Shi Decheng

[GeneChing]

I'm announcing this all over because it's coming together rather last minute. I'll merge this with our Tiger Claw Foundation seminar thread after it's over. Hope some of you locals can come out and support!

Shaolin Small Hong Fist by Shaolin Warrior Monk Shi Decheng
3rd Annual Shi Decheng Shaolin Seminar
February 10th, 2007 1:00-3:00 Milpitas, CA

Small Hong Fist is one of the most popular forms practiced at Shaolin Temple today. Known in Chinese as xiaohongquan, this is a root form known by all Shaolin practitioners. If you’re new to Shaolin Kung Fu, Small Hong Fist is the first step towards mastery. If you’re already familiar with Small Hong Fist, this is an excellent opportunity to refine your skills with direct coaching from Master Shi Decheng. Following the seminar, Shi Decheng will be available for returning students to review of any previously learned Shaolin material.

Tuition: $45 per person.
For more information and to reserve your place, contact Gene Ching at 510-656-5100 X137 or Gene@KungFuMagazine.com.

Location: USA O-Mei Kung Fu Academy, 451 Los Coches St, Milpitas, CA 95035 408-719-9288

In cooperation with www.russbo.com, www.usaomei.com, and www.sdcshaolin-kungfu.com and www.KungFuMagazine.com.
__________________

[GeneChing]

Still promoting my master's visit. He's my master, after all. ;)

Hope some of you local members can make it. Right now, it's a pretty intimate group, which is great for the attendees, but I'm hoping for more.

[LFJ]

shi decheng- xiaohongquan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jiV4hL32hk)

the ending is a little different here...

[GeneChing]

It'll look exactly like that, just not as pixelated. :p

Actually, that looks like older footage. Decheng looks younger. Hard to tell. And I'm not sure if he'll teach the short xiaohong or the full length xiaohong (the one demonstrated above). That'll probably depend on who shows up and what their aptitude is. For a few of the attendees, this will surely be a review seminar.

[Ravenshaw]

Out of curiosity, how many people have signed up? Many you don't know?

[GeneChing]

...that's great for you, since you'll get more attention, Ravenshaw. That sucks for me, because the last thing I need is more attention. I was hoping to hide behind other guys, big tall dudes like you, so my master doesn't beat the stuffing out of me again. As a disciple, one with crappy skills now, I get more and more Shaolin spankings. See my write-ups on the 2004 Shi Decheng Workshop (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=522) and the 2005 Shi Decheng workshop (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=595). But enough whining from me. I'm hoping for more people just because it supports Shi Decheng in his travels. With Tiger Claw Foundation (http://www.TigerClawFoundation.org) events, we make no money whatsoever. That $45 goes directly to Decheng. Through an arrangement with my other master, Shifu Tony Chen, we get to use the O-Mei school floor for free too. It's a longstanding tradition to support monks and masters in their travels (well, traveling masters like the jianghu is a totally different deal than seminars, but the essence of the gesture is still present). Unfortunately, many of the regular TCF seminar supporters are out of town or out of money next weekend. So here's hoping a few more show. At the very least, it'll be fun to be on the floor with you again, Ravenshaw. You can carry my body out after. :o

[Ravenshaw]

Assuming your skills really were crappy, wouldn't more attention be exactly what you need? We all need our teachers to slap us into line every once in a while if we don't keep it up. My double bass teacher can tell you that. It couldn't be pride, could it? That wouldn't be very Shaolin. :p

Or is it that, if you do it wrong, he "shows" you how to do it right? Lai Hung does that to me... but we don't share a common language, so that's not too surprising. I've never complained, but then again maybe I just enjoy getting hit by old men. Makes the kung fu seem more "authentic," no? You, know, like the movies. ;)

[LFJ]

Actually, that looks like older footage. Decheng looks younger. Hard to tell.

yes, it must be at least 10-15 years old! lol

from the same program: this video is of shi yanfeng from houston, very young. or as he's called here- shi "xiao" feng. ha!

shi yanfeng- tongzigong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgp48SidH8)

[GeneChing]

Ravenshaw: Nevermind me, I'm just stressing his visit. It's really bad timing for me personally. One of my dear friends passed away recently. I was at his bedside when he left. His memorial is the same time as our seminar, so I have to miss it. Also, my wife and I have previously scheduled something for that night so I have to hand my master off to Jeff for the evening. Plus we've just undertaken this massive project, so my work is really behind. Shaolin has this way of slapping me at the worst times. Perhaps that's the burden of being a disciple. Or maybe it's being a professional.

BTW, there's some talk of trying to have a little dinner thing after the seminar with Decheng. The timing is a little funny since there's a long break, but it still might come together.

I'm not going to get into your fetish for liking to be hit by old men. Must be a Sabbath thing. ;) Remember, I used to work on Folsom, where people paid good money to get hit by scantily-clad women. We'd see them having cig breaks in the alleys a lot.

LFJ: I remember Yanfeng at that age. He was phenomenal. Technically, you can't take Shaolin monk vows until your eighteen, so Yanfeng couldn't adopt the generation name Yan until he came of age. He was what is known as a shami - a child disciple - back then, so xiao was a more fitting moniker.

[jason.]

Gene,

If it is any consolation I would love to attened if I lived out in your area,

I hope the seminar goes well!

[hasayfu]

Just wanted to let you know that I would love to join this seminar but I have a lion dance show for the elementary school during that time.

On a side note, we will be doing a show on the Sunday after the seminar at the grand opening of one of Chen Fei's sister schools in Mountain View. Lion dance and kung fu demo. I'll post more info in another thread once I get it.

Not sure if you guys want to come around.

[LFJ]

LFJ: I remember Yanfeng at that age. He was phenomenal. Technically, you can't take Shaolin monk vows until your eighteen, so Yanfeng couldn't adopt the generation name Yan until he came of age. He was what is known as a shami - a child disciple - back then, so xiao was a more fitting moniker.

right on. this xiao shami was definitely impressive. and look at him now.

btw, since everyone else is mentioning how much they'd like to attend the siminar- i too would love it, however i live in north dakota now and am making my next trip to shaolin soon. :(

[Ravenshaw]

Gene, very sorry to hear about the loss. :(

I probably won't be able to make it to the dinner if it happens since I need to be at work here in Davis at 9pm.

If old men beatings were a "fetish" as you put it, I'd give more credit to Priest than Sabbath. ;) Zep was of course too stoned and "genius" to be violent.

Old Chinese men hitting you is just a part of the art, isn't it? Or maybe I'm just a prime target for demonstrations 'cause I'm the big, young, white guy. So they expect me to (a) take it when they beat up on me and (b) demonstrate the more athletic moves. That second part put a lot of pressure on me when it came time to learn #9. Lam Sifu said "watch Thomas do this part. He's young, he'll do it perfectly." Then he admonished me when I used my hands to pop up from the splits. And I didn't pop up high enough from the praying position.

You mentioned Jeff... from WLKF? If so, I haven't seen him in a long time. I doubt he'd even know me. Will he be attending?

hasayfu, pass me the info anyway. Like I mentioned, I'll have to be back here in Davis for the night, but if I can get out of it, I'd be interested.

[GeneChing]

In '99, Jeff, Justin and I spent some time together at Shaolin training under Shi Decheng. That's when Justin took his vows (I took mine in '96 which makes me Justin's double shixiong and I'll never, ever let him forget that :p ). Jeff never discipled under Decheng, but he's still a devoted student of him.

And you're totally right. Not about Sabbath/Zep mind you, but about being a big young white guy so ideal to take the fall in the mind of any Chinese master. I'll have to point that out to Decheng. ;)

The Japanese call the fall guy role 'uke' which I believe to be onomatopoeia for the sound you make when your ass hits the floor. I'm glad you take it so well. That shows good character. We must have done something right at WLKF. Ah, it'll be good to see you, bro.

[GeneChing]

Ok, this is the last week I'll be pushing this thread, then I'll let it go until Decheng's next visit. They are predicting rain now, which is bumming me out more because it makes it tough to take Decheng sightseeing over the weekend.

[hasayfu]

Ravenshaw,

Here is the place:
http://www.allstarkungfu.com/

Sunday 2-3pm. We are just helping out. This will be the debut show of our lion team. We've only been training a few months. Unfortunately, many of our performers are out this day so we are going with a bare team.

Should still be fun. If anyone from the forum makes it out, I'm the drummer.

[GeneChing]

... to pick up Shi Decheng. It'll be good to see my master again. It's raining pretty hard here now, so that really puts a damper on sightseeing this weekend. Hope it doesn't mess up your opening too, hasayfu.

amitoufo

[GeneChing]

I'm not going to merge this thread to the SF Bay Area workshops from the Tiger Claw Foundation (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=37378) workshops thread like I originally said. I'm going to let this one stand on its own, since it's developed a life of its own (and hopefully, I'll revitalize it on Shi Decheng's return).

Shi Decheng's visit went well over all. He was very happy about everything. The seminar was small, but we filled the room at U.S.A. O-Mei. More students would have got claustrophobic. Thanks for everyone who came out to support. The sun came out Sunday, so we had a fine afternoon at Golden Gate Park.

Here's a little Shaolin Whack-A-Mole, or rather, Whack-a-spam. (http://my.thetech.org/assets/200702/000015E6C6125F42/CI-1625.jpg) I'll explain later.

[hvillarruel]

I was waiting like 2 years to meet Master Shi De Cheng but i ran out of money. I hosted my SiFu Zanotti Seminar here at Guadalajara, Mexico one week before Doc's party.

Do you know if Master Shi De Cheng is going to be more time at USA?

Congratulations on your seminar Master Gene Ching!. I hope to reach the next one.

:)

[GeneChing]

Shi Decheng has a one year visa for the U.S. for 2007. That's unusual, but he travels so often that I guess he's earned some props. His 2007 itinerary is crazy. This week, he goes back to China for Chinese New Years. Then he goes to France, then Italy, then Germany, then Austria, staying a few weeks in each place. Then back to China, which should be around June. Then back to France, I think (I'm a bit sketchy on all the details). He's hoping to make the Buddhist pilgrimage in India this year - Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar. I've paid my respects at Bodh Gaya and Sarnath, so I hope he makes it. Then he might be back in the U.S. in September or November. Not sure exactly, but I'll certainly keep everyone posted here. Meanwhile, he's opened a second school in Dengfeng and invested in some mountain real estate in between Dengfeng and Shaolin Temple, where he intends to build another school and a stupa for his master, Shi Suyuan. He said Shi Suyuan didn't want a stupa in Talin and loved the mountains, so he's worked to fulfill this wish. He said that when he finishes this stupa, he'll invite all the disciples there. That should be very interesting.

[hasayfu]

Great that the seminar went well. I spoke to one person who went and he had a great time.

Yeah, I was worried about the opening but it was great day on Sunday. Our debut show went as well as can be expected. It was a simple show but I'm proud of the team. They've come a long way in a short time.

Sifu Tony Chen paid a visit. That was a pleasant surprise.

Finally, in typical Chinese fire drill fashion, the sound system went wacky on the dragon dance and guess who had to do an impromptu drum accompaniment?!?

[hvillarruel]

Great Master you have Master Gene. :)

So, i will wait for him on September or November.

Do you know if someone disciple of him is teaching there at US? ( You, Doc,...?)

Congratulations for the event.

Hector Villarruel

[GeneChing]

Shi Decheng has five disciples in the America. We were discussing this during his visit, and he thought he only had four, but I remembered one he had forgotten. Embarrassingly, that was a person that I had introduced to him, a classmate from Lam Kwoon who disappeared (the Lam Kwoon folks here know who I'm talking about). No doubt he still claims his discipleship heritage, but he's done nothing to honor that, so Decheng completely forgot him. I tried to jog Decheng's memory about him, but failed, and at a certain point, I just gave up. Ironically, he's probably still teaching. Since I gave him this public dressing down, and since Decheng no longer acknowledges him, I'm going to omit him on the list.

The four American disciples that Decheng acknowledges in order of their vows taking are:
1995: Steve Li: I can't remember his disciple name and we've lost track of him.
1996: me: Xinglong
1996: Dieter Wagner: Xingda (aka kungfu**** here on the forum)
1997 (I think): Dr. Richard Russell: Xinghung (aka Russbo)

I doubt Steve is teaching, where ever he is. It just wouldn't seem to be in his character. I haven't seen him since '95.
I retired from teaching soon after my kid was born. Now all my teaching skills are directed towards my child.
Dieter runs a small club in NC. After our time spent under Decheng, Dieter studied further under Shi Xinghao in TX.
Doc doesn't teach either. He operated a school that sponsored Xingwei's coming to America, but that's a whole other story. Go to www.Russbo.com for the details. ;)

hasayfu, I'm glad your opening went well. My O-Mei shifu Tony Chen was all over that weekend. There was a huge belt test at O-Mei when we did the seminar on Saturday. Then that night, he invited Shi Decheng to a local kickboxing and MMA smoker. When the promoters heard they had a Shaolin monk in the audience, they were nice enough to give him a ringside seat. Props to my O-Mei brother Spencer, who won his bout after three rounds. And after paying respects to Chen Fei's opening, who knows what else he did on Sunday?

[hvillarruel]

Thanks for the info Master Gene ( you are a Master, sorry ;) ).

:)

[Ravenshaw]

hasayfu,

Glad to hear the performance was successful. I wanted to go, but I had to leave on Saturday after the xiaohong seminar. Working Saturday nights is a bummer. :(

[GeneChing]

So I've decided to retitle this thread so it's the official thread of my master Shi Decheng. I should probably back track and set up threads for all my masters. :rolleyes:

I'm curious if author Simon Rowe went to Decheng's new 'foreigners' school, which I'm dying to get over to check out. Interesting about the food angle. Set up a Songshan Shaolin school that provides decent eats to foreigners is brilliant. I never ate at his old school. He took me to this nearby restaurant, but that was years ago.



Kick-arse, kung-fu travel (http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,23483,22762982-5006180,00.html)
By Simon Rowe

BETTER to sweat in practice than to bleed in battle. So goes an old kung-fu saying.
And at the Shi de Cheng School of Shaolin Kung Fu, a modest-looking martial arts academy at the foot of Mt Song in central China's Henan province, sweat is guaranteed.

For 10 days, I rise at 5am to a reveille of opera music croaking from an old Tannoy system and join a torrent of sleepy-eyed teenagers as they pour from warm dorm beds into the chilly streets for the ritual race up Mt Song.

This is the day's first task for the 40 Chinese and six foreign students who have committed themselves to an unwavering routine of eating, sleeping and doing kung-fu for as long as they can take it.

No one slacks off or drops out. And all through the long, hot day of gruelling calisthenics, basic fighting stances and kicking techniques, nobody complains.

Doing so would not be showing the true spirit of kung-fu, or gong-fu, which means perfection through hard work.

Monk master

Former Shaolin monk and master Shi de Cheng encourages any students who show signs of wilting by telling them to go slower.

Even those of reasonable fitness, such as me, find the learning process a slow and painful one.

Always jovial, and usually attired in the loose pants and slippers of a temple monk, Shi de Cheng knows well the limits of human pain tolerance.

He has studied wushu, or Chinese martial arts, since the age of six and at 16 entered Shaolin Temple, where he immersed himself in a curriculum of Buddhist scripture study and meditation, vegetarianism and rigorous kung-fu training.

Shi de Cheng's school sits on a quiet tree-lined street in Dengfeng, a rural service town 8km from Shaolin Temple, the oft-lauded birthplace of kung-fu.

One of the world's oldest fighting arts, Shaolin kung-fu is said to comprise more than 3000 techniques, but Shi de Cheng doesn't overload his newcomers.

He starts them on 18 basic stances that form the basis of the Songyang gong-fu, or long-fist style kung-fu, which he teaches.

The bodyguard

One might ask why, in a country brimming with exotic locations, sumptuous food and comfortable hotels, would anyone choose a holiday of hardship?

"This is a chance to learn an ancient fighting art at the source, which in this case is a former Shaolin monk.

He's the real deal,'' says American Jesse Pasely, a Japan-based English instructor who visits Shi de Cheng's school to train each year and enjoys the cultural exchange with local students.

For the Chinese students, the reasons are more ambitious: many aspire to working as stuntmen in the burgeoning Chinese and Hong Kong action film industries, or as professional performers or bodyguards.

It is pure curiosity that leads me to travel the 14 hours by overnight train from Shanghai to sign up for this 10-day taste of authentic kung-fu lifestyle.

Loose pants

On arrival, I am given a set of loose training pants and T-shirts, toiletries and slippers, and shown to my quarters in a rustic former hotel.

Rooms are spartan, shower facilities basic, and everywhere there are signs that its youthful residents eat, sleep, and breathe nothing but kung-fu; the lobby wall is pockmarked by throwing needles, improvised barbells litter the passageways, and the 2m-high rubber shoe prints on the walls are evidence of what students do on rainy days.

The daily pre-dawn race up Mount Song is not compulsory for foreign students (my French roommate has trouble raising an eyelid before 7am), but making the early morning line-up impresses Shi de Cheng's committed young instructors.

Stretching and strength-building exercises follow the uphill jog but after doing a handstand against a wall, which turns my face the colour of a tomato, I decide my stamina (and sanity) might already be ready to pack their bags for the journey back to Shanghai.

And this is just the warm-up. After a brief but fortifying breakfast, we begin the two-hour morning class.

Each day I discover a new muscle as we execute high kicks, turkey-walk, bunny-hop, cartwheel down the street and take a partner to do wheelbarrow-style pushes and pulls up and down the footpath.

To the bemusement of many foreign students, training takes place not in a hall or gymnasium but on the street outside the hotel and office.

Driller killer

A row of plane trees provides precious shade and outdoors training certainly has its benefits: the dry winds blowing from the Gobi desert offer cool respite from the heat and the delicious aromas of the dumpling shop and passing watermelon vendors are a welcome diversion from our exhausting drills.

These melon sellers – along with chain- smoking grandfathers, mothers pushing babies and buses filled with commuters – take great interest in the foreigners attempting tornado kicks and emulating a praying mantis up and down their footpaths. I feel like passing a hat around for the free spectacle I am providing.

The afternoon training session follows a similar pattern to the morning routine and finishes at about 6pm, when dinner is served.

One aspect of Shi de Cheng's school that receives few complaints is the food. A small kitchen behind the office creates delicious and highly nutritious daily menus of vegetables, river fish or chicken, rice and tofu dishes.

Temple of doom

Evenings are given over to joining local students for tai chi, wooden staff and nunchaku practice on the street, or taking a stroll downtown for an ice-cream or a game at one of the dozens of open-air pool halls lining Dengfeng's streets.

Because of its proximity to Shaolin Temple, and in some degree as a result of the success of movies such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kung Fu Hustle, martial arts has become big business in Dengfeng, attracting movie-star hopefuls and entrepreneurs alike.

An estimated 50 or so schools offer tuition in kung-fu, Chinese boxing and taekwondo, and many of them accept foreign students for about $US40 ($45) a day, including meals, lodgings and instruction.

Training gear is supplied and rubber-soled kung-fu shoes can be bought cheaply at Dengfeng's martial arts stores. (Liniments, supporters, extra socks and isotonic drinks are a good idea.)

A conservative estimate puts the number of students in Dengfeng at about 60,000, which means that Sunday, the official holiday for most schools, is the most hectic day of the week in downtown Dengfeng.

Pool parlours and basketball courts are clogged, supermarkets get jammed and the post office overflows with youngsters drawing on remittances sent by their parents.

Yet what do these kids, who spend their entire week kicking the sky, want to do on their only day off? Play kung-fu computer games at one of the city's ubiquitous internet cafes, of course.

[Qixing Tanglang]

Dont know sh!t about Hong Quan but isnt it suppose to be an entire system? Not just one form.

Nate

[GeneChing]

There are other hong forms that are commonly included in the Songshan Shaolin system. Hong is a system on its own too, but that'd take an entire thread to explain (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47323) to you.

[hvillarruel]

Hi Gene!.

Will you bring SiFu Shi De Cheng to US again this year?

:)

[GeneChing]

...but it's almost over. We'll see about 2008.

[hvillarruel]

Thanks Gene!.

Gene, who much is Sifu Shi De Cheng charging for giving seminars aprox.?


:)

[GeneChing]

When Shi Decheng comes to my area, I host him personally, so I take care of his expenses out of my own pocket. I organize a seminar for him and all the fees go directly to him. I've always worked with my disciple brother Dr. Rich Russell of russbo.com. Rich usually does the heavy lifting when our master visits, taking care of his expenses and travel to other locations than Vegas. Of course, given my position here, my relationship with all of my teachers is very unique, so I can't really give you any kind of scale on what Decheng might charge someone else.

[hvillarruel]

Hi Gene.

I understand perfectly of what you are saying. When the opportunity arises, I will ask him to come to Mexico.


Thank you.

[GeneChing]

He's being hosted at Jade Forest (http://www.jadeforestrockland.com/) in MA by Scott Jeffrey. And by strange Shaolin fate, an old friend sent me this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE81rFKQpu4).

[GeneChing]

Shawn Liu (Deru) is hosting both Shi Decheng and Shi Deyang at this event in Atlanta in two weeks. Several disciples are planning to attend, including myself, Xinghung (Doc), Xingda, maybe even Shi Xinghao. Scott Jeffrey said he might go also. Anyone else headed to Atlanta for this? Depending how the election goes, it may be a good time in Atlanta.

US Open International Martial Arts Championship XII thread. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52265)
Art of War site (http://artofwarsanshou.com/)
Shaolin Legacy site (http://www.shaolinlegacy.com/)

[GeneChing]

Unfortunately, he had to drop out. No Xinghung Shaolin church meetings. That's good since I'm plumb outta $20s. :eek:

;)

[rage911]

Shi Xingying will be there.

[nolte13]

Any info on what seminar material Shi De Yang and Shi De Cheng will be teaching?

[sean_stonehart]

Shawn Liu (Deru) is hosting both Shi Decheng and Shi Deyang at this event in Atlanta in two weeks. Several disciples are planning to attend, including myself, Xinghung (Doc), Xingda, maybe even Shi Xinghao. Scott Jeffrey said he might go also. Anyone else headed to Atlanta for this? Depending how the election goes, it may be a good time in Atlanta.

US Open International Martial Arts Championship XII thread. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52265)
Art of War site (http://artofwarsanshou.com/)
Shaolin Legacy site (http://www.shaolinlegacy.com/)

Gene... it's always a good time here... especially with a corporate expense account... :eek:;)

[GeneChing]

Good news about Xingying. I just heard from Decheng - he may have a scheduling conflict. We'll see if Deru manages to convince him.

[sha0lin1]

Shi Xingying will be there.


Hey Rage,

Shifu said he might go. He thinks the tickets are expensive. He said you wanted to go too. I am thinking about going as well for the seminars. So if we go we can probably share a room. But I probably would only go if Shifu goes.

[sha0lin1]

Thanks Gene!.

Gene, who much is Sifu Shi De Cheng charging for giving seminars aprox.?


:)


The website says the seminars are $50.00 pre registration or $75.00 at the door. And $300.00 for the whole enchilada.

[GeneChing]

hvillarruel's post was from 11-30-2007. That was in regard to an earlier discussion, not for Shawn's tournament specifically. I ttt-ed this for the US Open International Martial Arts Championship XII on 10-21-2008 10:33 AM.

Hope to see you in Atlanta!

[sha0lin1]

hvillarruel's post was from 11-30-2007. That was in regard to an earlier discussion, not for Shawn's tournament specifically. I ttt-ed this for the US Open International Martial Arts Championship XII on 10-21-2008 10:33 AM.

Hope to see you in Atlanta!

Oops! Sorry, my bad...

[rage911]

Scott

Ya I'm in the same boat as you. I dont think Ill go if he doesn't. Seems like a lot for a weekend on a short notice.

[sha0lin1]

Scott

Ya I'm in the same boat as you. I dont think Ill go if he doesn't. Seems like a lot for a weekend on a short notice.


Agreed, and if shifu wants to drive that will be o.k. as long as he doesn't get behind the wheel and you and I do the driving. The last time we took a trip and drove he scared the buddha out of me. He drives exactly like his wushu, very fast.

[GeneChing]

I still haven't been at Decheng's new foreigners' school. I guess it's not that new anymore...

Shaolin, China: Mad for martial law (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10584653&pnum=0)
4:00AM Thursday Jul 16, 2009
By Simon Rowe

Better to sweat in practice than to bleed in battle", goes an old kung fu saying. At the Shi De Cheng School of Shaolin Kung Fu, a modest-looking martial arts academy at the foot of Mt Song in central China's Henan province, sweat is guaranteed.

For 10 days, I rise at 5am to a reveille of opera music croaking from an old tannoy system and join a torrent of sleepy-eyed teenagers in the chilly streets for the ritual race up the mountain.

This is the day's first task for the 40 Chinese and six foreign students who commit themselves to an unwavering routine of eating, sleeping and doing kung fu, for as long as they can take it.

No one slacks off. No one drops out. And all through the long, hot day of gruelling calisthenics, basic fighting stances and kicking techniques which follows, nobody complains. Doing so would not be showing the true spirit of kung fu, or gong fu, which literally means "perfection through hard work".

"Mama lai, mama lai! Slowly, slowly!" former Shaolin monk and kung fu master Shi De Cheng urges any of his students who show signs of wilting. Even those of reasonable fitness, like me, find the learning process a slow and exhausting one.

Always jovial and always attired in the loose pants and slippers of a temple monk, Shi De Cheng knows well the limits of human pain tolerance. He has studied wushu, or Chinese martial arts, since the age of 6, immersing himself in a curriculum of Buddhist scripture study and meditation, vegetarianism and rigorous kung fu training.

Shi De Cheng's school sits on a quiet tree-lined street in Dengfeng, a rural service town 13km from Shaolin Temple, the oft-lauded birthplace of kung fu, where he studied. One of the world's oldest fighting arts, Shaolin kung fu is said to comprise more than 3000 individual techniques, but Shi De Cheng doesn't overload his newcomers. instead, he starts them on just 18 basic stances which form the basis of the songyang gong fu, or long fist-style kung fu, which he teaches.

But why, in a country brimming with exotic locations, sumptuous food and comfortable hotels, would anyone choose a holiday of hardship?

For foreigners like American Jesse Pasley, a Japan-based english instructor: "this is a chance to learn an ancient fighting art at the source, which in this case is a former shaolin monk. he's the real deal."

Pasley, who visits Shi De Cheng's school to train each year, also enjoys the cultural exchange with local students.

For the Chinese students, the reasons are more pragmatic: many aspire to work as stuntmen and women in the burgeoning Chinese and Hong Kong action film industry, or as professional performers, even bodyguards.

It is simple curiosity that compels me to travel the 14 hours martial law by overnight train from Shanghai to sign up for a 10-day taste of authentic kung fu lifestyle.

On arrival, I'm given a set of loose training pants and T-shirts, toiletries and slippers, and shown to my quarters in a spartan former hotel. Everywhere there are signs that its youthful residents eat, sleep, and breathe kung fu: the lobby wall is pockmarked by throwing needles, improvised barbells litter the passageways and there are rubber shoe prints two metres up the walls.

The daily pre-dawn race up Mt Song is not compulsory for foreign students, but making the early-morning lineup impresses Shi De Cheng's committed instructors. Stretching and strength-building exercises follow the run.

And this is just the warm-up. After a brief but fortifying breakfast, we begin the two-hour morning class - during which I discover a new muscle daily - executing high kicks, turkey-walking, bunny-hopping, cartwheeling down the street and being pushed and pulled wheelbarrow-style along the footpath by my panting partner.

To the bemusement of many foreign students, training takes place not in a hall or gymnasium, but on the street outside the hotel and office. A row of plane trees provides precious shade and during hot afternoons most students are reluctant to step outside this cool zone. Training outside certainly has its benefits: the dry winds blowing off the Gobi desert offer respite from the shiftless heat and the delicious aromas of the neighbourhood dumpling shop and jingling bell of the watermelon vendor are welcome diversions from our exhausting drills.

However, the same melon vendor plus assorted cigarette-puffing granddads, mothers pushing prams and buses filled with commuters take such an interest in the foreigners attempting kicks on their footpaths that I feel like passing a hat around.

One aspect of Shi De Cheng's school that receives few complaints is the food. A small kitchen creates delicious and nutritious daily menus of home-cooked vegetables, river fish or chicken, rice, and tofu dishes, served on an all-you-can-eat basis.

The afternoon training session follows a similar pattern to the morning and finishes around 6pm, when dinner is served.

Evenings are given over to joining the local students for tai chi, wooden staff and nun-chuka practice on the street, or taking a stroll downtown for an icecream or a game of open-air pool.

Due to its proximity to Shaolin Temple, and in some degree to the success of movies like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, martial arts have become big business in Dengfeng, attracting movie-star hopefuls and entrepreneurs alike.

Fifty or so schools now offer tuition in kung fu, Chinese boxing and taekwondo, and many accept foreign students for up to $50 per day with meals, lodging and instruction included.

CHECKLIST

GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand flies daily to Shanghai. See www.airnz.co.nz.

GETTING AROUND
Dengfeng is 63km southwest of Zhengzhou city in Henan Province. Flights from Shanghai to Zhengzhou cost around $350 and overnight trains are roughly half that. Buses from Zhengzhou to Dengfeng run several times daily, take one hour and cost $2.50.

SHAOLIN
Shaolin Temple, open from 8am to 7pm, is a 20-minute minibus ride from Dengfeng. Shi De Cheng's school is located at Songshan Shaolin Shi De Cheng Wushu building, Henan Province, China. See www.sdcshaolin-kungfu.com/. The school charges about $50 per day inclusive of meals, accommodation, and tuition.

[GeneChing]

09-04-2009 (4 days)
Shi De Cheng Shaolin Seminars (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/news/index.php?month=09&year=2009)
Join us for 4 days of seminars with world famous Shaolin Warrior monk Shi De Cheng. Seminars will include Shaolin Spear, Beginner hand forms as well as Chin-na and Qi-gong.
For more information, contact: Sifu Scott Jeffery
Phone: 781-8719062
Event Address: 73 Reservior Park Dr.
Rockland, MA, 02370 USA
Online: sifu@jadeforestrockland.com - jadeforestrockland.com
Scott told me Shi Decheng is headed to Montreal after Boston (Erik Gosslin is hosting) and then to France.

[GeneChing]

Sifu Scott Jeffrey of Jade Forest Kung Fu of Rockland is hosting Decheng for two workshops.

Shaolin Chin Na
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Shaolin Monk, Shi De Cheng, instructs students on the traditional art of Shaolin joint locking and control techniques.

Tai Chi Buddhist Qi-gong
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Learn Tai Chi Qi-Gong techniques from Buddhist monk, Shi De Cheng.

These seminars are open to all Jade Forest students, as well as students of other martial arts schools and studios.
COST per seminar: $75
Please reserve your space and submit your payment by Saturday, February 20.
Save 10% when you enroll in 2 or more Shaolin Training Seminars.

Jade Forest Kung Fu & Tai Chi of Rockland
73 Reservoir Park Dr.
Rockland, MA
http://jadeforestrockland.com

Also Shi Decheng is planning to come to our Tiger Claw’s 2nd KungFuMagazine.com Championship on June 12, 2010 in San Jose. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/info/tournament/VIP2.php)

[GeneChing]

Wu Xing Ba Fa Shaolin 5-Animals
Thursday, February 25, 2010
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Price: $100

Jie Ben Gong & Shaolin Weapons form
Saturday, February 27, 2010
11:00pm - 6:00pm
Price: $150 + weapon
The TBA weapon on the 27th will be either Damo's fighting cane or Shaolin Sword and Shield (form #2)

Same conditions from above apply.

781-871-9062 sifu@jadeforestrockland.com

Tell Scott that Gene sent you. ;)

[Skip J.]

Also Shi Decheng is planning to come to our Tiger Claw’s 2nd KungFuMagazine.com Championship on June 12, 2010 in San Jose. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/info/tournament/VIP2.php)
Ah... Gene...

I clicked on your link to the championship... and there was a link to your article by Martha Burr on Master Helen Liang. It's too long to read at work, but I printed it off and will read it along with the new magazine issue.

You will be hearing again from me about this one!

Well done Gene; and please give my regards to Martha too....

Thanks!

[GeneChing]

Today Shi Decheng is celebrating the 10 Year Anniversary of his independent school in Dengfeng. I had hoped to go, but things just didn't work out as planned. Seems like just yesterday when he opened that school.

amitoufo!

[David Jamieson]

Today Shi Decheng is celebrating the 10 Year Anniversary of his independent school in Dengfeng. I had hoped to go, but things just didn't work out as planned. Seems like just yesterday when he opened that school.

amitoufo!

Yeah, the whole perception of time speeding up thing as you get older is interesting.
Congrats to Shi Decheng on a decade of prosperity.

[GeneChing]

Scott Jeffrey is hosting Decheng again this weekend. See the listing on our calendar. (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/news/index.php?month=10&year=2010)

[GeneChing]

He's spending one more day in Boston, and then he's off to France. He'll be there until December, and then back to Shaolin, and then back to Europe after Chinese New Years.

[GeneChing]

组图：前少林武僧访美教学 (http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/8/9/7/n2254996.htm)
It's in Chinese. Some nice photos. :cool:

[GeneChing]

Scott Jeffrey and Tim Hartmann will be hosting Shi Decheng from 9/25 to 10/17 this year. Scott will host him first, then Tim. The seminar dates and curriculum will be announced soon.

Scott Jeffrey oversees Jade Forest Kung Fu & Tai Chi (http://www.jadeforestrockland.com/index.htm) in Rockland, MA

Tim Hartmann oversees Wu Dao Kung Fu and Tai Chi (http://www.wudaokungfu.com/index.php) in Cambridge, MA

[Xian]

Master De Cheng will also be in Germany at the end of this year.

for the following dates: 12./ 13. November 2011, 19. November 2011,

20. November 2011

location: Leverkusen Germany

Website: http://www.shaolin-leverkusen.de/kontakt-anfahrt/

Hey Gene hope you dont mind I post this ;)


Kind regards,
Xian

[GeneChing]

Hey Gene hope you dont mind I post this ;) You know, Decheng travels a lot, so much I can hardly keep track of him. So thanks for the post - I knew the forum was good for something. ;)

[Xian]

You know, Decheng travels a lot, so much I can hardly keep track of him. So thanks for the post - I knew the forum was good for something. ;)

Maybe I can go there,if so I will give a little feedback here on the seminar.


Kind regards,
Xian

[LFJ]

组图：前少林武僧访美教学 (http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/8/9/7/n2254996.htm)
It's in Chinese. Some nice photos. :cool:

Scott Jeffrey oversees Jade Forest Kung Fu & Tai Chi in Rockland, MA

Tim Hartmann oversees Wu Dao Kung Fu and Tai Chi in Cambridge, MA

Just noticed the article calls him 前武僧 (former wuseng), but these schools are still promoting him as "Shaolin Monk Shi Decheng".

Are his students not aware that he is not a monk, or was just wuseng before? Why doesn't he do like Zhang Lipeng and use his given name Chen Qingzhen?

[GeneChing]

However, he's more famous internationally as Shi Decheng. I'd venture to say that many of his foreign students don't even know his birth name. Former Shaolin monk is a bit of a mouthful, so I seldom see that used. The Shaolin name game is quite a shuffle - I engaged that in my cover story for the 2011 Shaolin Special (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=955) with Decheng's comrade Xingyu - see The Movie Monk (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=959).

[LFJ]

Shaolin Master is only one syllable more. :p

Yeah, I remember wondering if it was a Yongxin move to have Xingyu renamed as yet another "Yan" in order to work on the movie under the monastery's support. It's kind of disgusting how many yans there are now because of "rediscipleshipment" to grow Yongxin's product and undoubtedly continue his empire for generations to come. :rolleyes: But this has all been discussed before and is off topic here.

I was just wondering if people, and kind of surprised if especially his students, still think Shi Decheng is or was a monk.

[GeneChing]

I think anyone who bears a Su, De, Xing or Yong name, should bear it proudly, although I completely understand about Xingyu's name change. I do address this topic in our current cover story, Escaping Buddha's Grasp (Sep Oct 2011 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=985)). The subject is Shi Yongyao.

As for the 'real' monk issue, you know how complicated it is, LFJ. Shaolin Master is slowly emerging as the new term under the Abbot, but change is slow and that's not quite distinct enough. My first sifu, Wing Lam, is a Shaolin master, but he never trained at Shaolin. Ex-monk or Former Shaolin Monk gives the wrong connotation. Wuseng is the most accurate, but far too much Chinese.

[LFJ]

I think anyone who bears a Su, De, Xing or Yong name, should bear it proudly,

Yes, there is even a new Yan guy, disciple of Yongxin, in my city who you actually covered in the FOB Monks thread as a Xing. He teaches under a made-up Xing name and false lineage. If only Yongxin knew... :p

[GeneChing]

Now why would anyone do that? Can we take this up on the FOB monks thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57156)?

[LFJ]

I'm not quite sure why. Perhaps because the master he claims is more well-respected overseas. But I don't know if it were to get back to Yongxin if it would draw negative repercussions toward the master, even though he has nothing to do with it.

Since it is off topic here, you're welcome to merge it.

[GeneChing]

I recently had a conversation with a Xing who has returned to visit Shaolin, but won't go for an audience with the Abbot because he knows the Abbot will request him to re-disciple as a Yan. That Xing had too much respect for his De master to do that. When Yongxin first became abbot, a lot of Yans pulled me aside to tell me that Decheng was a fake monk and I should re-disciple. But I was at Shaolin before Yongxin became abbot, and remember how hard the Su, De and Xing generation worked to defend and preserve the legacy. I know how hard it was for Decheng and his kung fu brothers in the early years. Some of that I've discussed in my book (http://www.amazon.com/Shaolin-Trips-Gene-Ching/dp/1424308976/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276188031&sr=1-1). While they might not be as pious as some of the current Yan generation, they put out so much more in the late 80s because Shaolin wasn't as well established. That generation of monks was seriously hardcore. I took my disciple vows under Decheng at the peak of that period. I will still honor them, regardless of his return to civilian life. His understanding of Chan is still quite profound.

[LFJ]

Right on. I think it's so silly about being asked to re-disciple. It's kind of disrespectful to the previous master, and what's the big deal anyway?

The deal with the Xing guy here is that when I heard he came to town I made contact to greet him, and since he was a Xing and not Yan I was interested in who his master was. As it turned out he said we have the same De master. But it was odd he said he was from the Wushuguan as a child in the mid-late 90's as a student of Xingxi. I also found it odd because this De master wasn't teaching there.

Since he was opening a school in my same city I contacted my master to ask about him. I sent him pictures and the guy's birthname (because he often uses that to be safe I guess) and Dharma name. Master said he has so many secular disciples it's hard to tell. He didn't recognize him, but told me to ask for his refuge certificate to know for sure.

Then I found on their facebook page for the school, which I assume is managed by the guy who brought him here who speaks English and no Chinese, was an uploaded photo of his refuge certificate to show authentication from Shaolin. Of course it's in Chinese so not everyone can read it, and I guess the Xing guy didn't know about it being uploaded, because it had clearly written his Dharma name as a Yan and his refuge master as Yongxin.

So I didn't even have to ask to see it. The thing is he looked me in the eye when we met and said proudly that we are brothers because we share the same master! :rolleyes:

I've told this to my master, but he said we'll talk more about it later. I'll be back in Shaolin in less than two weeks now. :p

[GeneChing]

Shi Decheng will be hosted again by Sifu Scott Jeffrey at Jade Forest Kung Fu, 73 Reservoir Park Dr., Rockland, Massachusetts - For more information 781-871-9062 • sifu@jadeforestrockland.com. Here is the schedule from his flyer:


Monday, September 26
Chen Tai Chi
6:30 – 9:00 pm • Price: $85

Tuesday, September 27
Shaolin Chin Na
6:30 – 9:00 pm • Price: $85

Saturday, October 1
Jie Ben Gong - Part 1
9:30 am – 12 pm
Two day seminar learning Shaolin 18 basic skills
Price: $150 (for both days)
50% off of Jie Ben Gong if you sign-up for another
weekend seminar.

Shaolin Straight
Sword - Part 3
2 – 5 pm
This seminar is only open to students who have
taken parts 1 & 2.
Price: $130

Sunday, October 2
Jie Ben Gong - Part 2
9:30 am – 12 pm
Second part of two day seminar learning
Shaolin 18 basic skills
Traditional Xiao
Hong Chuan - Part 2
2 – 5 pm
This seminar is only open to students who took the simplified
version in September 2009. Students are strongly
encouraged to participate in Jei Ben Gong - Part 2, as it
will enhance their understanding of the afternoon training.
Price: $130

Monday, October 3
Shaolin Qi Gong
6:30 – 9:00 pm
Yi Jing Jin has been used for centuries as a traditional
way to build strength in all the bodies connective tissues.
Price: $85

Tuesday, October 4
Explosive Power
6:30 – 9:00 pm
To properly nurture and demonstrate your Kung Fu skills,
you must find your root, your center, and channel power
to send it in the intended direction. This workshop will
plant the seed for the cultivation of power in your body
and in your practice.
Price: $85

[GeneChing]

He's eager to come to KFTC20 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61402). :D

Thanks to Scott Jeffrey for hosting him.

[Xian]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uIN9KuY8KM&feature=related

It is from a DVD, where he demonstrates a lot of Jiben Gong and also some applications. You see Da Hong Quan, Lian Huan Quan, Tong Bi Quan and Yi Ying Jing.
And later own even some stick work but from that I have only seen the preview till now.


Kind regards,
Cyrill

[LFJ]

I have the video. It is French made. It also shows several animal styles and weapon demonstrations. Each performance is from the odd side view, but he's good and powerful nonetheless.

But I heard he changed the way he does the sets, to conform to Shi Yongxin's push for standardization in Shaolin. I'm not too cool with that idea, as a lot of valuable material would be lost if everyone did that. Fortunately, not all the traditionally learned masters are going along with it either.

Since Shi Decheng has been out of Shaolin for some time now, I wonder why he would want to do that anyway.

[GeneChing]

My last three instructors were all from Shi Yongxin's inner circle of monks: Yan Fei (formerly Shi Yanfei), Shi Yantuo and Shi Yanchen. Each of them had their own unique versions of the forms. While the Abbot has endorsed particular versions in videos and books, I'm not finding that this is enforced by any means. In fact, I'm not sure that all of the videos and books even match. The abbot has allowed the compulsories (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49766) too, but I don't see that many monks doing it. Those still seem more of a Dengfeng thing. That being said, I'm not sure that the Abbot is all that into standardization, but you know, I'm putting together some interview questions for him right now, and I'll ask about this.

Shi Decheng has been in two European video series to my knowledge. The first was a 3-part series by Fechter Verlag, Wien, the Austrian company that produced the International 1500th anniversary tour which started in 1995, along with several other tours. That one is in English and was done in 1998. The second one was a 2-part series by Kung Fu Developpement, a French series by Mathieu Vilcot, done in 2000. I think that excerpt above is from the former.

[Fa Xing]

Shi Decheng has been in two European video series to my knowledge. The first was a 3-part series by Fechter Verlag, Wien, the Austrian company that produced the International 1500th anniversary tour which started in 1995, along with several other tours. That one is in English and was done in 1998. The second one was a 2-part series by Kung Fu Developpement, a French series by Mathieu Vilcot, done in 2000. I think that excerpt above is from the former.

That's probably the one I have on VHS, would be nice to have it converted to DVD or digital just to have the data and keep the vids as collector's item.

[LFJ]

Shi Yongxin has been working on books that show the "definitive" version of popular Shaolin sets, after interviewing folk masters and comparing things and adding any missing movements, etc.. This has been going on for several years. I have been hearing about him wanting everyone in Shaolin (at least those under him) to conform to this new standardization of all the sets.

As for Shi Decheng conforming to it as well, I heard this from a Shaolin friend who has been training at his school in Dengfeng regularly for the last few years. He said he has learned 3 or 4 versions of Meihuadao, for example, just from Shi Decheng alone. Upon asking why he changed the way he does all his sets now, he says it is because of what Yongxin is pushing.

I assume it's not so easy to keep hold of all the Yongxin disciples around the world and make sure they are doing their sets the same way now. Hence, some still doing it their unique way. That would probably require some sort of huge meeting.

But not all the books have been published. Only a handful, and it's said he's planning to cover over 300 sets, ending with the weapons.

Maybe keep this for the interview question! See what his plans are with the books also! I'm not sure how fast they are coming out, but they are quality material.

[GeneChing]

Funny you should bring that up as I was just looking at Decheng's old version of meihuadao on my video, Shaolin Trips (http://www.martialartsmart.com/dvd-gc001.html). That's also the version in Decheng's '98 video series. I learned that version in '95 but for some weird reason, it never stuck. I think my BSL dao form (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13378) overrode it. So are you saying Decheng has abandoned this version completely, or that he is teaching both versions? What is/are the other version(s) as you said your friend learned 3 or 4?

Now I do the new version - the Abbot-endorsed one. I learned it initially from Yan Fei, then had it tweaked by Yantuo, but have been reverting to Yan Fei's version lately. We ran a version of it in our 2011 Shaolin Special (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=955): Shaolin Plum Blossom Broadsword By Shi Yanguang, with Zhao Xiaohu. Each one is different. And all three of those are Yans, under Yongxin.

You know, I just noticed that those French vids call xiaohongquan "tao de la petite main rouge". :D

[LFJ]

So are you saying Decheng has abandoned this version completely, or that he is teaching both versions? What is/are the other version(s) as you said your friend learned 3 or 4?

I personally don't know what he teaches, and my conversation on this was over the phone. Just catching up on things.

Something like with or without the opening section, or it's done differently here and there. I couldn't really see through the phone what he was talking about. But he said Shi Decheng has taught it to him in a few different ways (perhaps mistakenly?), but has apparently been changing other sets to conform to Yongxin's standardization. Would have to talk more with him on this, but that's what I gathered.


You know, I just noticed that those French vids call xiaohongquan "tao de la petite main rouge". :D

That's cute. :p

[GeneChing]

I knew we were talking about it (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1161932#post1161932) somewhere here.

Actually, I'm ttt-ing this for an entirely different reason. I just heard from Shi Decheng. He'll be traveling to Canada, then Europe (Paris, Zurich, Bologna) and then he's coming to KUNG FU TAI CHI 20 YEARS (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/info/tournament/VIP_2012.php). :D

Then he's headed to Boston.

In regards to Shi Yongxin's standardization, I did ask him directly about that. You'll read his answer in our upcoming May June 2012 issue (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63156).

[GeneChing]

It was delightful to host him at KFTC 20 (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61402).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_GASvUchgw

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/179594_10151055770994363_1116266339_n.jpg
Xingda, Xinglong, Decheng & Scott Jeffrey

[GeneChing]

He just emailed me his thanks.

Here's another pic (one of my favs from the event)
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/540533_10151068579029363_485647152_n.jpg
L-R: Xinglong, Jin Le (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=892), Decheng (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=500), Shi Yanran (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1036)

[Hebrew Hammer]

Is Xinglong your Shaolin name Gene? Or is it your Buddhist name? Or both? At what point does one receive a name?

I know in the Judeo Christian ethos, the Hebrews are given a name at their Bar/Bat Mitzvah and the Christians during their baptism.

For years I thought my Hebrew name was 'God **** It' :eek:, because my mother used it so much in my presence.

PS the 3 piece suit is tight.

[GeneChing]

It was the name given to me by Shi Decheng when I discipled under him.

Read my book (http://www.amazon.com/Shaolin-Trips-Gene-Ching/dp/1424308976/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276188031&sr=1-1)and all will be explained. :cool:

[GeneChing]

It had been 6 years since I last saw my Shifu. He was as cheerful as ever.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/252738_10151070675924363_1542792632_n.jpg

[GeneChing]

Here's another photo from our event, one that we just posted on our facebook albums (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kung-Fu-Tai-Chi-Magazine/135964689362?sk=photos).
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/562949_10151136404419363_870994068_n.jpg

Also, this just in from Demitri Daniels...


09-08-2012 (2 days)
2nd Annual Martial Arts Warriors Championships (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/news/index.php?month=09&year=2012)
This is an open martial arts competition for all styles. To promote the fellowship between all countries martial arts styles and not just one. The competition will have, empty hand, short, long, weapons divisions as well as teams forms competition and mid contact Sanda. There will be a book signing by Don Hyun Kiolbassa to promote his new book "Discover your Dragon" and on the second day there will be seminars givin by 31 st Generation Shaolin Warrior Monk Shi DeCheng.
For more information, contact: Demitri Daniels
Phone: (217) 649-8254
Event Address: 500 W. Church St.
Champaign, IL, 61820 USA
Online: precioussword1@gmail.com - www.facebook.com/events/346293518722850

[GeneChing]

He will be with my *new" disciple brother, Scott Jeffrey. He has a series of events planned. For more info, contact Scott's school: Jade Forest of Rockland (http://www.jadeforestrockland.com/).

From facebook events:

Jie Ben Gong APPLICATIONS
Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 9:00am in EDT

Shaolin 5-Animal Form
Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 3:00pm in EDT

Shaolin Chin Na
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 6:30pm in EDT

Chen Tai Chi
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at 6:30pm in EDT

Jie Ben Gong
Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 9:30am in EDT

Traditional Xiao Hong Chuan - Continued
Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 3:00pm in EDT

Shaolin Straight Sword
Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 3:00pm in EDT

Qi-Gong
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 6:00pm in EDT

Take Downs & Throws
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 7:30pm in EDT

[GeneChing]

Shaolin Ji Ben Gong W/ Shi De Cheng
Shaolin Da Hong Chuan
Shaolin Staff

Jade Forest Kung Fu of Rockland (http://www.jadeforestrockland.com/)

[Sal Canzonieri]

Shi Yongxin has been working on books that show the "definitive" version of popular Shaolin sets, after interviewing folk masters and comparing things and adding any missing movements, etc.. This has been going on for several years. I have been hearing about him wanting everyone in Shaolin (at least those under him) to conform to this new standardization of all the sets.

As for Shi Decheng conforming to it as well, I heard this from a Shaolin friend who has been training at his school in Dengfeng regularly for the last few years. He said he has learned 3 or 4 versions of Meihuadao, for example, just from Shi Decheng alone. Upon asking why he changed the way he does all his sets now, he says it is because of what Yongxin is pushing.

I assume it's not so easy to keep hold of all the Yongxin disciples around the world and make sure they are doing their sets the same way now. Hence, some still doing it their unique way. That would probably require some sort of huge meeting.

But not all the books have been published. Only a handful, and it's said he's planning to cover over 300 sets, ending with the weapons.

Maybe keep this for the interview question! See what his plans are with the books also! I'm not sure how fast they are coming out, but they are quality material.

has there been any new ones since the ones that came out 2 years ago? Last ones I got where about 6 weapons booklets.

[LFJ]

has there been any new ones since the ones that came out 2 years ago? Last ones I got where about 6 weapons booklets.

Haven't been looking out for them! :o

[GeneChing]

Just posted on our calendar (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/news/index.php):


Master Shi De Cheng Kung Fu and Tai Chi Seminars
Event Type: Seminars
Duration : 2
Description : 6R Martial Arts in Parrish, Florida is very proud to host a full range of seminars, classes and private lessons conducted by Shifu (Master) Shi De Cheng. Space is limited to attend this extremely rare opportunity to train with Shifu Shi De Cheng. Shifu Shi De Cheng has been featured in Discovery Channel's Fight Quest and Kung Fu Magazine. Shifu Shi De Cheng began martial arts training at the age of 6. He was admitted to the Shaolin Temple as a 31st generation Shaolin Warrior Monk under Shifu Shi Su Yuan. Shifu Shi De Cheng teaches at his Kung Fu school in Deng Feng, China, and travels around the world to inspire the practice of Shaolin Kung Fu. Mark the date and email frontdesk@6rma.com requesting your information be added to the email list to receive updates and details about the nearly once in a lifetime opportunity. Please put "Shifu Shi De Cheng" in the subject line of your email.
Address : 6R Martial Arts 9019 US Hwy 301 N
Contact : frontdesk@6rma.com
Phone : 941-379-7981
City : Parrish
State : FL
Zip/Postal : 34219
Country : USA
Email : frontdesk@6rma.com
URL : http://www.6rma.com
Sep 27 (Sat) - Sep 28 (Sun)
I was informed of this last month but it took a while before it was posted on our calendar (our updated calendar system is cumbersome - lots of firewalls and safeguard hoops to jump through because our previous calendar crashed our site). I've heard there will be more dates but I don't know them all yet.

[Fa Xing]

I hope he comes out to LA.

[GeneChing]

Demitri Daniels just posted this on my facebook.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10633342_10204806654308927_2854560444261582117_o.j pg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10477315_10204806659189049_427518905153550335_o.jp g

[GeneChing]

Visit our Calendar (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/index.php) for contact information of the various hosts.

SEP 3-4: Shaolin Culture Seminar with Shi Decheng
Dragon Claw Kung Fu Academy, Champaign, IL

SEP 18: Seminar with Shaolin Monk Shi De Cheng
Mark Warner's Professional Martial Arts Academy, Ipswich, MA

SEP 26: "Confucius Institute Day" Celebration - Master Shi De Cheng and Mt. Song MA Academy Demo
6R Martial Arts, Parrish, FL

SEP 27-28: Master Shi De Cheng - Shaolin Warrior Monk Workshop
6R Martial Arts, Parrish, FL

[GeneChing]

SEP 20: Shaolin Ji Ben Gong W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng
Jade Forest Kung Fu of Rockland, Rockland, Massachusetts

[GeneChing]

SEP 20:
9:30AM-11:30AM Shaolin Ji Ben Gong
3:00PM-5:00PM Shaolin Da Hong Chuan

SEP 21:
9:30AM-11:30AM Shaolin Staff
3:30PM-5:30PM Shaolin Chin-Na & Self Defense

SEP 22:
6:30PM-8:30PM Chen Tai-Chi seminar

SEP 23-24:
6:30PM-8:30PM Shaolin Yi Jing Jin Qi Gong

Jade Forest Kung Fu of Rockland, Rockland, Massachusetts

[GeneChing]

My disciple brother Scott called with our Shifu on the line. Sounds like he's doing well - enjoying his trip here to the U.S. - then he's off to Italy and Germany. It was great to hear his voice. My Mandarin has gotten really rusty however. :o

[GeneChing]

Once again, my disciple brother Sifu Scott Jeffrey is hosting our master for a series of seminars at his school, Jade Forest in Rockland, MA (http://www.jadeforestrockland.com/). Here are his facebook event postings so far.


Shaolin Ji Ben Gong W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng (https://www.facebook.com/events/1036277699737833/1036486723050264/)
Saturday, October 31 at 9:00am - 11:00am in EDT

Shi Ba Shi Ji Ben Gong, otherwise known as the 18 skills of the Lohan. Shifu De Cheng will be going through all the skills that make up the basics of the Song Shan Shaolin system. Students who take another seminar on the same weekend will get 50% off their Ji Ben Gong tuition.
Cost: $135
$65.00 w/ participation in another weekend seminar

Shaolin Da Hong Chuan W/Shifu Shi De Cheng (https://www.facebook.com/events/1054162724616496/)
Saturday, October 31 at 2:00pm in EDT

Da Hong Chuan- sometimes known as big flood fist. This form is the second form in the Hong family sub-system of Shaolin Kung-Fu. Cost:$135


These are on Halloween. I'm so jelly.

[GeneChing]

Also from a facebook event (https://www.facebook.com/events/521152798044595/).


https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/t31.0-0/p180x540/12091307_10153200244717913_3038596826104583080_o.j pg

Thursday, October 29 at 2:00pm in EDT

Mark Warner's Professional Martial Arts Academy
43 Market St, Ipswich, Massachusetts 01938

Shifu Shi De Cheng Oct 29
6:30-8:30
The Venerable Shaolin Monk Shi De Cheng will be gracing our Door once again this fall. This session we will be starting work on Lain Haun Quan This will be an invitation only event for those who have been exposed and practiced the Basics attached to the form. Additional training for these basics will be Fridays 6PM for Jr.s and teens as well as the Tuesday and Thursday evening classes for adults.

Call 978-356-9800
Or tashimark@yahoo.com
For details

[GeneChing]

My disciple brother Scott Jeffrey is hosting Shi Decheng once again at his school, Jade Forest Kung Fu in Rockland MA. Visit the Jade Forest facebook site (https://www.facebook.com/jadeforestkungfu/) for details.

Shaolin Ji Ben Gong w/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st gen. Shaolin Monk
September 10 - September 11

Shaolin Tong Bi Chuan W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st Gen Shaolin Monk
Saturday, September 10 at 2:30 PM in EDT

Shaolin Shadow Hand Staff W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st Gen. Shaolin Monk
Sunday, September 11 at 9:30 AM in EDT

Shaolin Forms Review W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st Gen. Shaolin Monk
Sunday, September 11 at 2:30 PM in EDT

Sanda and Chin-Na W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st Gen. Shaolin Monk
Monday, September 12 at 6:30 PM in EDT

[GeneChing]

This one is on facebook.


WuXingQuan with Master Shi De Cheng (https://m.facebook.com/events/494144260793742/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2229%22%2C%22ref_notif_t ype%22%3A%22plan_user_invited%22%2C%22action_histo ry%22%3A%22null%22%7D)
Public · Fitness · by 双龙少林禅武学院 Shuang Long Martial Arts Academy

WuXingQuan with Master Shi De Cheng is on Facebook. To connect with WuXingQuan with Master Shi De Cheng, join Facebook today.

Saturday, September 24 at 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM in EDT

Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex
5309 29th St E, Ellenton, Florida 34222

[Manchi]

I have contacted Master Shi De Cheng and we are planning his 3rd visit to Tampa this coming November 2017.
I will post any updates as I receive more information regarding his visit and any seminars we schedule.

Regards,

German Garcia
Shuang Long Martial Arts
www.facebook.com/tampabayshaolin

[GeneChing]

SEP 9
Shaolin Ji Ben Gong w/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st gen. Shaolin Monk
Sat 9:30 AM EDT

Shaolin Tong Bi Chuan W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st Gen Shaolin Monk
Sat 3:30 PM EDT

SEP 10
Shaolin Shadow Hand Staff W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st Gen. Shaolin Monk
Sep 10 - Sep 11 · 6 guests

SEP 10
Shaolin Fighting Applications
Sun 3:30 PM EDT

SEP 12
Sanda and Chin-Na W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st Gen. Shaolin Monk
Tue 6:30 PM EDT

SEP 13
Tai-Chi Basics and Chen Style Tai-Chi W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng
Wed 6:30 PM EDT

Hosted by my Kung Fu brother Shifu Scott Jeffery at his school, Jade Forest Kung Fu & Tai Chi (http://www.jadeforestrockland.com/), in Rockland Massachusetts.


I have contacted Master Shi De Cheng and we are planning his 3rd visit to Tampa this coming November 2017.
I will post any updates as I receive more information regarding his visit and any seminars we schedule.

Regards,

German Garcia
Shuang Long Martial Arts
www.facebook.com/tampabayshaolin Hope you and your school survives Irma this weekend, German. Please update us when you can.

[GeneChing]

My Shixiong, Ye Xinglie (Andy) is hosting our master Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng) at his school, USA Shaolin Kungfu Zen Academy (http://www.shaolinkungfuzen.com/) in San Jose, CA. Below is some of the text from his flyer.


Shaolin Grandmaster Seminar
Grand Master Shi Decheng 2017 American Tour Teaching Silicon Valley SKZ

12/9/2017 SAT 5:00-7:00pm Shaolin traditional hand form - Qixing Mantis and application $100
12/10/2017 SUN 5:00-8:00pm Shaolin traditional hand form - Qixing Mantis and application and Xiao Huan Quan application $160



https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DPqeCDsVQAEGtDF.jpg:large

This is supported by the Tiger Claw Foundation (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?45830-Tiger-Claw-Foundation-Events). It is an SF Bay Area event (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?37378-SF-Bay-Area-workshops-from-the-Tiger-Claw-Foundation).

[GeneChing]

My Shixiong, Ye Xinglie (Andy) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1390) is hosting our master Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng) again at his school, USA Shaolin Kungfu Zen Academy (http://www.shaolinkungfuzen.com/) in San Jose, CA.



11/3/2018 SAT 5:00-7:00PM Shaolin Da Luohan Quan Traditional Form and its application
11/4/2018 SUN 5:00-8:00PM Shaolin Da Luohan Quan & Da Hong Quan Traditional Form and their applications
11/9/2018 FRI 7:10-9:00PM Shaolin Qigong Baduanjin

1161 Redmond Ave, San Jose CA 95120 usaskz@gmail.com 408-806-0155


https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/44606279_10158150643437715_3323341214270357504_n.j pg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=8d536f29c1b67ccfb8780778ae8c38f1&oe=5C51A304

[GeneChing]

He's hosted again by my disciple brother, Master Scott Jeffrey. Contact him for details and tell him Xinglong sent you. :cool:

Here are the seminars for this weekend:
Shaolin Ji Ben Gong w/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st gen. Shaolin Monk
Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM EDT

Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM EDT
7 star preying mantis with shi de cheng

Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 9:30 AM – 11:30 PM EDT
Meditation and Qi-Gong with Shifu Shi De Cheng

Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM EDT
Shaolin Shadow Hand Staff W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng 31st Gen. Shaolin Monk

Monday, October 29, 2018 at 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Tai-Chi Basics and Chen Style Tai-Chi W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng

Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Shaolin Fighting Applications

Jade Forest Kung Fu of Rockland (http://www.jadeforestrockland.com/)
73 Reservoir Park Dr, Rockland, Massachusetts 02370

[GeneChing]

ONE DAY SEMINAR with World Renowned Grandmaster Shi De Cheng
WHO: Brown belt students and up
WHAT: Grandmaster Shi De Cheng will be teaching Grabbing hand form and 7 star fist form
WHERE: Shaolin Kung Fu International Studio (http://benskungfu.com/index.html)
WHEN: Saturday, 11/10/2018 from 3:30-5:00
more information:master_decheng.pdf (http://benskungfu.com/uploads/3/4/3/3/34332536/master_decheng.pdf)

[GeneChing]

The Return of our Publisher's blog. READ Shaolin Ways Episode 3: Praying Mantis (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1447) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/upload/9557_Shandong-lesson.jpg

THREADS:
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)
Beng Bu (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?46490)
Shaolin and Praying Mantis (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?49167)
Shaolin Trips (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57311-Shaolin-Trips-by-Gene-Ching)

[GeneChing]

I haven't heard about the seminars hosted by Kung Fu Dragon next Monday yet. Shifu Yu Zhenlong was actually by our office yesterday but I was busy with other guests and didn't have a chance to talk with him about it. There's nothing on their website (http://www.kungfudragonusa.com/) as of yet.

[GeneChing]

Chinese kung fu master visits Ipswich (https://thelocalne.ws/2018/10/26/chinese-kung-fu-master-visits-ipswich/)
By A Correspondent - October 26, 20180171
Share on Facebook Tweet on Twitter

https://i2.wp.com/thelocalne.ws/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Shifu-2018.jpg?resize=696%2C427&ssl=1
Courtesy photo

On Oct. 25, Mark Warner’s Professional Martial Arts was visited by the venerable Shaolin monk Shi DeCheng.

Shifu, meaning “master teacher,” traveled from Defeng, China, the home of Shaolin Kung Fu, to share his teachings with the students at Mark Warner’s.

“Much knowledge was passed down to the next generation of Martial artists, and nothing but smiling faces were seen from both student, and teacher,” Warner said. Ipswich, MA - this must have been part of my disciple brother Shifu Jeffrey's hosting last week. Decheng is flying to the San Jose right now. I wonder if people think he's in Halloween costume? Decheng is wearing grey robes like usual but Shaolin Robes (https://www.martialartsmart.com/45-001.html) are often a nice Halloween orange.

[GeneChing]

I hope to see some of you locals at Shaolin Kungfu Zen (http://www.shaolinkungfuzen.com/blog/) this weekend. And if not this weekend, maybe next Friday.

amitoufo

[GeneChing]

That ol' Shaolin soreness. Feels good in that masochistic Kung Fu sort of way. I'm grateful for the time change this year giving me that extra hour of rest, and no way am I climbing up on a desk here to change the office clock. I'll wait for our graphic crew to get in and do it.

Here's some pix from my instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jedinitekrew.emperor/). Forgive my weak stances. My legs were giving out after the weekend lessons.

Saturday
https://scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/71ac841f40d4812b9eb925f82528d32b/5C752FF7/t51.2885-15/e35/43985653_328130274653815_3418806469818248792_n.jpg

Sunday (yesterday)
https://scontent-sjc3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/c54e923949b92d321467cce418935d00/5C7E93F0/t51.2885-15/e35/44907920_454188488439915_6481486142852053077_n.jpg

[GeneChing]

Grand Master SHI DE CHENG 2018 American Seminar

Time ：11/05/18 Monday 5-7pm
Location：KungFu Dragon USA (P)
From : Shaolin Lou Han fist


https://www.facebook.com/yuzhenlog/videos/10212717157187155/

[GeneChing]

Grand Master SHI DE CHENG 2018 American Seminar

Time ：11/05/18 Monday 5-7pm
Location：KungFu Dragon USA (P)
From : Shaolin Lou Han fist and


https://www.facebook.com/yuzhenlog/videos/10212717218788695/

Looks like Decheng transmitted Xiao Luohan. I was way too sore from the weekend to attend. I was limping around all day yesterday. Da Luohan was brutal on my right thigh.

[GeneChing]

We shot two articles, one of which will be in the next issue.

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/45632909_10157066029804363_5669795308226215936_n.j pg?_nc_cat=107&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=c87167eae5b582c31a16d7e59d662365&oe=5C767E80

I'll be at the Baduanjin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?11137-benefits-8-brocade-qi-gong) seminar tonight at Shaolin Kungfu Zen (http://www.shaolinkungfuzen.com/). Hope to see someone from the forum here.

Unfortunately I cannot make the qixing (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?54037-Qixing-lyrics) one at Shaolin Kungfu Intl (http://benskungfu.com/index.html) tomorrow because I've got a previous engagement. If you go, drop my name (not sure if that'll actually get you anything, but it's worth a try, right?)

Decheng heads back to China after the weekend.

[PalmStriker]

veddy gool !

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgDern5po5I

I'm tentative about posting this vid. I look hella fat. :o

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFJzszYMF8o

France's Le Dragon Bleu (http://www.kungfudragonbleu.com) is leading a tour to China. At least, that's what I think is happening here. Pardon my French.


Partez en Chine l'été prochain avec le Dragon Bleu
ou sinon en France pour quelques jours...

Si vous souhaitez participer à l'aventure 2019

Jeudi 16 Soirée Eventail (Essonne)
En Yvelines
Vendredi 17 soirée Eventail
Samedi 18 après-midi Taijiquan
Dimanche 19 toute la journée kung fu
Appelez vite le 01 78 80 56 66
ou écrivez à info@kungfudragonbleu.com

goog trans

Go to China next summer with the Blue Dragon
or else in France for a few days ...

If you want to participate in the adventure 2019

Thursday 16 Evening Fan (Essonne)
In Yvelines
Friday 17 evening Fan
Saturday 18 afternoon Taijiquan
Sunday 19 all day kung fu
Call quickly on 01 78 80 56 66
or write to info@kungfudragonbleu.com

[GeneChing]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D3uFt3yUEAAzCA_.jpg

My coworkers love it when I'm the fall guy, but I only do it for the masters that I've actually trained under...

THREADS
Shaolin Special 2019 (SPRING) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71165-Shaolin-Special-2019-(SPRING)) on Shaolin sub-forum.
Shaolin Special 2019 (SPRING) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71164-Shaolin-Special-2019-(SPRING)) on Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine & KungFuMagazine.com sub-forum
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)

[GeneChing]

Another emailblast.

Pardon my French

http://www.kungfudragonbleu.com



ENTREZ DANS LA LEGENDE DU KUNG FU !

SHI DE CHENG
En tournée mondiale, posera bientôt ses valises
à Verneuil-sur-Seine avant de continuer sa tournée.
N'oubliez pas d'inviter amis, parents ou élève pour ce week-end de découverte ouvert à tout curieux le samedi et à tous sportifs pour le dimanche.

Une occasion unique de découvrir
et d'enrichir ses connaissances en Kung fu.
Le samedi après-midi sera consacré à l'enseignement
des formes lentes lentes du Kung fu (taijiquan)
et le dimanche entièrement consacré
à l'enseignement du plus mythique des TaoLus de Shaolin :
Les 18 mains de Luo Han

Ce stage est réalisé avec le précieux concours de la Mairie de Verneuil-sur-Seine

Gymnase Coubertin de Verneuil-sur-Seine
KUNG FU 50€ / TAIJI 45€ / WE complet 80€

DERNIERES PLACES... S'inscrire en cliquant ici !

QUI SONT LES MOINES DE SHAOLIN ?

ADMINISTRATIF

Le stage avec Shi de Cheng arrive!
Parmi ceux qui se sont inscrits, certains ne m'ont pas fait parvenir le règlement du stage (50 euros pour le kung fu, 45 euros pour le taijiquan). Merci de le remettre dans l'enveloppe prévue à cet effet lorsque vous venez en cours!
Less LEE

COMPETITION

Nos élèves se préparent ardemment pour la compétition de la fin du mois. Nous sommes tous derrière celles et ceux qui iront défendre les couleurs du Dragon bleu à Lyon le week end du 26 et 27 avril.

COURS DE ENFANTS

Cours sympathique lors duquel Leslie avait préparé quelques festivités



googtrans

ENTER THE LEGEND OF KUNG FU!

SHI DE CHENG
On a world tour, will soon put down his suitcases
in Verneuil-sur-Seine before continuing his tour.
Do not forget to invite friends, parents or students for this weekend of discovery open to all curious on Saturday and all sports for Sunday.

A unique opportunity to discover
and to enrich his knowledge in Kung fu.
Saturday afternoon will be dedicated to teaching
slow slow forms of Kung fu (taijiquan)
and the Sunday entirely consecrated
to the teaching of the most mythical Shaolin TaoLus:
The 18 hands of Luo Han

This internship is done with the precious help of the Mayor of Verneuil-sur-Seine

Coubertin Gymnasium of Verneuil-sur-Seine
KUNG FU 50 € / TAIJI 45 € / WE Complete 80 €

LAST PLACES ... Register by clicking here!

WHO ARE THE MONKS OF SHAOLIN?

ADMINISTRATIVE

The internship with Shi Cheng arrives!
Among those who have registered, some did not send me the rules of the course (50 euros for kung fu, 45 euros for taijiquan). Thank you to put it in the envelope provided for this purpose when you come to class!
Less LEE

COMPETITION

Our students are getting ready for the end of the month competition. We are all behind those who will defend the colors of the Blue Dragon in Lyon the weekend of 26 and 27 April.

CHILDREN'S COURSES

Nice class where Leslie had prepared some festivities

[GeneChing]

In honor of our Shaolin Special 2019 - READ Shaolin Ways Episode 4: The Big Worthy One (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1484)by Gene Ching

http://www.tigerclawfoundation.org/FB/2_LuohanSleeping.jpg

THREADS
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)
Shaolin Special 2019 (SPRING) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71165-Shaolin-Special-2019-(SPRING)) on Shaolin sub-forum.
Shaolin Special 2019 (SPRING) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71164-Shaolin-Special-2019-(SPRING)) on Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine & KungFuMagazine.com sub-forum
Luohan Quan (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55283-Luohan-Quan)
Shaolin Trips (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57311-Shaolin-Trips-by-Gene-Ching)

[GeneChing]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D5kM7ojXkAIk7Vv?format=jpg&name=900x900

THREADS
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)
Shaolin Special 2019 (SPRING) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71165-Shaolin-Special-2019-(SPRING)) on Shaolin sub-forum.
Shaolin Special 2019 (SPRING) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71164-Shaolin-Special-2019-(SPRING)) on Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine & KungFuMagazine.com sub-forum
Luohan Quan (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55283-Luohan-Quan)
Bodhidharma (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?2128-Bodhidharma)

[Djuan]

nice meme, irony is, this reminds me of something about Damo, I read in an old Zen book, where the author said Damo attributed what he taught at Shaolin to prior Buddhas or Bodhisattvas who taught him the same way. Suggested that Damo was highly trained before "inventing" the hands. The author also said that at one point, Shaolin knew exactly where everything came from, as did most warriors of the time, yet, wars, and dynastic flux caused destruction of many generations of temples, and history subsequently, not to mention each emperor of a new dynasty put into practice wiping clean every trace of the prior dynasties glory, including any contribution in physical health, warfare/martial art, medicine, science, agriculture, trade, etc. The author relates later that this is the case with Buddhism in general, that due to dynastic politics, and religious politics, little to no generation links can be made soundly to say who certain Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and their students were, and where they came from. Damo for example, you'd have a hard time finding his tribe or origin or original name, and he's considered pretty modern and most popular.
Amituofo,
in my meditation, I dont feel bad or lacking in understanding about Damo, infact we have more knowledge of Damo, and clarity of his teachings, than we do of most spiritual teachers of the past. Though none of that stuff matters in the present unless we are teaching history, it was a great read, and had a lot of links made visible, that connected Damo to Shakyamuni (Buddha) by actual biological relation, and then their tribe was linked further to another land, which is another topic lol.

anyhow pardon the rambling. Amituofo

to relate to Shi De Cheng, with my opinion, I would say what Damo taught was very older than himself, and what Shaolin developed later, was in tribute to the Bodhisattvas for sure. Some forms, move like sutras, infact, most of them, if you really go into them, are a moving sutra. In Shaolin "fist and dhyana becomes one" ..... correct? :)

Amituofo

[GeneChing]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EAu5n9wUYAANSPQ?format=jpg&name=900x900

THREADS
Summer 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71297-Summer-2019)
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)

[GeneChing]

Cool It!
The Importance of Cooling Down
By Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/upload/4575_KFM2019-Summer-Cover.jpg
SUMMER 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1487)

[GeneChing]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EB28IgzWsAYNAui?format=jpg&name=900x900

Onward to the FALL 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71322-Fall-2019) which drops tomorrow.

THREADS
Summer 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71297-Summer-2019)
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)

[GeneChing]

These are the tentative dates of Shi Decheng's U.S. visit this year:
September 17th-24th: Boston, MA
September 24th-30th: San Jose, CA
September 30th: Go to Houston, TX
October 7th: Return to Las Vegas, NV

[Djuan]

These are the tentative dates of Shi Decheng's U.S. visit this year:

September 24th-30th: San Jose, CA


thanks for the heads up! ;)
I have a full plate this month, still I will put my effort towards making it here somehow.
will have to reach out to you outside the forum to coordinate if possible.

Amituofo

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSMtvOC5NQk

This video is a little tardy - my apologies for that. I intended to post it back in June but got distracted with our studio reconstruction. It's in conjunction with my article on Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng) Cool It! The Importance of Cooling Down in our SUMMER 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71297-Summer-2019) issue.

As a happy coincidence, my master Decheng is coming to the U.S. now (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng&p=1315493#post1315493), so the delay is actually timely. :cool:

[GeneChing]

Shaolin Traditional Kungfu
October 2 & 3
American Shaolin Kungfu
1239 Eldridge Rd, Suger Land TX
Contact Master Feng 281-265-0318

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/70188853_2446486055472347_8053957084737175552_n.jp g?_nc_cat=107&_nc_oc=AQlaX0RW2SuvPaLRESKDDO3HG-pTTCP4XhuSdUXJkEE_uH2f7E2N3GiwaAKjOBQj_gQ&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=a20529e3cce088a3baaf75142f984b49&oe=5DF35E5F

[GeneChing]

Shaolin 8 Section Brocade
September 27
Shaolin Da Luohan & Mantis
September 28
USA Shaolin Kungfu Zen Academy
1161 Redmond Ave, San Jose CA
Contact www.ShaolinKungFuZen.com, usaskz@gmail.com, 408-806-0155

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/70313295_10159194984382715_1222035950830354432_n.j pg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_oc=AQkfUaBlJAG9owhl3z8RQYsnbpcel4A0PPI9lC13Z82 Rf4nOmqHw06q0G6sbfUfHmk4&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=a4c2ca6f1c41a795c672309a3e04f3d9&oe=5DEEE69C

[GeneChing]

Tai-Chi Basics and Chen Style Tai-Chi W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 at 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT

Shaolin Ji Ben Gong- 18 Skills of the Lohan
Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM EDT

7 star preying mantis with shi de cheng
Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM EDT

Shaolin double Deer horn knives W/ Shifu Shi De Cheng
Sunday, September 22, 2019 at 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM EDT

Shaolin Lian Hung Chuan
Sunday, September 22, 2019 at 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM EDT

Contact Jade Forest Kung Fu of Rockland
73 Reservoir Park Dr, Rockland, Massachusetts 02370
(781) 871-9062 www.jadeforestrockland.com

[GeneChing]

Grandmaster Shi De Cheng Workshop 2019
Oct 11 at 7 PM – Oct 13 at 7 PM

Contact: Shaolin Kungfu Chan Las Vegas
6264 Spring Mountain Rd, Ste 100, Las Vegas, Nevada 89146
(702) 240-2226 www.KungFuChan.com

[GeneChing]

Shaolin monk visits Ipswich (https://thelocalne.ws/2019/09/20/shaolin-monk-visits-ipswich/)
By A Correspondent -September 20, 20190152

https://i2.wp.com/thelocalne.ws/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Shifu-2019.jpg?w=960&ssl=1
Shaolin monk Shifu Shi De Cheng hosted by Ipswich martial arts academy

IPSWICH — A local martial arts studio has hosted a Shaolin monk — and martial arts expert — from China.

Shifu Shi De Cheng, from Deng Feng, China, was hosted by Mark Warner’s Professional Martial Arts Academy yesterday.

Shifu taught 20-plus students a Shaolin form that exemplified the fine art of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Warner, who runs the academy on Market Street, said he was “honored to have such a well-known and respected teacher.”

“He returns every year to monitor the students’ progress,” Warner said.

Nice pic. My disciple brother Scott Jeffrey (who runs Jade Forest Kung Fu of Rockland) is in grey on the far left. :cool:

[GeneChing]

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/70704841_10159217573147715_2261536276912013312_n.j pg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQky-fdfybuSJOfU_cNxkNZVN1IyPzeLYl_ZBukGhLFWyX2GW2GOWQ6 V7cN9WfuUPJE&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=579723818b5f229128b67ce7692f0fc0&oe=5DFBBC60

Shaolin 8 Section Brocade FRIDAY September 27
Shaolin Da Luohan & Mantis SATURDAY September 28
USA Shaolin Kungfu Zen Academy
1161 Redmond Ave, San Jose CA
www.ShaolinKungFuZen.com, usaskz@gmail.com, 408-806-0155

Man, I'm so out of shape. Doubt that'll change much in the next couple of days. :o

[Djuan]

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/70704841_10159217573147715_2261536276912013312_n.j pg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_oc=AQky-fdfybuSJOfU_cNxkNZVN1IyPzeLYl_ZBukGhLFWyX2GW2GOWQ6 V7cN9WfuUPJE&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=579723818b5f229128b67ce7692f0fc0&oe=5DFBBC60

Shaolin 8 Section Brocade FRIDAY September 27
Shaolin Da Luohan & Mantis SATURDAY September 28
USA Shaolin Kungfu Zen Academy
1161 Redmond Ave, San Jose CA
www.ShaolinKungFuZen.com, usaskz@gmail.com, 408-806-0155

Man, I'm so out of shape. Doubt that'll change much in the next couple of days. :o

I really wish I could train with you all there this go round!!
Amituofo!!

[GeneChing]

I really wish I could train with you all there this go round!!
Amituofo!!
There are so many Shaolin representatives here in the Bay Area Djuan, but Decheng is of an older generation, which makes him more special (but then again, he's my sworn master so I'm pretty biased). As you can see by this thread, Master Xinglie (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1390) has hosted him 3 years in a row now, so hopefully that will continue. This year is a little more modest for his offerings than last - last year, there were a few other local schools that hosted him too - so we'll see. It's tough to support a travelling Shaolin monk in the SF Bay Area because there are just so many Shaolin schools competing with each other here. And you can never tell with Shaolin.

[Djuan]

There are so many Shaolin representatives here in the Bay Area Djuan, but Decheng is of an older generation, which makes him more special (but then again, he's my sworn master so I'm pretty biased). As you can see by this thread, Master Xinglie (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=1390) has hosted him 3 years in a row now, so hopefully that will continue. This year is a little more modest for his offerings than last - last year, there were a few other local schools that hosted him too - so we'll see. It's tough to support a travelling Shaolin monk in the SF Bay Area because there are just so many Shaolin schools competing with each other here. And you can never tell with Shaolin.

understood, its a bit deeper than just getting to Shaolin reps out here, yet I know what you mean entirely there, and its more of a rite of passage with you personally.
I sent you a message with some details, however and whenever it manifests, I welcome that moment openly and happily!
to say the least, I hope Shifu De Cheng does come around more often, though I know how busy it is traveling and teaching.
.....that would be an huge honor and double bonus to train with you all.
about the schools in the bay, I know there are many, even in my hometown, in and out of Chinatown, I would walk by them all the time. and honestly I dont know all the politics, and I dont know if I need to , or want to :o .....still I have respect for all the schools that spread genuine Shaolin culture, its deeper than the rivalries, events and hype with me, and certainly any school politics lol so however it comes to fruition, it comes. Hopefully, we will be able to meet soon.
I will be there in ch'i for sure , as you all are here with me daily. :)

Amituofo

[GeneChing]

...watch our social media for pix. :cool: Maybe I'll update here when I can.


understood, its a bit deeper than just getting to Shaolin reps out here, yet I know what you mean entirely there, and its more of a rite of passage with you personally. Rite of passage? :p Cool idea. I should compose some sort of hazing. ;)

I read your message. To be frank - and to quote Master Y "Do. Or do not. There is no try."

[GeneChing]

https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/71690820_10158053499869363_6134484325539774464_o.j pg?_nc_cat=110&_nc_eui2=AeEb7NaawA7o_W_vxYoYt2urWkU4CWXaof5nH7agm 3tY7zPxMMTmAoGBOlUIw9i5SXGC5I2WTHiZwa147YGSPfP6mm5 mt1Q0SRYTzmxI81Pjhw&_nc_oc=AQmjjS7QHEpBb1bBmA8PNRB3onZ45O6cELKptMWKHUj I8K_oxkGZwZBl7fwkP97gWpA&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=90227ba137349da598bcc22a1ca8c858&oe=5E396E5F
I brought my master Shi Decheng to the office for an interview, a shoot and lunch. Gigi wanted to treat him to a meal as well as the TC Media staff and my shidi Jeff Hung. It was a great interview focused on Baduanjin which I plan to publish in our next issue - our Spring 2020 (our Winter 2020 is already full). Stay tuned.

Hope to see some of you tonight and tomorrow for my master's seminars in San Jose.

THREADS
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)
Baduanjin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56712-Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade))

[Djuan]

...watch our social media for pix. :cool: Maybe I'll update here when I can.

Rite of passage? :p Cool idea. I should compose some sort of hazing. ;)

I read your message. To be frank - and to quote Master Y "Do. Or do not. There is no try."

:)

Indeed!!

Amituofo!!

[GeneChing]

understood, its a bit deeper than just getting to Shaolin reps out here, yet I know what you mean entirely there, and its more of a rite of passage with you personally. ...watch our social media for pix. :cool: Maybe I'll update here when I can.

Rite of passage? :p Cool idea. I should compose some sort of hazing. ;)

I read your message. To be frank - and to quote Master Y "Do. Or do not. There is no try."

:)

Indeed!!

Amituofo!!
Just kidding. All of Shaolin is a hazing. That's the moral of the 36th chamber (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?25619-The-36th-Chamber-of-Shaolin-(a-k-a-Master-Killer)). ;)

[GeneChing]

Today, well actually yesterday, was my seminar with my Shifu Shi Decheng on Luohan (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng&p=1315653#post1315653), which was great (gonna be so sore but the endorphins haven't quite worn off). Now I'm trembling with qi. This used to happen to me in my youth. The fire qi gets overstimulated - or at least that's the tcm explanation. I'm physically exhausted after a brutal 2 hour workout but I can NOT sleep.

I've always suffered from insomnia (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71484-Insomnia). Sifu Wing Lam diagnosed my sleep issues and it's connection to my training decades ago and he had this weird meditation solution of looking to the horizon in zhangzhuan (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?33379-Zhang-Zhuan-and-martial-arts) while tucking my chin. Sometimes that helps. I haven't had it so bad in years. I'm totally tweakin, as if I just quaffed a triple espresso. It was good to feel that Shaolin qi come through me again but tonight, I'm paying for it. Fortunately, I have little to do tomorrow beyond recover.

[GeneChing]

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

[GeneChing]

On taking martial vows. READ Big Brother’s Disciples (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1515) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/upload/4703_20194503Discipleship.jpg

THREADS
Fall 2019 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71322-Fall-2019)
Discipleship (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55224)
Shaolin Temple Discipleship (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?51505)
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)
Heir to late Grandmaster Wing Kwong Lam? (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70856)

[GeneChing]

older video from Shifu Shi De Cheng, still very potent, & we want to build on this thread so I'm posting here today.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTQXrTxl3Bo


Decheng has done multiple instructional videos over the years. I beleive this is an excerpt from one of them but I can't which one offhand.

I'm copying this from our Shaolin Chan Wu Yi (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?62919-Shaolin-Chan-Wu-Yi) to our Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng) thread.

[Djuan]

Decheng has done multiple instructional videos over the years..

some of the best videos made, I had (have) a long video of his that has Ji Ben Gong, Xiao Hong Quan, Lian Huan Quan, and applications to most if not all of it, great series.
Its ironic that I own it and was using it as a reference years ago, for those "Old Buddha Monk Funk" reasons, lol I had no idea I'd be talking to you in the future.

also, would you happen to know when is this video from ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQYfLoDByhk
this variant of XHQ is closer to the one I know, and exactly/slightly :confused: (I know thats a paradox :p) like Shi De Yangs main variation of the form. Its different from the one in the video series I have tho. and now that I think about it, it might just be the amount of volition, or expression of fajin in the moves I'm feeling. this old video is fierce. ;)

Amituofo

[GeneChing]

also, would you happen to know when is this video from ?
Offhand I couldn't tell you. I have no idea when the PRC-made vids were made, only the overseas ones. It looks pretty old judging by Decheng's face and the look of the Wushuguan. My first trip to the Wushuguan was 1995, and this looks older that that, but that's just my guess.

[Djuan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKmJ3NnKuVo

I found this video, yet of course, theres no title nor date , still some insight, and a nice video!

Amituofo

[GeneChing]

SUBSCRIBE NOW! All subscribers will receive a FREE 8 SECTION BROCADE POSTER with the SPRING 2020 issue.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EP8rxozUwAAhmjK?format=jpg&name=medium

You must be subscribed by February 10 2020 to take advantage of this offer.
(https://www.martialartsmart.com/19341.html)
THREADS
Spring 2020 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71664-Spring-2020)
Baduanjin (8-section brocade) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56712-Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade))
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)

[GeneChing]

LAST DAY to get a FREE 8 SECTION BROCADE POSTER with your SPRING 2020 issue. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

All subscribers receive a FREE 8 SECTION BROCADE POSTER if subscribed by February 10 2020 for the SPRING 2020 issue.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EQbeSYTVAAMEpXK?format=jpg&name=medium (https://www.martialartsmart.com/19341.html)

THREADS
Spring 2020 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71664-Spring-2020)
Baduanjin (8-section brocade) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56712-Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade))
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)

[GeneChing]

I was planning a trip back to Shaolin this year before Coronavirus (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia) broke out. 2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of my master's school. Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng) actually closed his brick-and-mortar schools (he had two in Dengfeng) around a decade ago, but he has a group of students that are still loyal and are housed in Chen Tongshan's school. Decheng is planning a celebration and invited all his disciples and students back. I've been looking forwafrd to returning because it's been over a decade and a half since I've walked the rugged soils of Shaolin, but we'll see how this all works out. I was in PRC for SARS and that was horrible. (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/index.php?p=article&article=468) However, if this gets contained by then, it might be an opportune time to travel because tourism will be down.


'It Will Be Catastrophic.' Asia's Tourism-Dependent Economies Are Being Hit Hard by the Coronavirus (https://time.com/5783505/thailand-asia-tourism-covid-19-china-coronavirus/)

https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/GettyImages-1199592625.jpg?w=800&quality=85
An airport staff member wearing a protective face mask stands at an information desk at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on Feb. 9, 2020. MLADEN ANTONOV/Afp/AFP via Getty Images
BY CHARLIE CAMPBELL / KRABI, THAILAND
4:09 AM EST

Klong Khong beach on the southern Thai island of Koh Lanta is a long sweep of coarse silver sand fringed by Indian almond trees and palms. A knot of beach shacks offer tourist staples—massages, fruit shakes, grilled seafood—in signs written in English and, in similar prominence, Mandarin Chinese.

Yet few Chinese faces grace Koh Lanta these days as fallout spreads from the coronavirus outbreak that has so far infected more than 60,000 people and claimed at least 1,360 lives. Although the Thai government has not joined many of its neighbors by imposing a complete ban on Chinese visitors, the suspension of tour groups from the People’s Republic, combined with a drop in visitors more generally in response to the crisis, is hitting Koh Lanta hard.

“Last month, there were many, many Chinese staying here,” says Khun Mohammed, whose family runs the Lanta Lapaya Resort in Klong Khong. “Now it’s just one room.”

While the spread of the coronavirus has rattled manufacturers and upset supply chains the world over, the tourism-dependent economies of Southeast Asia are particularly vulnerable. China’s rapidly swelling middle class sparked a boom in tourist visits abroad, which soared from 20 million in 2003 to 150 million in 2018.

Besides Thailand’s, it is the tourism industries of Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan that are most exposed to the Chinese travel market. “If this lasts for three to six months, it will be catastrophic for the tourism industry,” says Stuart McDonald, founder of the TravelFish independent travel guide to Southeast Asia.

Today, Chinese visitors account for 30% of Thailand’s total tourist footfall, spending $18 billion in 2019. Direct tourism spending accounts for an estimated 12% of Thai GDP with Chinese visitors playing “an increasingly important role in underpinning the Thai tourism economy,” according to London-based business information provider IHS Markit.

The fallout is being felt across the self-styled “Land of Smiles.” In Thailand’s stupa-strewn northern capital of Chiang Mai, the 20-room SugarCane boutique guesthouse has suffered cancellations of almost 150 room nights of with almost no new bookings in last two weeks. “The speed with which demand dried up is quite shocking,” says general manager Stuart Cavaliero.

The drop in Chinese tourist numbers from January to April alone could cost the Thai economy $3.05 billion, according to The Tourism Authority of Thailand, not counting the revenue loss of other nationalities choosing to stay away. Arrivals booked by the Association of Thai Travel Agents dropped 99% from China and 71% overall for the first ten days of February compared with the same period last year, reports Reuters.

Other nations face a similarly grim reality. The damage to Vietnam’s tourism sector due to the coronavirus will range between $5.9 billion and $7.7 billion, according to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism estimates. Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali has seen 20,000 hotel bookings canceled, even though Indonesia does not have a confirmed case of coronavirus to date.

Thailand has 33 cases and the public is growing uneasy at the government’s reluctance to close the border to Chinese, who are subject to stringent travel bans by Japan, Australia, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

In many places, fears about the virus’s spread have infused and emboldened long-held anti-Chinese prejudices. In Australia, a Malaysian student of Chinese heritage was evicted from her home due to her landlord’s fears about the virus. In Singapore, a petition calling for a ban on Chinese tourists, which collected over 100,000 signatures, claimed the virus was a result of “self-inflicted unhealthy food consumption.”

For Ruby Thiagarajan—editor-in-chief of Mynah Magazine and author of a feature exploring how the coronavirus has emboldened xenophobia in Singapore— the outbreak has “conveniently also given Singaporeans who harbor anti-Chinese sentiments justification for how they feel.”

In Thailand, the decision to allow Chinese tourists to visit has also been “divisive locally,” says Cavaliero. Yet he hopes the decision not to implement a ban “may end up providing a reciprocated goodwill dividend in the future.”

Still, despite the absence of a wholesale ban, widespread fear and misinformation persists across Thailand’s hospitality industry. Images of a sign reading “No Chinese” put up by a restaurant in Chiang Mai went viral on social media, prompting the local officials to order its removal. In the royal beach resort of Hua Hin, one Chinese mother and child were almost forced to sleep on the street after no hotel would take them, according to local media.

When Charles Turner, proprietor of the Food4Thought restaurant in Chiang Mai, organized a training session among staff in response to the coronavirus, he had to quell requests to ban Chinese customers.

“Many of my staff​ were disturbingly under-informed about how viruses spread, the mixed verdicts about the efficacy of masks, and so on,” he tells TIME. “If I were to guess, the story of business owners denying entry to Chinese customers​ is more prevalent that most realize.”

For TravelFish founder McDonald, it’s important tourists from elsewhere do not exacerbate the looming economic shock by staying away when there’s objectively no great need. Instead, they can take advantage of thinner crowds and cheaper prices to boot.

“China is a separate situation,” he says, “but for Southeast Asia, I don’t really see any pressing reason to change travel plans.”

WRITE TO CHARLIE CAMPBELL AT CHARLIE.CAMPBELL@TIME.COM.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfIf1pCii4Q&t

THREADS
Baduanjin (8-section brocade) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56712-Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade))
Spring 2020 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71664-Spring-2020)
Shi Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)

[GeneChing]

Be Well. READ Shaolin Ways Episode 5: The Eight-Section Brocade (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1553) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/9041_Shaolin-Ways_Lead.jpg

THREADS
Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56712-Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade))
Spring-2020 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71664-Spring-2020)
Shi-Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)
Shaolin-Trips-by-Gene-Ching (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?57311-Shaolin-Trips-by-Gene-Ching)

[GeneChing]

Free 8 Section Brocade Poster! READ Shaolin Ways Episode 6: Baduanjin (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1558) by Gene Ching

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/6291_Baduanjin_8-Section-Brocade-Poster.jpg

threads
Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade) (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56712-Baduanjin-(8-section-brocade))
Spring-2020 (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71664-Spring-2020)
Shi-Decheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Y832DfJkBq0

[GeneChing]

My Shifu Shi Decheng sent me some photos of his newly erected school. I posted them on my IG. (https://www.instagram.com/p/COa27W7JcZG/)


My Shaolin master, Shi Decheng, just sent me photos of his new school. Unfortunately he has no plans to come to the USA this year due to the pandemic. He invited me to return to Shaolin but he always does that and I don’t think I can with PRC restrictions on Americans. I had hoped to go last year for the 20th anniversary of his original school but the world had other plans.

I think this is in Luohe city, which is about a 2 hour drive from Dengfeng.

[Djuan]

saw it on IG and was waiting for it here

:) AMITUOFO !!

[GeneChing]

Video behind the link. '96 was the year I discipled under Decheng.


Monks from the Shaolin Temple in China where the martial art of Kung Fu originated visit Dublin. (https://www.rte.ie/archives/2021/0519/1222579-kung-fu-fighting-monks/)

For the monks of Shaolin Buddhist Temple, Kung Fu is part of their daily activities.

This is as much part of their activities as prayer and contemplation.

The Shaolin Temple was established over 1,500 years ago in the Henan Province of China.

The monks developed the martial art of Kung Fu and more than a hundred sets of movements have been handed down to today’s Buddhist followers.

Dr Jian Wang of the Shaolin Temple explains how the monks created Kung Fu as a form of daily meditation.

The temple, the birthplace of Chan Buddhism, once had five thousand monks but numbers today are greatly reduced. However, they still follow the strict rules of celibacy and practise the art of Kung Fu.

Not all Kung Fu is bare-handed and a nine section steel whip is among the weapons used.

The Shaolin monks could have given Bruce Lee lessons and probably did.

An RTÉ News report broadcast on 11 June 1996. The reporter is Colm Connolly.

[GeneChing]

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/U7sAAOSw6mNjqxh0/s-l1600.jpg
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/92sAAOSwbsBjqxgH/s-l1600.jpg

Looks like the watermarked sales are embeddable. I've seen the second one before but not the first one.

For-Gene-Ching (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72447-For-Gene-Ching)
Shi-Decheng (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?44742-Shi-Decheng)