Here’s the first of a few vids we plan to post on our YouTube Channel: Shaolin Warrior Monks at UCLA. It was a short, impromptu demo, done right after the Art of Shaolin Philosophy presentation at UCLA. More to come.
The event was extraordinary. It was so great to see so many old friends, many monks and Shaolin practitioners that I’ve known for nearly twenty years, and make so many new friends. I was very humbled to receive so much praise for our work from the Shaolin community. I’ll fill in more later, because after four days away from the office, I have a heap of work to catch up (no rest for the wicked :o).
Shaolin kung fu diplomacy
Updated: 2013-10-12 09:41
By Hu Haidan at the United Nations (China Daily)
Monks from the Shaolin Temple perform kung fu at the United Nations headquarters during the 2013 Shaolin Temple Cultural Festival. Hu Haidan / China Daily
Shi Yongxin, the 30th-generation abbot of the legendary Shaolin Temple, led a cultural delegation to perform kung fu at the United Nations headquarters on Oct 9.
Performing traditional Chinese martial arts moves, the 18-member group wowed the audience, many of whom said they had never seen such feats before.
Shi introduced the Shaolin culture, saying Shaolin kung fu provides a ready way of sharing the wisdom of Buddhism and Shaolin’s contribution to the peace and health of mankind.
He said that the Shaolin Temple, which was founded during the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 386-534) and is the birthplace of Shaolin martial arts and Zen Buddhism Shaolin kung fu, was legendary around the world.
Steve Orlins, president of the National Committee on US-China Relations attended the event.
Orlins said sports and cultural exchanges play an important role in US-China relations.
He recalled the legacy of “ping-pong diplomacy”, and said he believed that exchanges like the Shaolin delegation’s visit would strengthen the friendship between the two countries.
The appearance was co-hosted by the American-China Sports Association and Union National Culture & Sports Foundation.
Chen Ping, chairwoman of ACSA, said she views Shaolin kung fu as a holy and sacred tradition.
“The success of tonight’s event inspires us to develop sports and cultural exchanges with confidence and determination,” she said. “We will continue our efforts to make a difference.”
Since Shi took office, he has continually promoted Shaolin martial arts and the Shaolin Temple in general. Shi and Shaolin Buddhist monks have visited many countries and regions including Japan, South Korea, the US and Russia to spread Chinese traditional culture to promote friendship and understanding among foreign cultures.
The essence of Shaolin kung fu is the unity of Zen, which focuses on the combination of chan (mind) and kung fu(body).
The performance at the UN was part of the 2013 Shaolin Temple Cultural Festival.
As part of the festival, Shi gave a speech at the Memorial Church at Harvard University on Oct 8, where he described the fundamental aim of Buddhism which is to spiritualize the mind, seek wisdom, reflect on your motivations, live a simpler, healthier lifestyle, study the Buddha’s teachings regularly, and keep practicing and learning from others.
Shi and the Shaolin cultural delegation will give a kung fu demonstration in Los Angeles on Oct 12.
The UN & Harvard visits were just the warm up act.
Nice kungfu and a great 2x1Finger-Stand ! And seeing Shi Yanzhuang teaching is always a kick in the … - i wonder, if everbody there knew what honour he/she enjoys - Some of the photographies show very well his calm and clear way of teaching - harrrrrrrr …
I missed the evening demo. Where are the traditional performances or was it all <mostly> biaoyan wushu? Performance didn’t look too lihai, seems they brought the reserve team. The main line up is probably on tour anyways.
I know I saw a brief clip of Yan Zhuang’s beard doing Rou Quan, any others?
We should have more vids coming up. You’ll see. There was only a small sprinkling of chuantong in the first set, which was mostly hand forms. That being said, it was pretty fast paced biaoyan. The overall choreography kept up an engaging pace. The lighting and sound were very professional. It was one of the better shows I’ve seen, given that most shows are predominantly biaoyan.
Who was that dude? I thought he was with your school, wenshu.
Awww…missed a great event…I miss the shaolin scene…
here is a video of the night performance..it the whole thing…camera angle kind of sucks at times…but good enough
totally different style then the usual shaolin performances I am use to seeing.
not much group forms. not much qiqong either (good, gets boring after seeing all the same qi qong trick over and over)
Who was that dude? I thought he was with your school, wenshu. 