Shaolin Temple Documentaries

[hanguolaohu]

I’m currently editing a documentary about the Shaolin Temple and have been searching for any good documentaries that has footage of the Shaolin Temple pre-1990's. Most of the docs I've seen were made fairly recently, it seems like the most "old school" doc I've seen is “Shaolin Kung Fu” (Shaolin Zhen Gongfu) with monk Shi De Yang. I'm particularly interested in finding footage during the period before and after the Jet Li Shaolin Temple movie came out.

So far, the documentaries I have watched are:
-Shaolin Kungfu (Shaolin Zhen gongfu)- doc. with Jet Li and Shaolin monks. Memorable scene of Shi Xing Cheng doing iron palm slapping 4 bricks, which only cracks the top one, but actually all 4 are broken down the middle.
-This is Kung Fu- doc. of gongfu throughout China
-Secrets of the Warrior's Power- good general doc about gongfu
-Myths and Logic of Shaolin Kungfu- Recent National Geographic doc.
-The Empty Mind- Good doc. Recently made about training at Shaolin, Wudang & Japan.
-Shaolin Ulysses- Zhang Li Peng's dad’s section has a bit of info.
-Shaolin Wheel of Life- short doc in extras section.
-French doc- “Mysterious powers of the Shaolin monk”, has footage of young Shi De Cheng and Wan Heng europe performance tour.
-Discovery Channel- “Ancient warriors” episode about Shaolin.
-Shaolin Temple w/Jet Li- not a doc but useful nonetheless.
-Dragons of the Orient- no comment
-Real Chinese Kung Fu- 1964 b/w footage of masters in Taiwan.

If you know of any other docs dealing with Shaolin, Especially pre-90’s please let me know.

Thanks,
Alexander

[David Jamieson]

Look for the one on Hai Deng.

I think it is called:

"Hai Deng- Immortal Beacon of compassion" or "Hai Deng- Abbot of Shaolin" (or something like that).

It's a doc on Shaolin that talks about Hai Deng and how he returned to Shaolin to begin reinstilling the martial arts there in the 1960's (Pre CR I believe). the film was compiled in 88 I think, but I could be off on that too seeing as I only saw it once or twice so long ago.

I understand he left after a time due to old age and illness but mostly out of disgust because of the intentions of his political masters.

anyway, What is shown about Hai Deng in the film is quite impressive and even amazing. he was a master of Shaolin Kungfu specializing in one finger zen. His skill in that was, well, stunning. I haven't seen anyone do a sustained one finger hand stand except for this guy, and though he was diagonal against a wall, I still haven't seen anyone do that either. pretty neat stuff if you can find it.

[Pk_StyLeZ]

too bad they didnt show how he got on the wall with one finger...
that i would like to see
instead of from him sitting dwn to camera off to camera on to him on wall using one finger *support*

[GeneChing]

I think I mentioned the Hai Deng one to you via email, didn't I?

Pk_StyLeZ: I think there's a kick up to a two-finger, two-hand stand in our Extreme Kungfu Qigong video - here a link to an e-zine article (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=471) on it. That article might address some of the qigong questions Alex had for me too - I can't remember if I passed it along yet...

As for the Hai Deng one, the one in the doc, it's at such a weird angle that I'm sure it's faked. Not that he couldn't do it, although maybe not as the age for the documentary...

Did you know that Hai Deng was actually the first Shaolin monk to come to America?

[hanguolaohu]

Thanks, I've ordered the Hai-Teng doc on VHS. I've seen footage of him including the one finger zen pose in "Shaolin Zhen Gongfu". What's funny is my Chinese friend saw that documentary many years ago in China, and she said there was a rumor that the one finger zen was faked, which brings up the question why the film starts with him already in that position as opposed to him lifting himself into it.

I have filmed a few people doing two finger zen (two fingers, one hand). The guy was in his 30's and had very thick fingers and after about 10 seconds in that position he stopped and actually cried. What's interesting about the Hai-Teng footage is his finger is hardly bent from the pressure of the handstand, whereas all the other two finger zens I have filmed of guys in their physical prime, their fingers are bent and you can see the physical exertion of such a difficult feat.

I believe qigong is real, and it'll help to accomplish great things, but there's something about that footage that seems a bit fishy.

Alexander

[David Jamieson]

What makes you guys suppose it s faked?
There are other stills of Hai Deng in this pose and plenty of
people who have seen him do it. Both the 2 and one finger Chan poses.

I guess it could be faked, but why bother? Why not just show it for what it is?
I mean most people are impressed with jumping kicks, why do something as boring as an arhat posture difficult or not? :p

[hanguolaohu]

Hey Gene!
We posted at almost the same time, but you beat me to it. Well, glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks that the one finger zen looks fake. No disrespect to Hai-Deng, he is an amazing man, but even qigong masters have to obey some of the laws of physics.

Jamieson, I'm curious where have you seen other stills of Hai-Deng doing one finger zen? Also, who are these "other people" who have seen him do it? I would like to get in contact with these people.

Also, anyone can do a jumping kick, but I've only seen Hai-Deng do true 1 finger zen. That's very impressive, especially considering he was in his 80's when that was filmed. Around Shaolin, some young performers do 2 hands 2 fingers. The guy on the Shaolin Wheel of Life tour does two hands one finger. I've only seen one guy at Shaolin to true 2 finger zen (one hand two fingers). I'm sure there are are other, I've only seen 1 finger zen in that doc with Hai-Deng.

Thanks,
Alexander

[GeneChing]

Hai Deng came to the US for a short stint to promote the documentary, even though it wasn't really being shown here anywhere. It was before there was much of a market for such videos. I've talked with a Buddhism professor who was there. Unfortunately, all though he gave me plenty of leads, that professor didn't really want to publish anything - I'm not sure why. I've followed up on a few of those leads, but they've all panned out unfortunately. Anyway, that professor told me in confidence that Hai Deng was none to happy with the way the whole doc went - remember that it was shot in more oppressive times in PRC, especially for Buddhists. He alluded that the finger handstand was faked. I think if you look at it in the doc, it's just too weird. The way his shoulder is bent, it really doesn't look very convincing to me, especially after workin g on handstands in yoga... but who knows? I believe he could do it at one time, maybe even at that time, but I don't think he did it for that doc.

I too would be interested in seeing other photos of the handstand. Can you hook us up here?

You know, I have another doc VCD or DVD (not sure which yet) on Yujian Shaolin, by networld zeenji. I haven't watched it yet - I suppose I should. I also have a VCD of Dejian's doc that was CCTV - That's the one where they are doing these crazy qinna things on the eddge of this big cliff on Songshan. I'm not sure what I did with that. For more on Dejian and Zeenji - check out the Shaolin special 2005 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=590).

There's also that Empty mind doc that you mentioned on email, which I really like, except the Shaolin section is...well...questionable... ;)

[David Jamieson]

Hai Deng 1 finger Chan (http://www.davidjamieson.com/kunglek/images/haideng1fc.jpg)

Hai Deng Two finger Chan when younger (http://www.davidjamieson.com/kunglek/images/haideng2fc.jpg)

as for who would have seen him do it, well, how about the people that were there? :p

btw and fwiw, there is another picture of him that I can't find right now, but I'll ask around for it.

it shows Hai Deng prepping for one finger chan with a single handstand and walking his feet up the wall. Once he is in position, he lifts to the single finger.

IMO, it's about compression and balance. Stillness is key, like the handless headstand and other such upsidedown arhat postures.

anyway, I'm sure it is indeed possible that anything like this can be faked. Especially if a person was using a highspeed camera to shoot a two finger chan posture like in the big book o'shaolin monk pictures where the monk is actually doing a flip, but the photo was taken at the top of the arc and hence looks like a sustained posture. I suppose it's even possible that it was faked for the film on Hai Deng. Anything is possible...even 1 finger Chan. :D

p.s I remember him showing off some iron vest skills too. Getting whacked across the chest by a student with a relatively short staff (if it was long, big deal that's a parlour trick, but this was a short staff).

Now, I don't know too many old men who can take a blast across the guts and chest from a short staff.

so... give it up for the old man you naysayers! lol Starting fires with Chi is one thing, but kungfu is another entirely.

peas

[hanguolaohu]

Gotta agree with Gene on how Haideng’s one finger chan was filmed. But my question is why would Haideng not be satisfied with how the documentary was filmed? Did they force him to do fake one finger zen, perhaps because if he really did it he could realistically only last a few seconds instead of claiming he could do it for one full hour? And the doc seems to promote Buddhism and Shaolin culture, but perhaps myths or legends instead of truth?

The photo “Hai Deng 2 finger chan when younger” picture caption translates to “Movie was screened in many parts of Sichuan, and inside the movie there’s a 75 year old. Haideng monk. Monk’s wushu picture. Fall of ’79”.

Jamieson, where did you find this picture? The photo is dated fall of ’79 and Haideng was 75 years old “in a movie”. The doc we know of in the US as “Abbot Hai-Teng” (Shao lin Hai Deng Da Shi) is listed on Imdb as made in 1988, and supposedly Haideng was 86 years old. So perhaps there was an earlier documentary of him that was made in China? And Haideng was a disciple of Suxi or who?

Jamieson, I read your threads at:
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2233.html
http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-10064.html

Those websites you mentioned in the 2nd post are no longer up. I couldn’t find any more pics of Haideng on your “kunglek” website.

According to Liang Shou Yu's book Kungfu Elements: "Haideng Fashi(1902-1989)- Also known as Fan Wubing. He was a prominent practitioner in the recent past. At age 21, he became a monk in the Emei Mountains and trained in Yizhijin, Erzhichan, Tongzigong, and Shaolin Wuquan. He was the former Henan Shaolin Temple Abbot and Vice Chairman of the China Buddhist Association."

Gene, what is yujian Shaolin? I'd like to check that out. And I have the VCD's of De Jian already, there are 2 series, each on 2 discs. One has a picture on the cover of a lotus blossom, the other of a sail boat. They are both very interesting, De Jian's gongfu is different than any other style I have seen. A lot of emphasis on breathing techniques and movements are slower but explosive. I was introduced to his martial brother De Feng when I first visited Shaolin. Got to hang out in the bamboo garden, I hope to the Gods that part isn’t being rebuilt.

I also have a few documentaries from China about the top 100 wushu masters. I cleaned that VCD lady on Beihuan Lu out of documentaries. The problem was there are few of these sort of documentaries as most wushu students are interested only in buying routines or techniques VCD’s, very few young people are interested in the traditions or history. Sad…

Alexander

[David Jamieson]

hmm, well, websites come and go as people no longer maintain them or can no longer afford them or for any number of reasons.

It will pop in and out again though I am sure...like anything else. lol

there's nothing new under the sun it is said, and if there is, it's probably just that it is so old it is forgotten. :p

good luck with your film, I would like to see it when done.

cheers

[GeneChing]

First thing, before this goes much further, I should state for the record that I beleive that Haideng was very genuine. That professor who originally told me of Haideng's stay in California felt he was authentic, and that professor's focus was Buddhism. That prof is a practicing Chan Buddhist, and at the same time, very scholarly, so based on his impression, I'm fairly convinced. Also, the few Shaolin monks that crossed paths with Haideng seem to hold him in high reverence.

Now the story behind Haideng is rather messy. He is listed as a Abbot, but clearly he is an honorary Abbot - not officially ordained by Shaolin Temple. His presence at Shaolin predates Shaolin Temple (the movie) (http://store.martialartsmart.net/dvd40021.html) and as we all know, that changed everything. Some claim that Haideng was "installed" at Shaolin as part of Deng's Open Door policy, a strange attempt to increase tourism at Shaolin prior to the film's impact. You have to remember that prior to the movie, there was only a dirt mountain road to Shaolin - it was hard to get to - now there's a highway, of course... Anyway, Liang's reseach is parallel to mine - Haideng was originally from Emei, not Shaolin. Of course, monks do change monastaries, but this also lends some weight to the theory that he was installed in that position by the Government. The claim goes on to say that Haideng wasn't happy about it at all and the documentary was some sort of propagandist manipulation that he was forced into. Please keep in mind, this is just hearsay, but since you asked...

As for Yujian Shaolin, it is a co-op project between Taiwan and Shaolin. This is the same group as discussed in our Biggest Buddha in the World article in the Shaolin special 2005 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=590), but if you really want to get at it, please see our Seven Temples of Henan article in the previous Mar Apr 2005 issue (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=578).

[ngokfei]

hey love those photos

Hai Teng was in NYC in 87 or 88. I wasn't present but my sifu and the rest of the East Coast Kung Fu Federation had a banquet in his honor.

My sifu has alot of photos from the event.

He told me that the old monk's hands were constantly shaking and was his belief was due to iron palm etc.

He did find out that there was a monk that taught Eagle Claw at Shaolin who had learned from Chan Tzi Ching. Nothing more on that.


What I've heard over the years is that he was appointed as the abbott due to his knowledge in Buddhism more so than his Martial ARts.

Question: How was the present Abbott elected. Is it a process like the New Pope??

I also heard that there was some disagreement regarding shaolin procedures which ended up with Hai Teng and His students being removed from Shaolin. I believe the guy on the documentary doing the saber/bench is teaching in Canada?

[GeneChing]

Buddhist Abbots are determined by dharma transmission. In essence, they are selected from the Abbot's top disciples. Usually, this is signified by the passing of the Abbot's bowl and long robe. If you read Transmissions of the Lamp you can trace Chan/Zen lineage all the way back to Buddha. Abbot Shi Yongxin was a disciple of the previous abbot, Shi Xingzhen, and says that he received Xingzhen's bowl and robe - I documented that in our Shaolin Special 2000 cover story (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=153). What confounds this is that these transmissions are often in secret. Also, in modern China, I'm sure that the PRC's department of religion has a lot of say.

hanguolaohu: I thought of two more Shaolin 'documentaries' but they are kind of goofy.

There was a documentary done with David Carridine going to Shaolin, dressed like Kwai Chang Caine (http://www.martialartsmart.net/95067ls.html) no less. He has an audience with Shi Yongxin and hangs out with Shi Deyang. There's also an unbearable scene where he meets Jackie Chan and starts boasting to Jackie about how he got some injuries filming Kung Fu. Oh man... :rolleyes:

There was also an episode of Yan Can Cook, where Martin Yan visits Shaolin. The Shaolin parts are really short and somewhat silly. There's this hilarious scene when Martin 'peeks into the kitchen' at Shaolin. Now I've been in the kitchen. It's kind of disturbing in an unsanitary sort of way. Yan peeks in, then is magically transported to his pristine studio kitchen where he prepares this vegetarian meal that's supposed to be like the monks eat - I can't remember what it was exactly, but I do remember that Yan made some kind of fruity dessert. I've eaten at Shaolin too. They certainly don't eat that. Oh man... :rolleyes:

[Pk_StyLeZ]

didnt read any of the post but beside the one gene replied to me
yeah i seen the two finger hand stand..with two hand.... done in person in front of me..that was pretty amazing...but then again the kid was really skinn..so wasnt dat much weight for the 4 fingers i guess....
but i stil want to see an actualy footage of someone getting onto the one finger
not pictures of movies that jus turns on and u on one finger
make me tink its fake too..unless i see an actualy footage of the whole process

if it was posted..then i must reread later..as i gotta go to work right now

[Shaolinlueb]

does lueb have to come out and show that he can do the two finger handstand too? or should i jsut keep it a secret for many years?

[norther practitioner]

There is some footage of good few finger stuff on that extreme qigong vid...

[GeneChing]

Firstly, I do beleive that Hai Deng could do a one finger handstand. I'm just not convinced he did one for that documentary.

Second, the Extreme Kungfu Qigong (http://store.martialartsmart.net/tc-ca105.html) DVD does have some amazing two finger handstands - you even get to see them go up.

Third, there will be absolutely no more "coming out" for lueb. We all remember the horror of his sports bra incident and we don't want any repeats of such behavior. :mad:

[hanguolaohu]

I heard about David Carradine visiting Shaolin. I'm actually watching the Kung Fu TV series on DVD at this moment. I figured I better be familiar with the series since it was such a big hit, and affected America's perception of Kungfu and Shaolin. I can only say that it's interesting. I have a critical eye towards anything claiming to be "traditional" or "authentic", but I'm just observing and trying to see the good points of the series. I can see how the wisdom and insight was exotic, there was probably nothing like that on TV at the time. I gotta watch the "making of" special feature to hear more about David Chow, sounds like an interesting guy, and I'm curious about his "Kung-Fu - History- Philosophy and Technique" book.

Gene, thanks for the doc suggestions. Perhaps they show how Shaolin culture can spread and perhaps develop to the point of kitsch. Anyway, it's good to know, as Shaolin has all kinds of facets, both beautiful and ugly.

Hanguolaohu

[David Jamieson]

Chow's book is a good primer for any novice looking to get into Kungfu.
It doesn't go into detail in much, in particular the technique stuff so I wouldn't be looking forward to learning a lot from it.

But if you know squat from point A, it's a decent ditty.

I'm off to do some handstands. :D

[GeneChing]

hanguolaohu, you came to Shaolin after most of the kitsch was purged. You should have seen it in the mid 90's. The village was crazy with kitsch. There were all sorts of cheesy attractions from house of horrors, to mummies, to full-auto rifle ranges, to my personal fav, the roller coaster simulator. It's relatively tame now.

Chow's book (http://www.martialartsmart.net/b45-103u.html) is a little dated now, but it did set a lot of precedents. It was one of the more comprehensive books of its day and is still relevant. That being said, there aren't many books that try to be that comprehensive.

Speaking of Carridine, what a fine time to plug our new grasshopper shirt (http://www.martialartsmart.net/95067ls.html). ;)

[hanguolaohu]

True, the hardcore kitsch of Shaolin village is gone. Alas. Interesting how most tourists would deplore the place, and say that it detracted from the temple's "peaceful" atmosphere. Ironic how the people who trained Shaolin, sweated, ate bitter, and lived the Shaolin life loved the novelty of "Shaolin Land". I guess its success was due to it being anything but Shaolin, it was an escape from the rigid lifestyle of Gongfu.

Actually, I witnessed the destruction when it happened. By then, the village had the death knell hanging over its head, so it lost it's spirit, but at least I can tell my grandkids, "yes, indeed, there was a village near Shaolin, and my friend Gene would yell at the top of his lungs riding on the Roller Coaster simulator". :D

Don't worry, for all you folks who still haven't had the chance to visit Shaolin. There's still plenty of kitsch in China waiting for your amusement. Just check out Doc's site.

Hanguo Laohu

[GeneChing]

I konw you already know about this, hanguolaohu, but in the interest of keeping this thread vital, there's a new documentary that is playing on Discovery Asia titled The Abbot CEO of Shaolin - it's reported to be short, but well done. Despite it's title, it puts Abbot Shi Yongxin in a positive light. It also discusses an upcoming Taiwan project - a TV cartoon about Shaolin. If anyone gets access to either of these, let us know here.

[Shaolinlueb]

Third, there will be absolutely no more "coming out" for lueb. We all remember the horror of his sports bra incident and we don't want any repeats of such behavior. :mad:



:o :rolleyes: :o :)

[norther practitioner]

Isn't disney doing something shaolin soon? Like a snow white thing.

[GeneChing]

MK recently did one of his "post link and delete" about the Snow White project (http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1521535,00.html#article_continue) here. MK, maybe it would be more archival for you to just post a running thread of MK links - some of those deleted threads contain great resources...

It's actually been a project that has been in discussion for years, at least since 2002 (http://www.wu-jing.org/News/Arch/2002-08-2002-10-News.php) - I thought that was a joke at first, but it continues to come up and with the announcement last week, is looking more and more firm. I'm hoping I'll get contacted for the part of Dopey - he gets kissed the most and has the best fight scenes... :p

[MasterKiller]

MK recently did one of his "post link and delete" about the Snow White project (http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,7369,1521535,00.html#article_continue) here. MK, maybe it would be more archival for you to just post a running thread of MK links - some of those deleted threads contain great resources... Impermanence is liberation.

[norther practitioner]

After meeting both of you at TJL, I could see as MK as oh, nevermind, I won't bring up that stupid sitdown stance again, and well, Gene, with that smug grin... yeah dopey might do you well... :p


Actually, the disney version might have as much fact in it as some of these other documentaries.

[hanguolaohu]

Again, if anyone sees this "Abbot CEO of Shaolin" doc, please record it as I'd love to get a copy.

Thanks,
Hanguo laohu

p.s. Gene, what'd you think of that Star Wars / Shaolin doc I sent you?

[YuanZhideDiZhen]

shouldn't that be the bodisattva of virtue v. the seven drunken immortals?

[Vasquez]

Again, if anyone sees this "Abbot CEO of Shaolin" doc, please record it as I'd love to get a copy.

Thanks,
Hanguo laohu

p.s. Gene, what'd you think of that Star Wars / Shaolin doc I sent you?

Yes I did. I've also got copies of shaolin from discovery channel and personal interviews with monks on my video cam.

[GeneChing]

norther practitioner: Dopey does get kissed the most so that's plenty reason to be smug. And Snow White only kisses six dwarves goodbye at the end - what happened to the seventh? It's one of the great mysteries of Disney...

hanguolaohu: I didn't recieve it yet - when did you send it?

[GeneChing]

Here's a clip of the National Geographic Channel Doc (http://216.86.155.55/videos/0/173088_976aa.wmv) - I haven't seen the full version of this - anyone know more about it? I'm not even sure what language those subtitles are in...:confused:

[GeneChing]

I saw The Science of Star Wars and I must say, it's way up there amongst the weird Shaolin Documentaries. Shaolin Monks spliced between Star Wars scenes, military tech, and George Lucas interviews? That's just wacky. And I thought the David Carradine one was bizarre.

Anyone got a copy of Abbot CEO of Shaolin? I still haven't seen that one.

[hanguolaohu]

Hi Vasquez,

Can you PM me your contact info? Interested in seeing those docs.

Thanks,
HL

[Chuckster]

I’m currently editing a documentary about the Shaolin Temple and have been searching for any good documentaries that has footage of the Shaolin Temple pre-1990's. Most of the docs I've seen were made fairly recently, it seems like the most "old school" doc I've seen is “Shaolin Kung Fu” (Shaolin Zhen Gongfu) with monk Shi De Yang. I'm particularly interested in finding footage during the period before and after the Jet Li Shaolin Temple movie came out.

So far, the documentaries I have watched are:
-Shaolin Kungfu (Shaolin Zhen gongfu)- doc. with Jet Li and Shaolin monks. Memorable scene of Shi Xing Cheng doing iron palm slapping 4 bricks, which only cracks the top one, but actually all 4 are broken down the middle.
-This is Kung Fu- doc. of gongfu throughout China
-Secrets of the Warrior's Power- good general doc about gongfu
-Myths and Logic of Shaolin Kungfu- Recent National Geographic doc.
-The Empty Mind- Good doc. Recently made about training at Shaolin, Wudang & Japan.
-Shaolin Ulysses- Zhang Li Peng's dad’s section has a bit of info.
-Shaolin Wheel of Life- short doc in extras section.
-French doc- “Mysterious powers of the Shaolin monk”, has footage of young Shi De Cheng and Wan Heng europe performance tour.
-Discovery Channel- “Ancient warriors” episode about Shaolin.
-Shaolin Temple w/Jet Li- not a doc but useful nonetheless.
-Dragons of the Orient- no comment
-Real Chinese Kung Fu- 1964 b/w footage of masters in Taiwan.

If you know of any other docs dealing with Shaolin, Especially pre-90’s please let me know.

Thanks,
Alexander
hanguolaohu-shaolin@yahoo.com
Hi, I'm new to the forum. :)

I have a BBC documentary about Shaolin that was aired several years ago, that I was lucky enough to tape, as it has never been repeated or made commercially available (probably locked away in the BBC archives). The basic idea being to look at how the age-old traditions of Shaolin is facing up to the challenge of modern China... the old Religion vs. Mammon debate etc etc. Running time 50 minutes (no commercial breaks).

Anyway, the documentary focuses on the handsome & charismatic Shaolin senior monk, De Yang.

We see De Yang teaching & demonstrating kung fu with his students (and chastising them gently for getting their moves wrong), doing his routine early morning physical exercises, going about his religious activities, accepting a young novice monk as his formal disciple in an initiation ceremony, visitors bowing to him on their knees in awe (he very humbly tells them to stand up), etc etc.

There is also an interview section with him (English subtitles) - he talks about how quick the pace of modern life is, how he can channel chi energy to makes his arm rock hard (he demonstrates this), how he became a Shaolin monk, how he was taught kungfu by his teacher [Su Xi] - he laughingly recalls how his teacher was very strict with him and would whack him if he wasn't up to scratch.

The documentary finishes with him performing the ?Xiao Hongquan routine among the stupa forest of Shaolin. Totally awesome. :cool:

I'll dig it out and try to post some stills of him from it.

[Chuckster]

okay... ScreenPics (http://img475.imageshack.us/my.php?image=deyangstills3ql.jpg) (45kb) :)

(l-r from top):
De Yang at religious ceremony
"So people always think the inner force is incredible"
"Then if I couldn't do it my Master got a stick..."
De Yang at prayer
De Yang demonstrating a move
De Yang accepting kowtow from his disciple
De Yang meditating at dawn
De Yang high kicking
De Yang performing a Shaolin kungfu routine (Oh, on seeing it again I think it might actually be DaHong Quan)

[GeneChing]

I caught this program on PBS last night. Here's the program description from the PBS site:

Part 1 of two. Two Americans are accompanied on their first tour of China. Their trek begins in Beijing and ends in Guangzhou. Stops include the Great Wall, the Pearl River Delta, the Forbidden City, the Shaolin Temple and the Yellow River.

Here's a link to the production website with pics. (http://www.d3mediagroup.com/whats_new/riding_rails_in_china.htm)

Catch a train with young American travelers Chris Gould and Nick Russell as they embark on their first trip to China. Follow their journey across the country, starting in the stately northern capital of Beijing and ending over a thousand miles south in cosmopolitan Guangzhou. From the Great Wall to the Pearl River Delta, they ride through the country’s changing landscape on good old Chinese locomotives. Armed with cameras and a sense of curiosity, they stop en route to meet locals in traditional neighborhoods, eager university students, entrepreneurial southern farmers, and hardworking migrant laborers. Touched by their many encounters, these adventurous travelers uncover the changing face of an ancient and emerging nation. They explore the Forbidden City, step-up their kung-fu at the Shaolin Temple, cross the Yellow River, and feast on delicacies at night markets. Will Chris eat fried scorpion-on-a-stick? Will Nick learn how to use chopsticks? Join them as they discover China’s extraordinary landscapes, communities, cuisine, and a little something about themselves along the way.

In part one, the couple goes to Shaolin and there's about a 15 min segment on it. It's from a tourist perspective. The two Americans know nothing of kung fu (and surprisingly little about China) but it shows snippets of a demo in the Songshan Shaolin Wushuguan. What really caught my eye is that there was a one-armed wuseng there. I found that really intriguing and would love to find out more about him. China is hard on anyone with a disability.

[GeneChing]

So I hear that the Today Show will have a short segment on Shaolin Temple some time next week. I'm not sure exactly when. I think towards the end of the week. They have a correspondent in Beijing who is touring around China doing little spots for the show. My guess is that it's in honor of Chinese New Year.

I was interviewed for this as a 'Shaolin authority' a few days ago. The set was really noisy, so we had to do multiple takes of the same answers to try and get clean sound. That was really challenging on my end because I'm not that great of a public speaker, and frankly, it's really weird to get interviewed for national television. You try to answer the question naturally, but you keep thinking inside your head 'did that sound ok?' I'm very eager to see how it will come out. My spot might not even make it past the cutting room floor, but the show producer went to a lot of trouble to film me, so I'm optimistic that it'll make it to broadcast.

[hvillarruel]

Here is a documental i found in this site:

www.shideyang.com

The documental is around 1995 and there is a part where Master Shi De Cheng's SiFu performs a little.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5077572664552114764&hl=en

Enjoy.

[GeneChing]

It finally aired yesterday. I was cut. :( Go to the Today Show site (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633#) and click the 'next' button a dozen plus times to see it. It's short.

[SaintSage]

It finally aired yesterday. I was cut. :( Go to the Today Show site (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633#) and click the 'next' button a dozen plus times to see it. It's short.

Sorry to hear that. I know I would have been interested to hear what you had to say.

[monkeyfoot]

Now I've been in the kitchen. It's kind of disturbing in an unsanitary sort of way.

lol I can't agree more. Eating at Shaolin was the worst dining experience i've had to date. There was more dirty food on the ripped cellophane table cloth than in my bowl. It was school dinners but worse.

But then again, cant beat scrambled eggs and tomatos when you're freezing cold

Craig

[richard sloan]

But then again, cant beat scrambled eggs and tomatos when you're freezing cold

Craig

****, I devoured plates of scrambled eggs, white rice, tomatoes, and scallions if they had them...that snapped me back in time right there.

[SanHeChuan]

Ancient Warriors of Shaolin. not great :rolleyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_dtfo9JuM0s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tq8csy7Gb8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFIsqDyFAaU

More

Shaolin Kung Fu Documentary (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhhtMyaj3SQ)

National geographic, The Shaolin Temple (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0LsGAOkt2s)

Shaolin Kungfu Is Great (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCoWfneOIAs)

The Empty Mind - Shaolin Temple Warrior Monks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Llqup1Uir6k)

Donnie Yen - Kung Fu Fighters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH1JCUiER5s)

Shaolin Journey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glsh9I0Cfg8)

Ways to train Kungfu masters at Shaolin Temple (Part One) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tr6Qi6b4Hs)
Ways to train Kungfu masters at Shaolin Temple (Part Two) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3u8-zFWOKFs)
Ways to train Kungfu masters at Shaolin Temple (Part Three) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd56z_9HmQ8)

Discovery. Good One!
How Shaolin Temple trains Kungfu in Europe (Part 1 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2vTWQj0t8w)
How Shaolin Temple trains Kungfu in Europe (Part 2 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBlWOB0C8l0)
How Shaolin Temple trains Kungfu in Europe (Part 3 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YtyrgSQ4QA)How Shaolin Temple trains Kungfu in Europe (Part 4 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJVQZyBIsmU)
How Shaolin Temple trains Kungfu in Europe (Part 5 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9qCm1jFwRA)

Kongfu Monk from China's Shaolin perform in New York(1 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZAtBTf1QQ)
Kongfu Monk from China's Shaolin perform in New York(2 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMYXEtkN3HQ)
Kongfu Monk from China's Shaolin perform in New York(3 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNVGWrllqRU)
Kongfu Monk from China's Shaolin perform in New York(4 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVy7QloUc30)
Kongfu Monk from China's Shaolin perform in New York(5 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnRcQyAo0KY)

Myths & Logic Of Shaolin Kung-Fu (Part 1 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Adg7KEqxPU)
Myths & Logic Of Shaolin Kung-Fu (Part 2): Kongfu for kids (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY_E73HqnPc)
Myths & Logic Of Shaolin Kung-Fu (Part 3 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYvig13hDWs)
Myths & Logic Of Shaolin Kung-Fu (Part 4 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS6fvb9XKuY)
Myths & Logic Of Shaolin Kung-Fu (Part 5 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SYY3-e7_tY)

Chinese Kongfu Series: Wudang Style Wushu Combat (Part 1/5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-D077mn8To)
Chinese Kongfu Series: Wudang Style Wushu Combat (Part 2/5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJxVsnSNu0M)
Chinese Kongfu Series: Wudang Style Wushu Combat (Part 3/5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxcSoj-6-Bs)
Chinese Kongfu Series: Wudang Style Wushu Combat (Part 4/5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHyzqHM87eo)
Chinese Kongfu Series: Wudang Style Wushu Combat (Part 5/5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxDIXm77miw)

Raiders of the Lost Kung Fu 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyGmaI-SUmc)
Raiders of the Lost Kung Fu 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MvOImr0jv0)
Raiders of the Lost Kung Fu 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dTU95cdDvM)
Raiders of the Lost Kung Fu 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYrtEVWoMhY)
Raiders of the Lost Kung Fu 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6GE_KoPEGY)

Way of the Warrior - Kung Fu, the Hard Way [1/4] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73-bDfxg3Ts)
Way of the Warrior - Kung Fu, the Hard Way [2/4] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNPGv5UJMeA)
Way of the Warrior - Kung Fu, the Hard Way [3/4] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0SpisVGwqc)
Way of the Warrior - Kung Fu, the Hard Way [4/4] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE7m-ta606A)

[Jingwu Man]

****, the "Iron head" guy in the "raiders of the lost kung fu" was brutal!
He's not going to last long doing that!:(
And the fight club! Thats the first I've seen of that documentary. Crazy!
Thanks a lot.:)

[GeneChing]

...or did it (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48038)?

There was also the Human Weapon (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47232) episode (which I still haven't seen :o)

Next week, there's the premiere Fight Quest (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=829036#post829036)episode.
WUSHU; SANDA
Location: Dengfeng, China
Masters: Shi DeYang/Shi De Cheng
Features: Hands, Feet, smashing things
Premiere: Dec. 28, 2007

[GeneChing]

Extreme Pilgrim (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/programme.shtml?day=friday&service_id=4224&filename=20080104/20080104_2100_4224_11276_60)
Fri 4 Jan, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm 60mins
1/3. China: The Mountain

Peter Owen Jones has been a vicar in the Church of England for 14 years. He has three parishes in the beautiful Sussex Downs, and is happy with his rural ministry. But Peter feels that spirituality - a closeness to God - is almost absent from religious life in the UK. In a series of three tough, physical journeys to the extremes of world religions he seeks to discover and experience spiritual enlightenment for himself.

The Chan Buddhist monks of the mountains of central China practice a form of Buddhism in which enlightenment is achieved by extreme physical and mental disciplines. Prayer books and scriptures are thrown away in favour of extended meditation and martial arts moves of astonishing complexity. When Pete arrives at the world famous Shaolin monastery he has to start from scratch, enduring a painful and rigorous regime of Kung Fu training that leaves him writhing in agony. And in a China that is developing rapidly the monastery has become a tourist trap. Pete knows there is another centre for this kind of training run by a mysterious monk - Shi di Jiang, deep in the Song Shan mountains. Here, with guidance from the master, Pete learns to empty his mind and achieve enlightenment through a series of simple disciplines, whilst learning about love and the meaning of non-attachment from the monks and a 76-year-old nun.

I'm told this is sort of the spiritual version of Human Weapon (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47232)/Fight Quest (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49142). I did some consulting on this project (should get a credit) and the producers are sending me a copy. For you in the UK, it's on this Friday at 9.00 p.m. on BBC 2 - we'd love to hear more about it.

[LFJ]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. :)

I have a BBC documentary about Shaolin that was aired several years ago, that I was lucky enough to tape, as it has never been repeated or made commercially available (probably locked away in the BBC archives). The basic idea being to look at how the age-old traditions of Shaolin is facing up to the challenge of modern China... the old Religion vs. Mammon debate etc etc. Running time 50 minutes (no commercial breaks).

Anyway, the documentary focuses on the handsome & charismatic Shaolin senior monk, De Yang.

We see De Yang teaching & demonstrating kung fu with his students (and chastising them gently for getting their moves wrong), doing his routine early morning physical exercises, going about his religious activities, accepting a young novice monk as his formal disciple in an initiation ceremony, visitors bowing to him on their knees in awe (he very humbly tells them to stand up), etc etc.

There is also an interview section with him (English subtitles) - he talks about how quick the pace of modern life is, how he can channel chi energy to makes his arm rock hard (he demonstrates this), how he became a Shaolin monk, how he was taught kungfu by his teacher [Su Xi] - he laughingly recalls how his teacher was very strict with him and would whack him if he wasn't up to scratch.

The documentary finishes with him performing the ?Xiao Hongquan routine among the stupa forest of Shaolin. Totally awesome. :cool:

I'll dig it out and try to post some stills of him from it.

where is this chuckster guy? he's got to upload this.

[Su Lin]

Extreme Pilgrim.

I watched this in the UK last night and it was good,though don't expect to learn anything new. The English Vicar seems somewhat disillusioned with his faith and seeks to find new meaning and examine other religions than Christianity.
He arrives at Shaolin and stays at one of the big schools outside to train for a couple of weeks. It's the old story of unfit guy going to train, finding it tough and throwing up ,proclaiming how hard it is etc.

After a few days he gets to visit the Temple and is assigned one of the fighting monks. He is hoping to try and see the relationship between Buddhism and kung fu, but finds it really hard to see the connection. After a while he comes to realise that Shaolin is almost a theme park and a huge brand and seems somewhat disillusioned. I must say though, at this point I knew he was trying too hard to see the links, trying to find something that wasn't there almost.

He hears of Di Yang (sp) and heads out to the mountains to see if his training will enable him to gain any enlightenment. It is here he undergoes his most significant realisation and comes to realise that the relationship between Buddhism, meditation and practising physically is relatively simple. After we see Di Yang training on a roof overlooking a huge drop and the Vicar and Di Yang training in a karate kid-esque "wax on wax off" session with a mop, the vicar understands the point and begins to value his time there.

He comes to realise that in the West ,in particular Christians, cling to the notion of God, rather than letting go . There are 2 elderly nuns there (who incidentally are terrifying) and one is asked the question about the notion of love and letting go, about loving family and she explains the Buddhist notion of all the love being joined together for everyone, essentially the idea of loving kindness.

By the end of the programme he honestly seems like a transformed man.After his disillusionment with Christianity, then with Shaolin and the temple,it is in the remote mountains that he learns the idea of friendship, love, trust and,perhaps most fundamentally, the strong link between practising kung fu and the idea of meditation.

I enjoyed it anyway. :)

[banditshaw]

Sounds like an interesting episode. Hope it comes on BBC America at some point.

[Cimaroon]

Where can one find these docs? WHere to order from?

[Su Lin]

Not sure where you are based but the one I reviewed (Extreme Pilgrim) is available here for the next few days www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer .Not sure if it is available world wide :)

[mad4dos]

can some one please direct me to where i can get a copy of
the doc Abbot Hai Teng Of Shaolin
the only one i can find is a secondhand VHS on
amazon for $79.99!!!!


mad4dos ..

[doug maverick]

are you serious i bought that thing for like five bucks in harlem.

[sha0lin1]

There is a new documentary on National Geographic channel on Shaolin Temple. It is called Kung Fu Temple and is about how Shaolin is coping with modern times. It was pretty interesting. You can find it if you have the National Geographic On Demand Channel.

[GeneChing]

On the Comcast site (http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/shop/HD/whatson.html) I can find:

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple
National Geographic Channel HD
Go behind the scenes at the legendary Shaolin Temple to see how a new generation of warrior monks is adapting a 1500-year-old tradition to the 21st century.
...but I can't find it on the National Geographic Channel site (http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/).

BTW, I'll add that I enjoyed Extreme Pilgrim, despite the fact that they didn't give me a promised credit on the broadcast (although I didn't do much for them but give them a little advice). AT least they comped me a DVD. :rolleyes: Jones studies in Shaolin Temple, at Taguo, and with Shi Dejian (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=589).

[sha0lin1]

On the Comcast site (http://www.comcast.com/Corporate/shop/HD/whatson.html) I can find:

...but I can't find it on the National Geographic Channel site (http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/).

BTW, I'll add that I enjoyed Extreme Pilgrim, despite the fact that they didn't give me a promised credit on the broadcast (although I didn't do much for them but give them a little advice). AT least they comped me a DVD. :rolleyes: Jones studies in Shaolin Temple, at Taguo, and with Shi Dejian (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=589).

Thats it Gene. On Time Warner they shortened the title a little.

[GeneChing]

Pop "Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple" into Google and this thread comes out on top. That's what a National Geographic Channel programs promoter did. They sent me this press release which I'll share for free. After all, a certain NG photographer (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48263) has done a lot for us (although I'm not sure he was involved in this project).


Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple
Thursday, December 18 at 10pm ET/PT
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/secrets-of-the-kung-fu-temple-3627

The Shaolin Temple in rural China gave birth to one of the greatest martial art forms: kung fu. For over a thousand years, the warriors of Shaolin have defended the temple with carefully crafted skills of self-defense. But now, Shaolin may be experiencing one of its hardest battles: maintaining a traditional temple while grappling with the 21stcentury. Watch as young kung fu students balance their piercing physical regimen with the shrewd rules of the business world. As the ancient temple transforms itself into one of China's hot tourist destinations, what will happen to the cherished tradition?

Below is the full press release about the program. Also, here's a preview video "Kung Fu Dream" from Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple, in which we see a glimpse into the world of kung fu novices at the Shaolin Temple, whose dream of worldwide acclaim drives them to dedicate their lives to the art: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=1805&title=06199_00

ANCIENT TRADITIONS CLASH WITH THE 21ST CENTURY IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL'S SECRETS OF THE KUNG FU TEMPLE
Rural China's Famous Kung Fu Temple Must Decide if It Can Honor the Past and Embrace the Future

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple Premieres Thursday, December 18, 2008, at 10 PM ET/PT

(WASHINGTON, D.C. — DECEMBER 8, 2008) Shaolin Temple in rural China is the birthplace of kung fu and home to Zen Buddhism. Over centuries of turbulent history, the temple has been destroyed and reconstructed, with varying degrees of success. While it has survived challenges ranging from the Cultural Revolution to battling warlords, the temple has never lost sight of its true essence: mastering martial arts and honoring deep-rooted traditions. However, the hardest battle of all still remains: maintaining tradition in the chaotic rage of a 21st century world.

Premiering Thursday, December 18, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, National Geographic Channel's (NGC) Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple takes viewers inside the 1,500-year-old monastery known for training the best warrior monks in the world. We meet novice monks, hand-picked from kung fu schools across China, and see what it takes for these boys to become master fighters. We also see how Shaolin is adapting to the 21st century and transitioning into a tourist attraction complete with entrance fees, monk-blessed souvenirs and commercialized excursions. The generation gap between the older, traditional monks and their younger, Hollywood-dreaming students is wider than ever — or is it?

Head Abbot Shi Yong Xin may wear a saffron robe instead of a business suit, but with cell phone in hand, he is constantly working to take Shaolin Temple to the next commercial level. Xin functions as a brand manager for the temple's multimillion-dollar business ventures and is shrewdly expanding its reach with schools in the United States and Europe, while building global portfolios in property, media, tourism and health care investments. "I believe if our first teacher, master Bodhidharma, were alive today, he would have done the same to adapt to today's society," comments Xin.

Despite the modern commercialism, Shaolin kung fu masters work hard to maintain the ancient integrity and techniques of their art, which include more than 700 movements and a disciplined connection between mind, body and spirituality.

Kung fu literally means "hard work." Over five hours a day, 365 days a year, the monks train with a very strict regimen. For these novice monks, Shaolin could be their chance to get out of the poverty and isolation of rural China. By traveling the world displaying their kung fu mastery, the best at Shaolin may very well strike stardom.

Meet Yan Xiu, the instructor and expert warrior who uses drill sergeant techniques to work his students, while his 60-year-old colleague Shi Yong Qian offers the students his deep knowledge of meditation and Zen. You'll also meet Zhou Jinbo and Luo Zhenzhong, two student monks competing to be among the top kung fu fighters in the world. We get an inside look as these students tackle extraordinary acts of strength, grace and flexibility not commonly seen in the West, such as breaking metal bars with their skulls by standing on their heads for 30 minutes each day.

And we see how one man, a Belgian choreographer, attempts to mix traditional kung fu at Shaolin Temple with modern dance movements. Watch as he tries to transform these traditional kung fu warriors into world-class performers for the London stage. Will the head monk approve of this modernization of traditional kung fu?

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple takes a glimpse at the incredible art of kung fu as it intersects with the disorienting tides of the 21st century.

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple is produced for the National Geographic Channel by Natural History New Zealand Limited (NHNZ). For NHNZ, the executive in charge of production is Michael Stedman, executive producer is Andrew Waterworth, supervising producer is Steven R. Talley, producer is Kyle Murdoch, director and camera is Mike Single and editor is Christopher Tegg. For the National Geographic Channel, executive Producer is Noah Morowitz, senior vice president of special programming is Michael Cascio, and executive vice president of content is Steve Burns.

For more information visit http://www.natgeotv.com/kungfu.

# # #

National Geographic Channel

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high-definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 68 million homes. For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com.

[GeneChing]

It's a gorgeous documentary - spectacular time lapse filming, dramatic slow motion of traditional and modern forms. You'd expect no less from National Geographic. I would love to get access to the cutting room floor footage, because there are a lot of scenes of monks executing traditional forms in the doc, but only short cuts. Surely they filmed the entire form and and then edited it down. Only Shaolin practitioners would want to watch the entire form. For the sake of a popular audience, just the short clip will do. But man, the complete forms filmed so professionally in HD - what a treasure!

I couldn't be more pleased about the timing of this release, of course, since our Shaolin Special is on the newsstands now (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=797).

As for the content of the documentary, it dwells a bit too much on the biaoyenseng, the performance monks. Much of the drama is focused upon two story arcs: a new Shaolin show for London getting approval of the Abbot (touted as the first East West collaboration for Shaolin, which may be true if you factor in the Abbot, but we all remember Alonzo King's work (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showpost.php?p=748945&postcount=50), which we covered in our 2007 November/December issue (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=729)) and two young initiates trying to make the A demo team. I'm sure the "Shaolin just actors" contingent will have a field day with that direction, which is all the more reason proponents on both side of the Shaolin debate should see this - it definitely fuels that debate. Abbot Yongxin is portrayed in a generally positive light. I still have yet to see The Abbot CEO of Shaolin, (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showpost.php?p=617640&postcount=23) but I imagine SofKFT is similar in it's treatment of the Abbot. There's a moment when Abbot Yongxin bows down to the stupa of Venerable Shi Suxi (which we addressed in United Nations, Divided Shaolin: Clearing Shaolin Valley and the Relocation of Shaolin Village in our 2003 November/December issue (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=397).) Suxi is referred to as Yongxin's predecessor as abbot, but we know that wasn't quite the case. There are other odd comments in the narration, like one that implies that wushu weapons (http://www.martialartsmart.net/Wushu_Weapons.html) are light because the monks abstain from killing. And Jet Li's debut film Shaolin Temple (http://www.martialartsmart.net/dvd40021.html) is referenced, but the scene shown is not from Shaolin Temple. I'm not sure what it's from. I'm having a hard time placing it and I know I've seen all Jet's films. Hopefully one of you can remember for me because it's really bothering me. That being all said, as someone who studies Shaolin intensely, I can see some research errors, but I'll probably be one of the only ones.

I highly recommend seeing this one. After it debuts next week, I hope we can all discuss it further here.

[LFJ]

Suxi is referred to as Yongxin's predecessor as abbot, but we know that wasn't quite the case. There are other odd comments in the narration, like one that implies that wushu weapons are light because the monks abstain from killing.

i remember hearing some of the chinese tour guides over there telling all the chinese tourists, in chinese, standing in front of ven. suxi's pagoda that he was abbot yongxin's master. didnt get the "de xing yong yan heng" right. :rolleyes:

and as for the weapons, master deyang's staff is the heaviest stick i have ever tried to swing around. about broke my own wrist. thats not to mention his hardcore straightsword and monkspade. they are far from light.

i'm always down for a good shaolin documentary though. thanks for the heads-up!

[richard sloan]

It's a gorgeous documentary - spectacular time lapse filming, dramatic slow motion of traditional and modern forms. You'd expect no less from National Geographic. I would love to get access to the cutting room floor footage, because there are a lot of scenes of monks executing traditional forms in the doc, but only short cuts. Surely they filmed the entire form and and then edited it down. Only Shaolin practitioners would want to watch the entire form. For the sake of a popular audience, just the short clip will do. But man, the complete forms filmed so professionally in HD - what a treasure!

but...no doubt marked....

[GeneChing]

Shaolin insiders know of the longstanding feud between the Yongxin and Suxi loyals, so it was really ironic to see Yongxin bow down to Suxi's pagoda. For the Shaolin massive, that alone is worth viewing this doc. ;) It was said that Suxi ruled the south and Yongxin the north, which referred to their political allies and where they resided inside the temple. For the record, it was actually Shi Xingzhen who preceded Yongxin as the official Abbot of Shaolin. We covered that in our Shi Xingzhen - Keeping Shaolin Alive: Shaolin's 29th Abbot in our Shaolin Special 2000 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=152).

The wushu weapon (http://www.martialartsmart.net/Wushu_Weapons.htm) thing was just odd. I think the documentary makers were reaching for something to resolve the old pacifist monks vs. warrior monks issue. There's an almost culturalist problem with that. Almost every religion espouses peace. Almost every religion goes to battle. Why should Buddhism be an exception? It certainly isn't in history, not even in modern events. But many Westerners believe it should be, despite parallels within Western religion. I felt this was fallout from dwelling on the biaoyenseng too much. Plenty of the senior monks work heavy weapons and Shaolin forge (http://www.martialartsmart.net/Shaolin_Temple_Forge.html) produces some rather heavy pieces. It's just the biaoyenseng don't use those.

One more thing I liked about the SotKFT was it took me someplace I've never been before at Shaolin - the security monitoring room. The entire temple is wired with cameras now. It's a major tourist site, so the security cameras are a wise modern precaution, but a little surreal. There's a scene in the video monitoring room, which I imagine is in the security section - that was all being restructured the last time I was there. I remember sneaking into the temple before it opened once. I guess I can't do that anymore. :(

[richard sloan]

I'd like to see a documentary about the "purge" of traditional Ch'an/gongfu masters, the introduction of Pureland Buddhist monks to cover up the purge, and things like that...

[GeneChing]

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple Premieres Thursday, December 18, 2008, at 10 PM ET/PT
I highly encourage you all to tune in, not just for the sake of debate here, but mostly to show your support of martial arts programming on NGC, especially on Shaolin. NG has been dabbling with Shaolin as a subject. Justin Guariglia's (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48263) work is exemplary (he also did the cover shoot for our current Shaolin Special (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52636)). How often has NG level photographers done covers for martial arts magazines? I can think of only one other time (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=729). ;)

I look forward to tomorrow's discussion here. :p

[sha0lin1]

I enjoyed the documentary. Our school is going there in June so checking out the beautiful scenery just got me even more excited about going. I did find it kind of sad that the majority of the students have nothing more to look forward to except a life as a Kung Fu Teacher or a Bodyguard. Not that that is a bad thing, but there can only be so many kung fu teachers. It just reminds us to be thankful that we live where we do and have the opportunities and choices that we have.

[SimonM]

Song Shan is one of the two most picturesque mountains I've ever visited.

The other being Mian Shan in Shanxi.

[brothernumber9]

I caught only the end of a National Geographic special last night on Shaolin Kung FU. Did anyone else catch it? It detailed a little of the past, but mainly the current training and goals of a few of the monks, or monks-to-be, I assume implying that they were indicative examples of the norm now. I hope to catch a replay or on-demand or something to see the rest.

[DRAGONSIHING]

I watched this show last night and enjoyed it. It showed some places I had never seen pictures of before. The training sequences were interesting and like Gene I would like to see what went onto the cutting room floor. I bet there was interesting stuff besides complete forms, too. The traveling monks/dance show for London was a little weird, but I would like to see the whole thing as it looked like they were putting a lot of work into it. The light weapons brought a chuckle as we all know those are for demo purposes and they really have some heavy weight stuff to train with and use that way. I was glad they picked a couple of students to follow and see their outcomes. The little guy will be great with his attitude. Couldn't remember where the scene with the stamped out floor came from either. Interesting showing the chi demo. If you like martial arts and even have only a casual interest in Shaolin Temple then you would find this interesting.:)

[GeneChing]

I've seen countless Shaolin shows. I'm always amused to see something new and different.

Anyone figure out which Jet Li movie clip they showed? It's totally baffling me.

[Shaolindynasty]

it was "evil cult"

[GeneChing]

I had to think about that for a while. I know it as Kung Fu Cult Master.

Evil Cult. lol. How ironic.

[SimonM]

This here? (http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%80%9A%E5%A4%A9%E5%B1%A0%E9%BE%8D%E8%A8%98)

[chanboxer]

i have just uploaded Extreme Pilgrim:)

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=2221984832027966161

[LFJ]

thanks, chanboxer. i enjoyed watching.

the monk with cowboy boots and the principal at tagou were some rather funny fellas. :)

glad he got to see a bit of what real shaolin is through master dejian.

[GeneChing]

I saw these in S.F. Chinatown - I almost bought them (cheap at about $10 per) but I didn't. Still a little low on dough postXmas...:o

Songshan Shaolin Temple - documentary by Gen Takahashi. Nice box.

Shaolin in the Wind - vid of the live stage show. We covered that in Kung Fu Ballet: The Tentative Debut of China’s New Show, Shaolin in the Wind By August West 2005 May/June (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=590)

[GeneChing]

It's the same vid as posted above, but I'm now curious how much NG had to pay for that promo. MySpace is an interesting choice for their ad buck for this. (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=48396951)

[GeneChing]

After starting this thread, Alex never added his own documentary. It has it's own thread, of course, but it needs to be added here too, for archival sake.

The Real Shaolin by Alex Sebastian Lee (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51663)

I actually came on here to add another doc that I caught just by chance on PBS last night (I skipped the Shaolin vs. Maori episode of Deadliest Warrior (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53721)because I don't have cable)

Catch this on your local PBS station.

Kung Fu Journey to the East (http://www.d3mediagroup.com/programs/kungfu_journey.htm)
60-Minute Documentary (2006; airing now)

Explore the world of martial arts in China on a journey with two American Kung Fu students. Masters of China’s most renowned martial arts schools will share their knowledge and wisdom with these two determined learners. Instruction will provide a deeper understanding of this ancient Chinese philosophy and tradition, which combines exercise, self-defense, self-discipline, and art.

In this two-week journey, Kristi Jordan and Adam McArthur study a variety of martial arts forms, from Taiqi—a softer, internal martial art typical of Wudang Mountain— to harder, external styles attributed to the Shaolin Temple. How do Kung Fu classes in the U.S. prepare them for this challenge to mind, body, and spirit? Does a visit to the origins of this 1,500-year-old tradition and lessons with Chinese Masters affect their performance and increase their devotion to Kung Fu practice? This feature-length documentary will shed light on these questions, and provide depth and perspective to this ancient, but increasingly popular art form.

Note that this is the same production crew that did Riding the Rails in China (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showpost.php?p=720587&postcount=38) mentioned earlier on this thread. It's an Oakland-based company, total five&dime local as we say here.

Since it's only a two-week journey and it covers Beijing, Wudang, Emei & Shaolin, only a little time is spent for the practitioner protagonists. They have to travel, train and visit the tourist sites, which leave only a short time for them to really absorb anything, so their evening hotel cam comments are rather fawning about the experience. I'm sure anyone on such a tour would have a great trip, and it seems that Kristi and Adam have the time of their lives, but dynamically, it comes off as more of a video postcard than anything else. It's not very penetrating. That being said, it does feature some luminaries. They have a short audience with Abbot Shi Yongxin, who sells them on the idea that the monks meditate for 15 hours each day, and train under Shi Yanao and Shi Yanzhuang, who were just here for Shaolin Temple Day (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53389). They also meet with Wu Bin, who has pledged to come to our Tiger Claw’s KungFuMagazine.com Championship (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53126) (shameless plug there).

But still, I'm guessing my time was better spent watching this than watching Deadliest Warrior...:rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

It's a new doc with Shaolin in the title. Perhaps someone can research Ehsan Shafiq a little more? I started watching some YouTube vids (he has his own channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/EhsanShafiq)) but lost interest.


Documentary Accepted into London Independent Film Festival! (http://vmproductionsuk.blogspot.com/search/label/Ehsan%20Shafiq%3A%20Afghan%20Shaolin)
Posted by VMproductions on Saturday, 27 March 2010

VMproductions are pleased to announce that our Documentary 'Ehsan Shafiq: Afghan Shaolin' have been accepted into the London Independent Film Festival 2010!

Ehsan Shafiq: Afghan Shaolin

"Kung Fu Master Ehsan Shafiq: Born in Kabul, Afghanistan he won numerous accolades but success also brought upon him danger. After several threats on his life and the war, he sought asylum in the UK and rebuilt his life"

Watch Ehsan in Action on his YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/EhsanShafiq

For more information on the Festival see the link below:
http://www.londonindependent.org/index.htm

What a week for VMproductions!!!

[GeneChing]

I saw this at Walmart many moons ago. I debated picking it up as it was only a few bucks in the discount bin (like everything else at Walmart :rolleyes:) but I didn't. Now you can see it for free online (http://www.snagfilms.com/films/watch/little_shaolin_monks1/), but I just don't have the time. Maybe one of you can watch it and review it.

Watch 'Little Shaolin Monks' Online Now (http://insidemovies.moviefone.com/2010/05/21/watch-little-shaolin-monks-online-now/)
* May 21, 2010
* By: Jason Newman

In 1996, I went to Lollapalooza at Randall's Island, NY to see a lineup that included Soundgarden, Metallica, The Ramones and Wu-Tang Clan. One of the lesser-known, but equally enthralling, acts on the bill were the Shaolin Monks, a group of Buddhist Monks known primarily for their acrobatic style of martial arts and seemingly inhuman threshold for pain. Watching the monks was mesmerizing; a mix of graceful beauty and "How-can-they-stand-a-metal-pole-pounding-against-their-back?" bemusement.

So when we heard that SnagFilms posted 'Little Shaolin Monks,' a documentary detailing the lives of the group's pre-teen subset, we had to watch immediately. The film documents the lives of the kids, age 6 to 12, and the strenuous and disciplined training process they must endure daily (which includes strict diet, prayer sessions, and countless hours of martial arts training).

'Little Shaolin Monks' showcases a group of children unlike any other in the world and demands to be seen.

[GeneChing]

Alright, one of you Canadians must watch this and tell us how it is. What is VisionTV? Is it a large network?

Documentary follows a Canadian's quest to become part of a martial arts tradition (http://www.channelcanada.com/Article4683.html)
Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 - 08:50 PM
Vision TV

Soft-spoken and unassuming, with boyish good looks and a ready smile, Tim Mrazek seems like the kind of average Joe you'd expect to meet at Canadian Tire or a junior hockey game. Except that he's also a 32nd generation Shaolin warrior monk.

The Path to Shaolin, an hour-long documentary airing in July on VisionTV, is the story of how an ordinary guy from the Canadian prairies becomes part of an ancient Zen Buddhist tradition - and of how that tradition itself is evolving and changing in the 21st century.

VisionTV presents The Path to Shaolin on Tuesday, July 6 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. The film repeats on Wednesday, July 7 at 12:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT.

The Path to Shaolin is part of a series of VisionTV documentary and feature film presentations, airing in honour of the Dalai Lama's 75th birthday, that explore different aspects of Buddhist faith and culture.

Nestled in the forests near Mount Shaoshi in the heart of central China, the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple is considered the birthplace of kung fu. Its famous warrior monks are a fascinating paradox: while dedicated to the pursuit of enlightenment, compassion and inner harmony, they also practice the most lethal of martial arts.

Tim Mrazek discovered kung fu the way most North American kids do: watching Bruce Lee movies. Powerfully drawn to this ancient art, he went on to study for years with Sifu Chi Wai Lee, a monk whose family has been associated with the Shaolin Temple for five generations. Today, Tim is a martial arts instructor and naturopath in Regina, Saskatchewan.

As the documentary opens, Tim is on his way to Toronto for the discipleship ceremony that will mark the beginning of his life as a Shaolin monk. After this rite of passage, he will accompany Sifu Lee on a pilgrimage to the Shaolin Temple in China - a journey that will lead to unexpected discoveries.

Kung fu was banned during the Cultural Revolution. But with the Chinese government now relaxing its restrictions on religious freedom, there has been a flowering of many long-suppressed spiritual practices - including traditional martial arts.

Still, not all is as it was. The Shaolin Temple itself has become a tourist destination, and martial arts educators - adopting the language of the new, economically dynamic China - speak of bringing "modern marketing techniques" to Shaolin kung fu. Increasingly, it seems, the ancient discipline is becoming divorced from its spiritual roots.

As a Westerner, Tim Mrazek is uncertain whether he can find acceptance in the world of Chinese kung fu. In the course of his pilgrimage, he will learn that his own search for a place in this tradition is deeply entwined in the larger, more complex question of what the future holds for the ancient brotherhood of Zen Buddhist warrior monks.

The Path to Shaolin was produced for VisionTV by Regina-based Zoot Pictures Inc (www.zootpictures.com). It was written, directed and produced by Leif Kaldor and R. Leslea Mair. Joan Jenkinson was the Executive Producer for VisionTV.

To learn more about Tim Mrazek and the Shaolin kung fu tradition, visit the online home of Regina's Chung Wah Kung Fu Centre: www.kungfuregina.com

[GeneChing]

Spider Eaters, Kung Fu Monks, and Vampire Bats
Friday July 23 7P Friday July 23 6P Friday July 23 5P Friday July 23 4P

From bike stunts, to edible spiders, to alligator eating snakes, National Geographic is taking you on an adventure to explore our sometimes wacky, often whimsical, always wild, wonders of the world.


http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGC/StaticFiles/Images/Show/47xx/475x/4754_nat-geo-amazing-spider-eaters-kung-fu-monks-vampire-bats-05_05320299.jpg

I'm told this features Shi Yanran's group. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53147) Given that the backdrop is the Golden Gate Bridge, that seems likely. I've also been contacted about an upcoming story on Shaolin to run in NG from both NG and Justin (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48263). My understanding is Justin is not involved. More to come on that.

[GeneChing]

I saw this. It was amusing, mostly because Pilkington is really funny with his comic timing.


An Idiot Abroad: China: Episode Highlights: Video (http://sky1.sky.com/an-idiot-abroad-china-episode-highlights-video)
Sky1 HD: Thu 02 Dec, 9PM

Karl Pilkington learns about calligraphy, Kung Fu, and fire massage - includes a sneak peek at the next episode - India!

[Hanak]

Dear members,

Years ago i gues it whas 2004 or 2005 i'v seen on the local tv a shaolin docu.
Special Shi De Yang whas allmost 80% in this docu thalking about shaolin kung fu with he's master.

But never found this docu or diddent seen it somewhere to buy or to get in any chance.

Does somebody know who made it or if its available somewhere.
The docu whas very interesting for me, it also made me study shaolin KF.

Thanks in advance.

Here a small scene out of this docu.

http://www.shaolindisciples.net/sdylowres.wmv

Thanks again.

[David Jamieson]

I think this one has been branded with a couple of different names as it was edited and distributed all over.

Shi De Yang is pretty young in it, so it's been more than 5 or 6 years since this was made.

[LFJ]

This particular documentary was filmed in 1995. However, only this fragment of it is still around to my knowledge.

[David Jamieson]

This thread is officially ridonculus now. lol

The collective merge sea has it now... :p

[Xian]

http://vimeo.com/18911353

http://vimeo.com/5304872

http://vimeo.com/4900697


Lots of stuff from Wu Nan Fang. Have fun :)


Kind regards,
Cyrill

[Crosshandz]

Thanks for this. The movement of the Wu Gu Lun guys is truly beguiling. My Shaolin is pretty hard so its interesting to see an alternate approach to the art.

[GeneChing]

I caught an odd segment featuring Shi Xinghong's work with the Hungarian police on late night on Guangdong Today. I couldn't find an episode guide for Guangdong Today, but here's Xinghong's website (http://www.shixinghong.com/).

[brillone]

About the Documentary with shi deyang maybe its this one?

It aired on swedish tv in 1998 and its only in swedish exept when they talk mandarin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTHkiD2PMkc

[Xian]

Thanks for this. The movement of the Wu Gu Lun guys is truly beguiling. My Shaolin is pretty hard so its interesting to see an alternate approach to the art.

Yeah I know, but after seeing this it explained me something what my body was already telling me. Namely after all this "harder" training, I also should ad some softness to it and the results are interesting. And that opens another gate, where I see even more and more training I have to do, to get anywhere close to acceptable, so still much to do:o


Kind regards,
Xian

[Hendrik]

lots of hard work.

[Cdr.Instigator]

First time I hear of this style. Thank you for sharing the link..

[mickey]

Greetings,

This documentary played in NYC Chinatown way back when. Here it goes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMkz7lTGzQ8&feature=related


mickey

[Hanak]

Hello all,

I'v been searching for this documentary for quite a long time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmYPDNXEkYo

The year of this docu is arround 1995, but I dont know title of it.
In that year i'v seen it on our local tv channel here in my country.
I recorded to tape but this tape is broken and not possible to repair anymore. :mad:

But the docu itself whas very interesting for me.
I found it on youtube the full version of it, but quallity issent that.
So i hope to know something more about this docu.

I emailed the tv channel that had broadcasted that dopcu but they could not give me a copy either. :( And they said it whas original from BCC or CNN.

Anyone can help me on it?

Thanks in advance,
Hanak

[LFJ]

What is it you would like to know? Are you just looking for a better quality version? I've not actually seen one.

I was watching this with Shi Deyang last year on a netbook as we were going over the beads set. From his memory he said it was of French production.

That's about all I know, but perhaps it can help narrow your search.

[Hanak]

All info about this docu is welcome.

What I like to know is to begin with, the original title and the people or company who made it. Actually so much information possible.

Thx to tell me that is made from a french company, maybe its a step further.
I contacted a few people in my country to check if they now more from this docu or not.

And yeah i'm looking for a better quallity then the version on youtube.
But its very rare I gues.

[GeneChing]

I only watched the first few minutes, however. Sorry.

BTW, I've been meaning to post this for some time now. I talked to Andre's mom, Margot, at CMAT (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36106). She had a booth right next to ours. There's a QT trailer if you follow the link.


A Boy in China (http://emptymindfilms.com/dvd/a-boy-in-china-2/)

Andre, an eight year old American boy has just one dream: to be a Kungfu master like Jackie Chan. When he gets the chance to enter the legendary Shaolin Temple, his father takes the heartbreaking decision to follow his son to China. While father and son face the unknown together, the mother they left behind now faces life without her family. Watch this real-life drama unfold as an American family takes on China's elite Kungfu schools!

All three members of the family, husband, wife and son now face their own unique set of challenges along this martial arts journey. When Andre arrives at the Shaolin Temple he quickly realizes that to survive he will need more than his martial arts skills. As the only foreigner among 5,000 Chinese boys he needs to learn to speak Mandarin… and fast! Even more frustrating, Andre was a top Kungfu competitor in America while in China he is now placed at the bottom and must work his way back to the top! Can he make the grade and literally fight his way to the top of his class? As months turn into years, the parents strength and resolve to make their son’s dream come true is tested daily. Meanwhile, Andre is facing his own challenges as each day brings long hours of Kungfu training at the hands of the tough Shaolin monks. But his biggest challenge still awaits him… the supreme test of his skills to graduate from China’s elite martial arts school. Do not miss this real life drama as an American family take on the might of China’s elite Kungfu schools!

Soundtrack provided by China’s two top-selling musicians Chen Jing and Wu Li. These avante-garde guzheng players play jazz-fusion mixed with traditional Chinese instruments. Additional music by Shaolin Temple monks.

[LFJ]

It has some rare and precious gems in it, like one of the only clips of Shi Suyun moving about. He's training Shi Deyang in Xiaohongquan, and drops to a pretty impressive dingbu.

There's also Shi Deyang doing a portion of a set with large beads called Luohan Fozhugong, which is a skill that as I've ever been able to find only he knew, from Shi Suxi, and almost lost it until I encouraged him to dig it out of his memory last year! He hadn't practiced it in over 10 years, so it would have been lost for good. This video was the only place it had ever been documented, and no one else had ever heard of its existence.

Cherished footage of a time gone by right there.

[RenDaHai]

Re; A boy in China,

Hehe, Thats funny. I remember Andre. He first came to Tagou with his father when I was still there, that was a few years ago now. Andre Magnum if I remember correctly. I guess they got what they wanted.

[GeneChing]

Soon come. ;)

That's right, RDH, Andre Magnum. He's a ginger, which is hard to miss in China.

Here's a shot of him I took at CMAT last month.
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/552770_10150773934249363_135964689362_11650696_173 4850019_n.jpg

[GeneChing]

I caught a little news bit on an African training at Shaolin on ICN News last night. ICN TV has some martial arts programs (http://www.icntv.net/index.php?controller=tv&action=sec&id=5), but I was just surfing and caught it totally by chance.

Also Andre Magnum was at KFTC 20 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61402). I'll post a pic here when I find one.

[GeneChing]

Intriguing. I wonder if the 3D version will ever be available here.

Dragons in 3-D (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2012-08/04/content_15644932.htm)
Updated: 2012-08-04 07:46
By Xu Lin in Dengfeng, Henan ( China Daily)

Diehard fans of Chinese martial arts will be able to enjoy kung fu as if they were in the presence of masters thanks to the launch of a 3-D documentary set in the legendary Shaolin Temple.

The 60-minute Shaolin Boot Camp showcases the life of Hollywood actor and martial artist Jason Scott Lee as he learns about the Shaolin Temple, its traditions and kung fu from Shaolin monks over a two-week period.

Shooting of the documentary wrapped up on Thursday.

Shi Yongxin, the abbot of the temple, tonsured Lee and guided his practice.

Lee, 46, who is of Chinese-American descent, became famous starring as Bruce Lee in the 1993 kung fu movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. He also studied Jeet Kune Do - a kung fu system developed by Bruce Lee - under Jerry Poteet, one of Bruce Lee's students.

The story of the Shaolin Temple and its kung fu has been featured in movies and documentaries before, but this is the first 3-D film to be made about it.

It is a co-production by China Intercontinental Communication Center, Beach House Pictures in Singapore and 3net, a 3-D television channel in the United States. The documentary's premiere on 3net is scheduled for the beginning of 2013, with plans to have it broadcast in China later.

"Jason Scott Lee is very eager to learn. Shaolin kung fu is more culture, spirit and belief than just fighting and combat. I believe a true Shaolin will be demonstrated in the documentary," Shi said.

According to director Donovan Chan from Singapore, 3-D filmmaking has gained popularity globally in the past few years, both in television and motion pictures.

"It's perfect timing to recapture the beauty and spirit of the Shaolin Temple and its martial arts in stunning 3-D quality, displaying it to the world in a way it has never seen before," Chan said.

"We not only used state-of-the-art 3-D high-speed cameras to capture Shaolin kung fu in super slow motion, but also adopted an innovative hand-held 3-D rig. It allows us to capture the reality of living, eating and training with Shaolin monks without the bulk of many older 3-D rigs," he said.


Home / Entertainment / Movies
Dragons in 3-D
Updated: 2012-08-04 07:46
By Xu Lin in Dengfeng, Henan ( China Daily)
Comments(0) Print Mail Large Medium Small
Prize
0


Dragons in 3-D
[Photo/China Daily]

Chan said it allows viewers to feel they are right in the Shaolin Temple, marveling at its ancient architecture with kung fu masters.

Chan said Jason Scott Lee is perfect for this role as he's not only a Jeet Kune Do expert but also has a great understanding of Western and Eastern traditions.

"In my childhood, I was obsessed with Shaolin kung fu when I watched Hong Kong's martial arts movies. I hoped someday I would visit the Shaolin Temple and often wondered what it would be like to be a warrior monk. Now I've fulfilled my dream," Jason Scott Lee said.

"If I say Shaolin kung fu, I think of fighting, medicine, practice and philosophy. What I've learned about Shaolin kung fu is about being mindful throughout the day," Lee said.

He said qigong - a kung fu system that involves the cultivation of internal breath - is very challenging and different from his training of Jeet Kune Do because Shaolin kung fu has more traditional and classical movements while Jeet Kune Do is quite modern.

"The thing I remember most is getting to know my master (Shi Yongxin) and other monks. They are humorous in life but they are very focused with all their heart in shooting. It's a fascinating contrast," Lee said.

"It's an international crew from five countries. Shaolin kung fu is not only an important part of Chinese culture, but also an international topic because it has many fans in the world," said Jing Shuiqing, director of the international department of the China Intercontinental Communication Center.


There are nine pages of photos if you follow the link.

[GeneChing]

Jewel Thiefs! Reindeer Herding! Sex for Trees! HotDocs Celebrates Its 20th In Style (http://twitchfilm.com/2013/03/hotdocs-2013-announcement.html)
Kurt Halfyard

One of the world's largest documentary film festivals, Toronto's HotDocs turns 20 this year. To celebrate, they are screening a whopping 205 films from 43 countries from April 25th to May 5th at their dedicated cinema, The Bloor-Hotdocs Cinema, as well as a significant number of other venues in the city.

Twitch's Jason Gorber here and I've just returned from the always welcome press conference (read: free breakfast) where we got a chance to see a few minutes of 12 O'Clock Boys, which for this fan of all things Baltimore (courtesy of worshiping David Simon) looks a-ma-zing. A clip from Caucus, about the insanity of Iowa's political machinery, looks like it sets the perfect tone of wryness, with a a particularly effective shot of Mitt Romney chugging a corn dog with aplomb. If this film manages to stay apolitical (from a party point of view) while skewering the inherent ridiculous of the event (you know, Daily Show/Colbert style), this might provie to be my favourite thing of the festival.

I've been around long enough with this festival to see it flourish over the last half decade, and it's wonderful to see the level of films that are showing here (and documentaries in general) continue to improve - heck, two of my top 10 film of 2012 were movies I saw at the Bloor as part of Hot Doc programming - The Imposter and Under African Skies. Can't wait until the end of next month to find new works to fall in love with! Now back to Kurt to take you through some of the other highlights from the upcoming fest. You'll find the full press release at the bottom.

...

Other Highlights include:

http://twitchfilm.com/assets/2013/03/Dragon_Girls_630.JPG
Inigo Westmeier's DRAGON GIRLS, follows three young female students living far away from their homes and families. They sacrifice the luxuries of childhood, like days off, playtime and seeing their parents, for the honour, success, respect and awe they will gain from their training. It offers a glimpse at the young female warriors-in-training at an ancient Shaolin Kung Fu school outside Beijing. I only cut&pasted the relevant part.

[GeneChing]

There's a trailer vid if you follow the link. Looks wacky. Which monks are involved in this exactly?

CURSE OF THE SHAOLIN (http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/68051/)
http://media.filmthreat.com/images/curseoftheshaolin_main.jpg
2 Stars
Year Released: 2012
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 72 minutes
Directed by Sven Kamm
Written by Sven Kamm, Margaret Floyd
Starring Beate Antares, Sonny Soohoo

Curse of the Shaolin is a documentary that seems to have lost its focus. Is it a film about the Shaolin warriors of Chinatown in Los Angeles, is it a film about the making of a film about the Shaolin warriors or is it a film about the director’s ongoing health issues? All of the above?

Let’s backtrack: Curse of the Shaolin sets itself up as a documentary about a troupe of five Shaolin warriors who live, and perform, in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles. At the same time, due to the troubled nature of the filming (failed fundraisers, other plans falling through, the director’s health becoming an issue), the filmmaker, Sven Kamm, begins to question whether the film is cursed, a carryover scenario from the same curse that was rumored to have been the death of Bruce Lee, relating to revealing the secrets of kung fu. Thus, the film becomes less about the warriors, who begin to receive cursory coverage (this is such-and-such’s name, here are the disciplines he is proficient in), and more about the events that occurred during filming.

Which is fine, except the film actually has a far more interesting subject hidden within it, the modernization and Americanization of this group of Shaolin warriors. As the film goes on, the group begins to change as their exposure to Los Angeles continues. There’s a story there, about where each individual warrior came from, what their personalities are like, how they became Shaolin warriors, the conflicts with their Shaolin values and where they are now. This story isn’t told, however, merely hinted at as the film wraps up.

Which is a shame, because if it’s to be a film about the warriors, then they’re who I’d like the film to focus on. Not Beate Antares, even if the film was her idea initially and she trains with them. Not the director, even though I’ll admit his story does show the stakes with which he continued the film.

Now, to be fair, the film does have entertaining moments, and operates on a tongue in cheek level of humor throughout (such as when budgetary restrictions cause the history of Shaolin to be acted out with a puppet). That, plus using dubbed footage from other films, and creating an interview between Bruce Lee and the director solely by editing footage in an interesting way, adds a novelty to the film, but it also makes the film itself a novelty that doesn’t say much.

Overall, when the filmmaker professes that finishing the film is partly due to an inability to finish another documentary, and a feeling that he must finish at all costs, many of these choices make sense. Perhaps, after looking at all the footage, and being immersed in so many events surrounding filming, Sven Kamm didn’t really know if he had anything, but he knew he wanted to make something, and got lost in what was truly the focus in it all, and just wanted to be done with it.

The result wound up being the hodge podge that is Curse of the Shaolin. Yes, Kamm finally finished a documentary, and that is a great goal to start with. Hopefully the next goal will be to finish a good documentary.

[Blacktiger]

Just came across this....

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/40190531861/Inside-Kung-Fu-Inc

[YouKnowWho]

Due to publishing rights, the content you are trying to watch is currently not available outside of Australia

[Blacktiger]

Ah rats....

The title is called " Inside Kung Fu Inc".

[David Jamieson]

Ah rats....

The title is called " Inside Kung Fu Inc".

Is that the one with the guy who goes to get the body guard job?

[GeneChing]

Shaolin Documentary (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36328-Shaolin-Temple-Documentaries) on girl student from Epo (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?41982-Training-in-China-(Epo)).


Ancient kung fu school teaches girls to ‘toughen up’ with martial arts (RT DOCUMENTARY) (https://www.rt.com/viral/397301-little-miss-kung-fu-documentary/)
Published time: 24 Jul, 2017 09:41

https://cdn.rt.com/files/2017.07/original/597539cadda4c869388b4567.jpg

One of China’s top martial art schools is now teaching girls how to train with their fists, knives, swords, and other weapons.
Shaolin Epo Wushu College in the Shaolin Mountains is among the country’s top martial arts schools. Located near the famous monastery where monks have practiced kung fu for centuries, it’s now home to around 8,000 students, some as young as three.

The boarding school was once limited to male students, but now teaches girls the rigorous training regime their fathers learned for generations before them.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=406vjrvds20

The girls practice in the same Spartan conditions as their male counterparts, and all children are encouraged to ‘toughen up’ with modest dinners and once-a-week parental visits.

Students are expected to pass each exam in order to keep their place in the prestigious school, and boys and girls alike are tested at the same level.

“The bar is set high and there are no allowances for any who fall behind,” said director Aleksandr Panov. “So, despite the hurdles along the way and the unrelenting schedule, every girl soldiers on, determined to make her parents, teachers and country proud”

‘Little Miss Kung Fu’ premiers on RT on July 24.

[Djuan]

just found this series, though I have seen one of the episodes a couple years ago, it was all subtitled and poor quality, these look like new fresh uploads. anyhow its a great series with a look at Shaolin Temple today from many different perspectives and dynamics .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjsFqtZftrA
heres one episode, the rest are linked from that one

Amituofo

[Djuan]

starts with this episode and has 5 more that follow. nice short videos with a lot of substance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKBOlR2psxo

Amituofo

[GeneChing]

Sacred Wonders
Series 1: Episode 1 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0007fhj/sacred-wonders-series-1-episode-1)
At Angkor Wat in Cambodia, a man who believes the temples are home to his ancestral spirits risks his life to save them from the jungle. At al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, a young Muslim paramedic battles his own hunger and exhaustion to help other fasting worshippers during Ramadan. And at the Shaolin Temple in China, a Buddhist warrior monk faces a test that will change the course of his life forever.

Discover just what people do for faith in some of the most stunning sacred places on Earth.
Less

Duration 58 mins First shown 7 Aug 2019 Available for over a year

Unfortunately this isn't available in my region - I get a "BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues. In the UK? Here's some advice." But maybe some of our across the pond members can check this out.

Nice finds above, Djuan. Thanks for posting them here. :)

[Djuan]

Unfortunately this isn't available in my region - I get a "BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues. In the UK? Here's some advice." But maybe some of our across the pond members can check this out.

Nice finds above, Djuan. Thanks for posting them here. :)

indeed, I will always share em here when its worth it. they added one to thier series yesterday, which was good, speaking with Hu Zheng Sheng again about XinYiBa.

and I think the one that was only in the available UK is available here now !
if its the same one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbow21FKJS4

for BBC, they did a good job on capturing the training and importance of the sutra study. The student they film has great traditional form. (looks like Chang Hu Xinyimen) or correct me, its nice though.

Amituofo

[Djuan]

fav quotes from these, "the perfection of Shaolin martial arts today, is a mark of faith." ~ The narrator on the BBC doc says this about 2:05 minutes in. https://youtu.be/Zbow21FKJS4?t=125

"at Shaolin, we use martial arts to enter into Ch'an (Zen),
Ch'an to enter into stillness...
and Stillness to enter find silence.." ~ said by the Monk in the Heritage Documentary https://youtu.be/wKBOlR2psxo
10740
Amituofo

[Djuan]

earlier I saw a video of a student who spent a couple years in the Temple recently, I think from 2015 to 2017, do a break down of the BBC documentary, which was very theatrical to say the least.
groups of people are always on the ready to critique and question when any "inside footage" comes from the Temple in any light, but especially a platform as big as BBC, doing a documentary of this nature.
so since he is a credible source as a youtuber, they poured in the questions asking him to watch the documentary and do a commentary. He did, and in it, he stated some obvious facts.
one of the first things he pointed out was superficial, and most of us would catch it and overlook it, is that the narrator said something along the lines of Hollywood restoring popularity to the Temple upon discovering it and revealing its skills in the 1970s, when really it was Hong Kong cinema alone.
Other than that the things he pointed out were obvious, for the most part, and some things not so obvious. Since I linked the video, I'll share his provided insights.

namely, he says most of what we saw was purely for the camera, and not at all how these tests are handled when it comes to gongfu or wuseng.
he says that at thhe age of 18, a student has the option to become a monk or warrior monk, and if they chose to become a warrior monk, a technical, yet casual test is given, on gongfu skill alone, in the wushu training all, while wearing tshirts. lol so BBC did some romanticizing and camera work, to make it fancy and give it that old Shaolin feel. which is fine by me, as I'm not buying into a fantasy, I just like ANY and all POSITIVE looks for the Temple.

he pointed out that the monk they did the documentary on has been a wuseng for a while and taught large bodies of students while he was there as well. Also pointing out that the monk is a great person and very honest and upright. he says is you can speak Chinese well, and/or are familiar with the Temple and monks, when the cameras are not rolling, you know that what was said was scripted.
Now I spotted this immediately during the scene where he was "refining" his staff technique. I could feel their relationship was more cordial than the camera was making it and I havent met them personally, the dialogue was just obviously prepared, which is fine by me. for some reason, people expect something else from BBC cameras.
a lot of opinions are thrown around about whats real and so on, yet those who are so opinionated are not practicing Shaolin Chan or wushu, or any martial art sometimes, they are just there to say "hey that Shaolin stuff is all for the camera."
I guarantee, none of these youtube trolls have the heart, or physical climate to endure any form of a real DAY of warriormonk training , much less years, coupled with Ch'an study and practice.
I liked the documentary because it gave a glimpse of the two dynamics working together, which is good to see in any event. As Im watching his critique I can tell he has geniuine love for Shaolin, and is tired of dealing with doubtful trolls, yet willing to deal with them from an open and honest space. which shows he got something from living in the Temple those couple years, something that he cant transmit in words, yet he's willing to defend the Temple. I like that he pointed out when he would ask two masters the same question, he would get two answers. One monk might say, Shaolin gongfu is for pure combat alone, to him. and another monk will say , Shaolin gongfu is useless to him without Chan, that it serves as a vehicle for Chan practice.

We all know that tourist and media coverage, and to some degree exploitation happens a lot with Shaolin and its expected at this point, so to hand the monks scripts, and for them to put on a "show" of sorts is also expected to a degree. however, this doesnt take away from the truth that Shaolin is still a Temple and has regular monks doing regular monk things all day, along with warrior monks who do the same. the reality might not be so glamorous, yet to a devotee it doesnt have to be.

so since I posted it, I will address it here, because I will keep sharing whatever I find.
I was asked by someone close to me, who was listening to the video and to my talk about it, that literally "why does Shaolin have so many haters? They must be doing something right...."
I loved it and it took me a minute to answer because I had to really process the question and answer. this wasnt the first time this question came about either. so I already had a perspective on the answer.
its that people are just conditioned to prefer what seems overtly or obviously efficient in a brute force way like "MMA" or boxing, and MA that look more like that and are competition driven, like sport muay thai or TKD, would be the popular choice. Shaolin maintains its intrigue to the unlearned because what you gain cant be explained or measured the same way as in boxing, so its easy to pass judgement on it, plus a lot of people made a bad name in the past using Shaolin the wrong way. still the myth, and the con artist, and the fantasy media and cinema exploits have root in something true and factual. That factual part is what people fear, literally fear, because they know its real, yet its unknown, and we know how the modern human mind has been conditioned to receive the unknown, which is what we see with Shaolin.
the fear and will to denounce what they are unwilling to pursue, either out of sheer ignorance, or impatience, or both, is what all of these trolls base their arguments in.

not to mention people love to make any and everything unholy, so the mere fact Shaolin unifies Chan and Wushu, drives people mad. its like they say "how dare you hold enlightenment up to human action and our great combat sports which are only for scorin points and kickin asses!?" lol.....so we have to deal with those "critics" who have never seen the real deal, every time Shaolin gets some shine, which is all the time. A lot of you have been to Shaolin as more than a tourist and know everything has its balance there. If anyone wants to offer a word on the BBC video, that would be cool too.

one thing I dont see, is real Shaolin monks, denouncing ANY thing ANY one does, or passing it off as not this or that. To be totally immersed in Ch'an you cant think in that way, which is another reason Shaolin takes a lot of garbage from haters, because they wont just beat the people up, lol.....it just wont happen. and its supposed to be that way. no matter how many people dress up like monks and go make a fool of themselves in the ring, or in a mcdoojo, students and monks of Shaolin keep to practice and the truth keeps shining through and growing in strength.

Amituofo


https://youtu.be/jHUewEWi9SE

[Djuan]

for balance.


https://youtu.be/jHUewEWi9SE

Amituofo

[GeneChing]

Real Shaolin disciple Ranton debunks inaccuracies in BBC’s Shaolin Master documentary (https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3024212/real-shaolin-disciple-debunks-inaccuracies-bbcs-shaolin)
Popular YouTuber Ranton, who spent three years training with the monks, points out falsehoods and exaggerations in BBC’s ‘Sacred Wonders’ episode
Film focuses on a Buddhist monk’s final test – but ‘he’s been a master for a long time already, teaching huge groups’
Nick Atkin
Published: 5:21pm, 24 Aug, 2019

https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/kung-fu/article/3024212/real-shaolin-disciple-debunks-inaccuracies-bbcs-shaolin
A monk trains on the grounds of the Shaolin Temple in the BBC’s ‘Sacred Wonders’ documentary. Photo: YouTube/BBC

A popular YouTuber who spent three years training with the monks at the Shaolin Temple has debunked several inaccuracies in a BBC documentary that has gone viral.
The BBC travelled to the Shaolin Temple in China for episode one of its new Sacred Wonders series. It also uploaded an eight-and-a-half minute clip to YouTube titled “The extraordinary final test to become a Shaolin Master” focusing on a Buddhist monk named Yandian.
The documentary says Yandian will face a test to qualify as a full warrior monk, with the film following his training. It says he has been practising with the monkey stick weapon for 11 years, but still struggles with one move, the “Monkey Going Up The Tree”.
“When I was at Shaolin he [Yandian] was already a master and teaching huge groups of people. His speciality was the monkey stick,” says YouTuber Ranton, who dissected the documentary in his own video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHUewEWi9SE

Ranton says young monks can decide when they turn 18 whether to become a full-on monk or a full-on warrior monk.
“But I’ve never seen a test like this,” he says. “And this guy [Yandian] has been a warrior monk for a long time already. Everybody knows how good he is in the Temple. This might just be a narrative for the camera.”
Yandian tells the camera he will feel he has let himself down badly if he does not pass his test.
“The monks do have a lot of media experience. Camera teams are there at least every month,” Ranton says. “I’m not saying they told them word for word what to say. but if you speak Chinese you can clearly see he is saying what he is supposed to be saying.
“Everyone who’s involved with the temple to a deeper degree knows what to say to the cameras, to sell it. They’re great people, but again nobody talks like that.”

continued next post

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbow21FKJS4

The narrator says Yandian will have to prove himself before a panel of senior monks. If he fails it will be 13 years before he can try again. “Shaolin in China is all about who knows who. That guy does not have to wait for anything,” Ranton says.
In one scene, Yandian receives words of advice from his supposed mentor, Yancen.
“Mentor? What? So obviously in Shaolin Temple and in China in general, age is very important. So senior people tell you what to do and how to behave. So he does have to listen to him, but he is not his personal mentor, there’s no such thing. He’s just a senior monk but they’re both already masters. They’re brothers essentially, they’re warrior monk brothers,” Ranton says.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/08/24/6279734e-c64c-11e9-ad8c-27551fb90b05_1320x770_173643.jpg
Ranton (left) poses with Yandian, the subject of the ‘Sacred Wonders’ documentary, during his time training at the Shaolin Temple. Photo: YouTube/Ranton

Yancen tells Yandian he is struggling to do the move well because of “what is inside – your mind is not at peace”.
“Real talk again, most warrior monks rarely ever meditate. Sorry,” Ranton says.
“This is not how kung fu is ever taught when the cameras are off. There’s only beatings and yelling. Talking about what’s in your heart and mind, you might have that after your training when you sit down with your master and you drink some tea, then they tell you this, but not during your training.”

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/08/24/9a598420-c64c-11e9-ad8c-27551fb90b05_1320x770_173643.jpg
Ranton says this training hall from the ‘Sacred Wonders’ documentary is never actually used for training – only when the cameras are there. Photo: YouTube/Ranton

The narrator says that the abbot, who is the head of the temple, will be judging Yandian along with three senior monks. Yancen is allowed to watch from the sidelines. “This makes no sense. Yancen is just like the other guys. They are senior warrior monks. One of them was my master for 4 months,” Ranton says.
“This is a very cool scene but I’ve never heard or seen anything this formal take place. Why would they test his skill when everybody knows how good he is, and why is the abbot there? He has plenty of other things to do. If somebody from outside wants to join the warrior monks, there’s one senior monk who comes and checks it out, in the training hall, no need for all these formalities.
“It’s a very beautiful, cathartic scene at the end here but no one sits in this hall, no one chills there. This is just for the camera.”

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/08/24/847826d4-c64c-11e9-ad8c-27551fb90b05_1320x770_173643.jpg
Ranton (left) with Yancen, the supposed mentor of Yandian in the BBC’s ‘Sacred Wonders’ documentary. Photo: YouTube/Ranton

The documentary also claims that the Shaolin Temple became world famous as the home of kung fu after being discovered by Hollywood 50 years ago.
But, as Ranton points out, it was Hong Kong cinema that made Shaolin big again, not Hollywood, in particular Shaolin Temple (1981) starring Jet Li and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).
The YouTuber also disagreed with the film’s statement that kung fu is not just a martial art, but a spiritual practice.

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/08/24/b9b67490-c64c-11e9-ad8c-27551fb90b05_1320x770_173643.jpg
A monk performs a series of flips in the Pagoda Forest area outside the Shaolin Temple. But Ranton says monks never train there. Photo: YouTube/BBC

“That highly depends on the person practising it,” he says. “I have met plenty of people at Shaolin who train like crazy and actually separate it from the spiritual aspects. Even monks. One of my masters would never talk about anything spiritual. He would always say Shaolin for him meant war.
“Shaolin means so many different things to so many people. Some monks really go heavy on that spirituality stuff, and some are just like, if you’re not actually learning how to fight, then you’re not learning kung fu.
“The whole aspect of spirituality happens right here [in your mind], you don’t talk about it.”

https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2019/08/24/764054ec-c64c-11e9-ad8c-27551fb90b05_1320x770_173643.jpg
One of the actual training halls where monks practise at the Shaolin Temple when the cameras are not around. Photo: YouTube/Ranton

The documentary says that the Shaolin Temple is a sacred place in Buddhism. Ranton agrees in that it is the origin of Zen Buddhism but says that the vast majority of warrior monks are not that well-read or even interested in Buddhist scripture.
He also points out that the monks would never actually train in some of the areas that the film shows them practising in.
“We would never train there,” he says about one area. “This is in the middle of the Temple, this is part of the area that is sprawling with tourists throughout the day so you can’t really walk there. This was locked down for the camera team. We trained in the training halls which are outside the tourist areas. But, it looks cool.”

Anyone know Ranton? I haven't been able to keep up with the Shaolin Laowai over the last decade...:o

[Djuan]

His videos are all I know of him, and he seems genuine, yet a little too rash with some things. For instance, a lot goes without saying. We know BBC will film a certain way, and we know there will be scripting, and honestly, when I first saw the documentary, I had the thought of a test reenactment, based on the fact that the its known the Temple as been form fitted for teaching and hosting foreign students, so some formalities wont be in effect openly, or at all.
So the monk who was tested, was likely just showing what it was like to be tested IN THAT WAY. doesnt mean that was his test at that time, yet and still, I accepted it in its essence as if it was.
I understand Ranton was respond to critics, something dont need highlighting tho, and still I took his so-called evaluation as a positive, because he didnt leave room for the people in his comments to bash Shaolin in any shape or form. I respect him for that.

With Shaolin in the media, I have my own opinions.
the jist of it is, I'm in favor of spreading Shaolin ChanWuYi, in any form, as the result is only always good.

Im not so in favor of pointing out every time Shaolin puts on its "show"m for the reason that nowadays, thats just how things are spread through the popular culture and media.
so to jump up at Shaolin every time an appearance is made in the media and say "hey thats for show" or "its not really that ancient anymore" or "thats not real zen" or "thats not real fighting" etc....is so lame to me, especially when you dont see MMA fighters beatin down the doors at every WWE event/filming to "expose" its abuse of true wrestling/grappling culture.
pffffttttt.......

it almost seems purposely pessimistic and overly cynical like people have some inherent fear of Vajrapani (Jingang Shou) lol, like they got smacked generations ago by the hand of Buddha personally and wont loose the grudge lol .....either way I take any appearance made by Shaolin on major media platforms, especially those appearances that glorify its mysitque and bring out that certain nostalgia that only Shaolin can express , as a big ol fat win for Shaolin.

in reflection, what do people want anyway?
why would Shaolin or BBC allow a show of a poor performing monk, or failing student anyhow? like what do the people in the comments want to see, a student get beat, yelled at and told they have to study for a decade before thinking about becoming wuseng? ..then they should go apply for the experience.
and then once theyre ready, tell them you have to pass through mighty dashanmen without a bruise, or wait 5 years to be tested again lol....they dont heave the heart or patience for it obviously, not even in speculation or observation can they perceive that reality..... so I dont know why they bother bashing or questioning every glimpse they get of the Shaolin culture, scripted or spontaneous.

I'm looking forward to more good looks for Shaolin in cinema and in documentaries as the growth is needed for the world and is inevitable.

Amituofo!

[Djuan]

the "warrior monk exam" topic has been covered in KFTCM in Shaolin volumes from 2004 and 2012 , at least those two Im familiar with.

[Songshan]

I have seen Ranton’s videos on you tube and just know of him through that. Seems like a personable guy. He has videos up about his time at Shaolin. He was lucky enough to live there for 3 years (and I am just hoping to visit Shaolin one time lol). Luckily, there are a few songshan shaolin schools were I live.

Tons of documentaries are out there about Shaolin. I think this one is a little staged for entertainment but it also gives Shaolin a spotlight. The Shaolin scene has been a little quiet as of late.

[Djuan]

I have seen Ranton’s videos on you tube and just know of him through that. Seems like a personable guy. He has videos up about his time at Shaolin. He was lucky enough to live there for 3 years (and I am just hoping to visit Shaolin one time lol). Luckily, there are a few songshan shaolin schools were I live.

Tons of documentaries are out there about Shaolin. I think this one is a little staged for entertainment but it also gives Shaolin a spotlight. The Shaolin scene has been a little quiet as of late.

Indeed, I agree with the spotlight, I really like the BBC documentary because it give new light to Shaolin, and someone will be inspired forever from that. Also Ranton seems very cool, outside of youtube it looks like hes a genuine dude. Anyone who can commit to a few years at Shaolin, has my salute for obvious reasons.
We can really judge people, especially from youtube lol, however, the subscribers and commenters force your hand sometimes with certain topics, which is what I think he was dealing with.

about the monk's exam, again, plenty of real monks have spoken up about what tests go on off camera, between different classes of warrior monks, for example like the scene in Jet Li's , Tai Chi Master ....or even Martial Arts Of Shaolin (Shaolin Temple 2). My take on "the nature" of the BBC exam, only because I've seen those monks in other docuseries, especially the senior brother, is that it could represent a promoting test within the temple. Just because one hasnt seen this type of test doesnt mean there are no grounds for it.
You might test for a position to teach new students, where all your are required to know is Xiao Hong, Da Hong, Qi Xing, 18 Luohan Shou, Tong Bi, Yin shou gun, Ji ben Gong (perfected) some qi gong etc, and one part of a sutra. so you go for it and get the spot.
now 5 or ten years later, its possible you will have another test, of greater difficulty, like much longer taolu or many roads of a specific hand, and more difficult weapons, in depth yi jin jing and now quoting sutra from various sources, on demand, which is very difficult. I know for a fact promotion happens this way, and the test is probably a bit more intimate and random. You'd be selected for this test to be able to teach a more advanced level of student.

thats the only thing Ranton didnt say, is just because he didnt see tests of this type (of BBC docu variation) , doesnt mean they dont happen.......And there are more, less tourist/camera crew visited temples in the area where a more intimate situation can be cultivated. Plus you have the "non business hours" Shaolin Temple, that no one sees ever, who knows what goes on lol aside from the real monks there :p

Amituofo

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiFwZ-6ODbU

There's a segment on Shaolin Temple on Ep 3: Rite of Passage. It's followed by a segment on Sumo.

Shaolin-Temple-Documentaries (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?36328-Shaolin-Temple-Documentaries)
Sumo (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56343-Sumo)

[GeneChing]

Documentary director delves into Zen Buddhism, martial arts at Shaolin Temple (https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202306/1292812.shtml)
Taking action
By Lou Kang
Published: Jun 18, 2023 11:07 PM

The Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, Central China's Henan Province Photo: VCG

For decades, the Shaolin Temple in Central *China's Henan Province has been *attracting tourists from around the world who long to discover the secrets of its peerless martial arts and explore more about the birthplace of Zen, a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China, where it is called Chan in Chinese.

This World Heritage Site has also captured the attention of Sun Hongyun, an associate professor at the Beijing Film Academy and documentary director, who traveled high upon into the Songshan Mountain around three years ago with her film crew to uncover the real face of Shaolin culture.

"There are a lot trendy buzzwords among young Chinese people, such as Foxi, or 'Buddha-like mind-set,' which means letting nature take its course or working in accordance with a situation's natural tendency. But what does it really look like to have a Buddha-like mind-set? As far as I understand it, it's definitely not 'taking no action.' So I came here to see what they do," Sun told the Global Times in a recent interview.

In her documentary film Into the Shaolin, she observes the life and mental journey of several Shaolin monks and a young Serbian female *anthropologist who lived at the Shaolin Temple for research.

The documentary takes a rather plain perspective: Just like ordinary people, monks at the Shaolin Temple have their everyday homework to finish, and they also have their own questions about as well as longing for the future.

"Many tourists say that this temple has become a commercial place crammed with businesses and performances, but I don't think that way. The people who live here have been here since they were very little. They live a life that many people don't see and that's what my documentary focuses on," Sun said.

The documentary has been earning a good reputation for itself. It was *shortlisted in the Doc Edge Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival. And in April it won the Russian Documentary Film and Television Association Award at the Moscow International Film Festival, where judges called it "a symphony of art."

Complicated yet simple

As early as 1982, the *movie Shaolin Temple starring Jet Li made the Songshan Mountain famous overnight.

It also brought the image of Shaolin martial arts into the minds of audiences all over the world, *equating the name Shaolin with *unmatched martial arts.

Sun told the Global Times that countless people now come to the Shaolin Temple to make movies every year. She joked that if a bird lays an egg inside the temple, more than 100 cameras from all over the place will cram together just to get a shot.

"Unlike the mysterious vibe seen in the movies, when you come to the Shaolin Temple you will find it as a very open space where there are various activities, filming and seminars all day long. But it also means a mix of people," Sun said.

Promotional material for Into the Shaolin Photo: Courtesy of Sun Hongyun

Talking about why she wanted to make the film, Sun said that she has had her own inner struggles in life. She once went to Longquan Temple deep in the Fenghuang Mountain in Beijing to do volunteer work. During her time there, she had a chat with one of the monks - a master who graduated from Tsinghua University with a PhD before becoming a monk.

What is the real attraction in the temple? Can the monks find peace of mind and end suffering here? Sun decided to go into the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, Shaolin Temple.

"People here have been educated in another system, where most of them can *compose poems and understand the philosophy of life from a completely different angle."

Sun pointed to an elderly Zen master named Yan Yong as an example.

"Yan Yong didn't go to school nor has a diploma. He is the only person I have ever seen who lives as much as possible like ancient romantic poets," Sun said.

At the same time, the young monks here also have their own concerns about the future and life. Foreigners are another main group shown in the documentary.

"I wanted to show the multi-faceted and rich nature of the Shaolin Temple. There are quite a lot of foreigners with stories as well."

Sun noted that there was one foreign student who suffered from depression and had attempted suicide before coming to Shaolin Temple to study Zen and kung fu in an attempt to find himself.

As for Serbian anthropologist Marta, Sun helped her find some opportunities to meet and communicate with the local monks so that she could better carry out research. As an outsider, Marta's experience at Shaolin also brings the audience into the story with her.

An artistic touch

Although there are some young people from wealthy families at the temple, the fact is that there are more people from poor families who come to live a different life.

Heng Kun, the attendant of the master Yan Yong, is only 18 years old. His father died when he was 5.

Sun told the Global Times that they once went to Heng's home to film. It was a very remote and poor mountain village with harsh living conditions in Nanyang, Henan Province, where he lived with his grandparents.

"Though they sent him to Shaolin at a very young age, Heng Kun's grandparents clearly didn't want him to become a real monk, so the visit finally turned into a fight," Sun recalled.

It was not easy to film a confrontation like that, but part of the job is to film reality.

Still, as a documentary director, Sun tries to bring in a certain aesthetic sense to her documentaries.

Sun co-created the China documentary Ivens on China from Dutch director Joris Ivens. Her cinematographic style was quite influenced by his artistry.

Under her lens, the Shaolin Temple is a place with four distinct seasons. It shows the monks *practicing martial arts in the early morning, the harvesting of wheat in the fields, *conversations between masters and disciples in the mountains, as well as the close bond between people and the wild animals in the area.
Unfortunately I can't cut&paste the poster...