of where we are going. If Shaolin should fall again in our generation, whether it be to the Manchus, the communist tourists or the arm chair martial arts Philistines of the west, the fault will be none other than our own.
