Shaolin: Wheel of Life

[charliec]

Gah, Shaolin Wheel of Life is on PBS!

It's on Great Performances. I think there's two more showings. I know it comes out on DVD soon but here it is right on tv. You can check the pbs webpage for local showings.

[jon]

I have Weel of Life the Shoalin performance on DVD and its region 4 pal im in Australia.
Considering your in NY i find it hard to belive it would be out here and not over there. I know your coding is different [region1 ntsc] but still nearly everything hits you guys long before us :rolleyes:
Anyway its not a bad dvd though very much just wu-shu. Also its more of an actual play than just a kung fu display.

you cant win all the time but you cant always lose either...

[charliec]

It comes out here the 8th of Jan. Being as it's an English production it's not supprising at all that Australia got it first.

Just wushu? Pfft.

[jon]

Please dont take it the wrong way...
What they showed though was clearly designed to be for performance. This in no way says i think they dont have good skills or cant apply the kung fu they learn in the confines of the temple.
I just think many of the hand sets resembled wushu more than tcma.
Its what i expected to be honest and i wouldnt have asked for more really.
There obviously going to do something thats attractive to watch and shows off there skill.
There not going to show moves designed for combat infront of a huge audience there monks!
I didnt state i didnt think it had meaning and didnt state it wasnt good dont take it so personaly.

you cant win all the time but you cant always lose either...

[fajinpower]

Just Curious. Which school are you at right now?

MY SIFU - "Within stillness is movement, within movement is stillness; your whole body is full of circles; your body is three trunks / six harmonies; let your chi flow to your entire body; know your balance; your root guides the body movements; back erect; balance; yang flow down, yin flow up; east in the morning, west at evening; learn what is reasonable; you are holding a big ocean in your hands; everything is the same."

[GeneChing]

That's our Jan/Feb 2002 issue, page 86-87, on stands now. Check thirteen.org & pbs.org for local listings.

Gene Ching
Asst. Publisher
Kungfu Qigong Magazine & www.KUNGFUmagazine.com

[Shaolindynasty]

Is the wheel of life like the 98 north america tour?


www.shaolindynasty.cjb.net

[GeneChing]

Wheel of Life is different - it's a warrior monk demo encased in a retelling of the Kangxi legend. It played in Britain to rave reveiws. There was a website, but I can't remember the address - anyone?

[norther practitioner]

http://www.wheeloflife.co.uk

PBS isn't showing it in Colorado

[charliec]

fajinpower, you mean which college or which kung fu school?

jon, i wasn't insulted or whatever, i just think "just wushu" is a funny term. i mean, wushu is **** bloody hard...

anyway, i haven't seen anything more than the stills, but the stills on the web page are all from traditional forms and all the qigong stuff i've seen from articles about the show could hardly be called wushu, but whatever. wushu isn't an insult.

[jon]

It was really my opinion i should have stated that more clearly. I certainly agree about the wushu being very hard. I have no wish to take anything away from the wushu artists out there.
The qi gung was excerlent as was the weapon work. There is no doubt they are ammazingly skilled martial artists.
I guess i was just hoping to see more of the older style of kung fu. Still i study Hung Ga which is an offshoot of southern shoalin so im in no position to be stating what is and isnt modern shoalin kung fu.
Still as i say its a great dvd and worth the watch. Only problem with mine is to this date i still cant get the bleedin special features to work
Ahh well, have fun enjoy the performance

[GeneChing]

Not only is there info on the Wheel of Life, there is a great comparison of Traditional Shaolin and Modern Wushu by warrior monk Shi Xinghao. Xinghao was a changquan champion, who originally trained in his family style of Chuojiao, but then trained wushu to compete. He went to Shaolin to better his skills and had to relearn traditional. It's a revealing piece on the differences and I highly recommend reading it before pursuing this argument, no matter which side you may fall on.

http://store.yahoo.com/martialartsma...magjanisk.html

[charliec]

Hey Gene, if this whole kung fu publisher thing fails for you have you ever considered pimping? I mean jeez, did you manage to work the new issue into *every* thread? ;p

[GeneChing]

It's my job. What do you think pays rent here for every single thread?

I do like pimp clothes tho, so I'll keep your suggestion in mind

[XiaoLong]

Next fight: pimp vs gene ching now on PBS