Shaolin Special 2003

[GeneChing]

For Subscribers, we shipped out to you late last week. You should be receiving your issue very soon.

For Newsstand, expect to see it onstand in two weeks.

For the rest of you, order here (http://store.yahoo.com/martialartsmart/kf200119.html)

I will be very eager to hear your response to this issue on this forum.
;)

[wall]

OUCH!! Just tried to order but it charges me $3 for the mag and $27 for shipping!! Ok, I'm in Italy, but $27 to ship a mag? I send whole packs of photos and mags to friends in the US for about $12 shipping, air mail (1 week approx).....

Gene, in the past I've see the mag around Milano, Italy, in some international bookstores and such: any chance you have the list of who sells it here, and when will they get their copies?

Thanks heaps!!

Wall

[norther practitioner]

I'm looking foward to getting it.:D

[GeneChing]

Unfortunately, our shipping is set up for gear, not for magazines, so it's pretty high for internationals because its labor intensive here. And even more unfortunately, we don't know anything about where our foreign distributors place us. They just order a bunch. Foreign magazine distribution is really weird. But FWIW, we couldn't evenpublish a list of our outlets anywhere, because it's so subject to change that it wouldn't be meaningful. I hope you can find an issue in Italy. Best of luck and do let us know if you suceed.

[Vash]

I want one! I want one!

[GeneChing]

You'll have to give me your reactions after you get one and read it through. This one is a bit more penetrating then any of the past specials.

[Vash]

I hope so ;)

As cool as the cover was, the T'ai Chi in-depther kinda bored the bejeesus outta me. No offence to the taijiquan players out there, but dang. Hats? ;)

Now, this Shaolin stuff oughta be good. Them darn monks with their "Hai-Yaws" and "Kung Fu Grips" and stuff.

The cover looks cool, too.

Soon as Wal-Mart gets them jokers in down this way, it's gonna be MINE!

30 Minutes till I fail a history test! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Judge Pen]

Great! I just subscribed to the magazine, and just in time!

[GeneChing]

...and the cover story (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=397), although without the Chinese characters. Enjoy!

[canglong]

Shaolin wing chun (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0736045686/qid=1064517934/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-1016670-4255151?v=glance&s=books)

[ngokfei]

Hey got it yesterday in a Borders here in GA.

Nice addition to the shaolin collection. Really should be called Gene's Shaolin Adventure since you wrote I think 8 of the articles.

Some insightful stuff on the development that Shaolin is taking to reclaim its place as a "Traditional Temple oh and yes teach traditional MA as well".

Hey gene, do you plan to do indpeth biographies on the top 10, 18 etc.? Or (I presume you taped it) the various performances at that conference of traditional artist. Be interest to see.

Besideds all the politicing articles there are only 2 with actual info on the style and training methods: Guo Lin's The Wisdom of Our Ancestors/The wWay of Shaolin Kung Fu Training and Shi Xing Hao and Dieter Wagner's "The Roof of Shaolin's True Power".

Gene: not to stir up things but who elected Yong Xin as Abbot. I think you said there reallybeen only three for the last 3 1/2 centuries. Guess this has to do with getting all of the parties together to research and recognize a potential candidate. Do you know what the requirements are in order to hold an election?
As I see it really has to do with politicing just like in any organization.

All in all a great issue, hats off.

eric

[GeneChing]

Yeah, I did do a lot, but I felt I had to hit some of the research that was really fresh like the Abbot interview, the Symposium, the relocation, Dengfeng today and the new compulsories. Plus I've always wanted to present the top three masters together so people could see the folk treasures. Everything is moving to Dengfeng where martial arts is concerned, so I directed a lot of my energies to that. Forgive my indulgence.

I do not plan to do the Shaolin top ten or the 18's. I may do a few more of them, but it's too many and I have other stuff I'd rahter present. I still have over half a dozen other interviews with different Shaolin masters that I didn't get to for this issue.
I intentionally invited all the monks to present technical articles. Only Guolin, Lipeng and Xinghao came in before deadline. Hopefully we'll get more next time.

I covered some of the requirements of Abbacy and the process of becoming Abbot in my previous interview with Yongxin in our 2000 Shaolin Special (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=153). A lot of it is internal though - it is a temple after all.


See Vash? hats 'r cool. :cool:

[ngokfei]

ohyeah that car/corvette looks kind of weird.

But again I've attended quite a few chinese funerals and they burn many mock up items like cars, houses, watches, computers, sneakers, cell phones, etc. Something to do with having these items in the after world...

I've do hve to find time to get to shaolin again. I was there in 1988 and boy was it a slum. But hey that brought out the intrigue into the falling down buildings, etc. Now with a guided service I think it will be better because I didn't know anything about the temple since I couldn't really communicate too well except pointing for food and finding the toilet.

Gene: This service from that travel agency. Do they set up private tours with a translator. Want to meet some specific teachers in various provinces and will need a translator, etc.

eric

[GeneChing]

True, their are many unusual afterlife offerings at funerals - hell notes are no hell cell phones, hell atm cards, all sorts of stuff. But that is more a southern China thing. Also, the pagoda forest is a major archeological treasure. A lot of people don't realize what a spectacular collection it is. Of course, a lot of martial artists don't know squat about chinese culture, much less ancient calligraphy and stupas. So Suxi's stupa is pretty harsh there, at least for some.

As for CITS, I'm sure they could set you up. Are you planning to go alone or with a group? If you're going solo, I'd avoid them except for in Dengfeng. I can only really speak for the Dengfeng branch personally, but they've always done well by me. You can read more about CITS in a China Lonely Planet Guide. Some branches have rather poor reputations for ripping tourist off, particularly the Beijing branch, but I've only had really positive experiences with the Dengfeng branch.

[jun_erh]

he should join 50 more commitees THEN i'll accept him. nice article

[GeneChing]

...thus the 'com' prefix.

thanks for the compliment :cool:

[jun_erh]

If I gain a hundred pounds. will you type my resume too

[GeneChing]

...you become the leader of a 1500 year old temple. :p

[Vash]

Broke off my @$$. Gonna hafta borrow some money to put gas in my tank. Maybe I can syphon off some of that green for a piece o' the mag . . .

[crazymaddrunk]

any word on those super-cool shirts (in XXL?)

[Serpent]

Originally posted by GeneChing
...thus the 'com' prefix.

thanks for the compliment :cool:

COMpliment, eh?

[GeneChing]

serp: thanks for catching that. i thought it was clever at the time, but then feared it would be lost to the unobservant. :cool:

cmd: i was just following up on that for you yesterday. our tennessee office was supposed to send us the xxl - it's funny, we buy our shirts from the same national vendor, but they have offices all over the US, and different stock. So our local CA vendor didn't have the goods, but our TN vendor did. Soooo, just for you, we had to buy the xxl's from TN, then ship them internally to CA. I really wanted to have them in last week since we did a promotion on the shirt at www.martialartsmart.com, but it didn't happen. i'm really expecting them any day now.

vash: our cover price is only $3.99 US. you could beg that at a stoplight in a few hours. Make a sign "will work for Kung Fu Magazine" ;)

[Vash]

Work? Ewww. I feel dirty having read that.

In other news, WTF? I went to Wal-Mart today, and they had IKF, Black Belt, and the Ring. Heck, they had Muscle & Fantasy.

Where's the KFM?

:eek:

[rubthebuddha]

gene -- do you have a standard distribution here in the states, or is it as reliable as it is outside of our borders?

i'm thinkin bellingham, washington. ;)

[crazymaddrunk]

bought my issue today, d@mn good reading Gene! Hey, how many pictures were you in, Gene? LOL just picking on you, bro...

actually, it's the best KFM I've seen yet

[Vash]

Arghh! I want one!

[MasterKiller]

OK, am I an idiot or something? I go to get the Shaolin Special at the local book store, and they still have the Sept. issue out on the shelves. I asked a clerk, and she said they have to keep it out until Nov. 1.

Will the Shaolin issue be on the shelves after Nov. 1? How is everyone else getting it?

[GeneChing]

Preiodical distribution is a funny thing, a real funny thing. We are in Wal-Mart, but each store is different when it comes to magazines, so individual outlets may differ. One factor that gives a lot of our competitors an advantage is that they have multiple titles, and newsstands like that. A common strategy is to set up a new magazine with the intention of discontinuing it after the sales results come in. Sales results don't close until almost a year after the issue hits the stands, so you can get a good run like that. We used to have multiple titles, but it became too troublesome for us, besides our expertise lay in CMA, so we decided to focus our efforts.
Whatever the case, we are grateful for your efforts in finding us on the newsstand. Thank you, thank you!

vash: all good things in all good time.

rtb: We are distributed by Curtis, who also does another major MA mag. Our distribution is stable, but like I said above, mag distribution is really weird science. You guys really don't want to get into this. It's the boring awful part of my job...

cmd: Thanks for the props. Yeah, lots of pics of me. I needed to knock home my face at Shaolin with some of the grand masters again. They are starting to acknowledge me more and open up more to my interviews. It was a calculated tactic, for future projects. Hope my ugly puss didn't scare you. I promise I won't do it again. ;)

mk: That's some little store clerk giving you lip. Every magazine lists an offstand date and every mag lists it as one month past the real date, just to grab a few more days of newsstand time. It's the same reason why a Nov. issue is coming out in Oct. No one really pays attention to that though, unless they making some smart ass comment to a customer. The mags are replaced when they come into the store and somebody gets around to putting them out and pulling the old ones. It should be out in your area soon.
Thanks for asking at the counter!

[Vash]

Patience is a Shaolin trait. I'm an OMA practitioner.

:D

[crazymaddrunk]

well heck Gene, if you can get great articles and interviews just by standing in some pictures with your mug-shot, then by all means, continue to do so!

you're not that ugly of a guy (especially not like Carter said to Jackie in Rush Hour 2 - "third-world ugly") LOL

anyway, great articles!

[Vash]

Finally the WallyWorld had it. Gonna read tomorrow. Gotta be at work at 8 in the morning for a meeting. And I got off at 1 this morning. Fudge me.

Time for hot bath, sleep.

[Vash]

Just finished the Shaolin special. Great stuff.

Gonna go pull the little card for a subscription and fill that puppy out.

~Peace~

[GeneChing]

vash = Thanks for subscribing. We really appreciate it. For you others - subscribe here (http://store.yahoo.com/martialartsmart/mag.html). I didn't even know we were in WallyWorld. I don't even know what WallyWorld is...

cmd =
not that ugly of a guy Thanks. I think. :confused: Next time, I'll cut down on the mug shots, I promise.

mk & all others = As for the newsstands, the Shaolin Special is being treated as a "special issue" by some newsstands, which means that they are not pulling down the Sep Oct 2003 issue (http://store.yahoo.com/martialartsmart/kf200118.html) and just putting the Shaolin issue alongside it. Also, we've been appearing in both the sports sections (usually right next to the wrestling magazines) and the philosophy/newage/eastern thought magazines, next to Yoga Journal, so be sure to check both sections. If you want to support us in a grass roots sort of way and are already subscribed, be sure to move our display to the front whenever you see us. It's the least you can do for use of this fine forum! :D

[Vash]

WallyWorld = Wal-Mart, the Shaolin Temple of Department Stores :D

[Brad]

I went ahead and subscribed too... even decided to buy Hero at the last second :D So poor... Online ordering with debit/credit cards really screws over us impulse buyers :mad:

[GeneChing]

I was stuck on the image of Chevy Chase for some reason and didn't make the connection.

Thanks for subscribing Brad! And you'll have to let us know what you think of Hero. I loved it, not so much for it's martial arts, but more for it's story and cinematography.

[Songshan]

I just picked up the 2003 Shaolin special issue magazine. All I can say is wow! It is getting better and better all the time. It is filled with lots of information and the quality is outstanding. Gene, I just had to say that your opening commentary for the magazine was truly amazing. Please keep up the great work and I look forward for more Shaolin specials.

Adam

[GeneChing]

The Shaolin Special 2003 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=397) is still on the newsstands, but it will probably be coming off in the next two weeks, so get yours while you can. Our Shaolin specials generally sell out.

[GeneChing]

It's the same deal for subscriptions as always - a little cheaper, a little faster and you get a free shirt - subscribe here (http://store.yahoo.com/martialartsmart/19341.html). But if you order, you won't get the Shaolin issue. In fact, we already shipped our following issue to subscribers - JAN FEB 2004.

[Songshan]

Yes, get it early. I was late to get mine and had to wait at least two weeks before getting my paws on a copy. I thought I missed it but the book store I go to here in Houston got a second shipment....whew!! :)

[Songshan]

Whats with the car on Shi Suxi's pagoda????

[GeneChing]

...it also has a computer, a video camera, a plane, a yacht, and one other thing that I can't remember now. In China, it's a common practice to burn hell notes - sacrificial money - so deceased ancestors have some change for the afterworld. In HK, this has evolved to include sacrificial cars, cell phones, all sorts of wacky modern conveniences, made out of colorful paper. Man, I would have to have a cell phone in my afterlife. Anyway, the pagoda is something like that. It's very controversial since Shaolin's pagoda forest is an archeologic treasure. I think I address it in the article in the special.

[Scythefall]

Gene I do want to congratulate you and your staff on this latest Shaolin special issue. I don't think a better compilation could have been put together. Thanks for the hard work and I know getting to talk to these monks and get their perspectives had to be one hell of a good time. When Shi Xingpeng is talking about the training he endured, I really felt like a slacker and it pushed me to double-up my pushups, situps, and cardio. Shi Xinghao's article on Shaolin power was very good too and it was nice to see a change on the all too familiar twisting exercises that we do every night at my school.

Anyway, thanks for the very special issue and cheers!!

[GeneChing]

I'm sure both Lipeng and Xinghao would be pleased that they inspired you. That's what it's all about, really. :cool:

Thanks again for your support, guys. Stay tuned, more to come.

[Vash]

I have to concur with Scythefall. Reading about these martial artists training definetly makes me wanna get off my gimp @$$ and do some actual training.

Though I am a karate man myself, your magazine is an amazing resource for all martial artists.

Accept the ugly ones. ;)

[GeneChing]

That's a very kind compliment. I've always felt there is a lot of cross over, but our readership wishes us to remain exclusive to CMA. Still, it's great to hear that a karateka is interested.

[Vash]

That's all good. Not really a whole lot going on in the karate world that I'd care to know. Politics is the new kata, apparently.

One suggestion, though: a new Xingyiquan special. That'd kick arse.

[GeneChing]

We won't be doing a xingyi issue, unfortunately, that's a bit too narrow. But an upcoming issue will have some xingyi stuff for reasons that will be apparent when you see the focus of that issue. That'll be in a few months tho, so be patient. :D

[Vash]

Alas, I'll by it anyway. Heck, I might one day buy a subscription.

[GeneChing]

... here's where to subscribe (http://store.yahoo.com/martialartsmart/19341.html)

[Vash]

Well, the new one is supposed to be on newsstands now . . . still not here! Darn El Dorado!