Shi Yan Ming & Shaolin Temple USA

[The Xia]

A new Shaolin Temple USA

http://usashaolintemple.org/index.ph...shop&Itemid=71

Anyone know anything about this?

[The Xia]

No comments? It looks like they are planning a big facility.

[GeneChing]

...I'm sure richard sloan can speak most intelligently about this.

[ngokfei]

huh..

Okay Shi Yanming want's to open up a training center, okay.

Shaolin Temple? Um wouldn't there need to be a "Buddhist Abbott" needed for this position.

Hasn't Shi Yanming left the priesthood (married (2) and children (?)). I think that removes him from applying.

I comment in regards to Religous Requirements and nothing to do with his skills/training (he's got better physical skill then I'll ever have).

[TenTigers]

warrior monks were not the same as religious monks-no matter what David Carradine might say.
It's all about the dollar, anyway. I have seen too many people come to my school from them to learn how to fight. They don't teach real application, and all, if any of their fighting is san-da, not kung-Fu. Too bad, too. I used to believe in the dream too.

[Citong Shifu]

warrior monks were not the same as religious monks-no matter what David Carradine might say.
It's all about the dollar, anyway. I have seen too many people come to my school from them to learn how to fight. They don't teach real application, and all, if any of their fighting is san-da, not kung-Fu. Too bad, too. I used to believe in the dream too.

Um! The word "fast food" comes to my mind..

cs

[Cappadonna]

http://www.usashaolintemple.org/news...ber-9-11-2009/

seems interesting. what do you guys think?

[GeneChing]

...but I did travel with Shi Yanming and his students. Check out Wu-Tang Enters Wudang.

[GeneChing]

There's a vid if you follow the link

Meet New York City's Shaolin Warrior Monk
By Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg
Jan 22 2013, 11:34 AM ET

Shi Yan-Ming's life story is more astonishing than the action movies he occasionally appears in: At age five, he began training in the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple in China's Henan province. On tour in the United States in 1992, he made a daring midnight escape and found his way to New York City. There, he founded USA Shaolin Temple, where he teaches philosophy and martial arts to kids and celebrities alike. As you'll discover in the short documentary below, he still has a sense of humor too. His studio's claim to fame? It's run by the "most handsome Shaolin Temple monk on the planet," he says, grinning. "Can't help it! Know'm'sayin'? Represent." When three filmmakers, Erik Hartman, David Rowe, and Douglas Spitzer, interviewed him for their documentary series New Yorkers, they discovered a "huge" Wu Tang symbol in the studio -- the monk counts RZA among his students. Hartman, Rowe, and Spitzer, who work together as Moonshot Productions, describe their ongoing quest to document interesting New Yorkers from all walks of life in a brief interview below.

The Atlantic: What inspired you to do this series?

Moonshot Productions: The New Yorkers series comes from our passion for the city of New York. We get a kick out of all of the wild characters that we see here on a daily basis and wanted to capture that same feel in this series of videos.

Are you native New Yorkers yourselves?

We are native New Yorkers and if we weren't, we would move here ASAP.

How do you select people to profile? Any favorites so far?

The selection process has no rules. We've gone up to interesting characters on the street and asked them if we could shoot them. We've pulled people from our network of friends and family. We've gone on scouting missions to find characters. We also have a button on the Nyorkers.com website where people can send in suggestions.

If we had to pick a favorite, the ice sculptor Mark Mckenzie may be it. He is such an awesome guy and works such a unique and visual job. Guess' video has become a fan favorite as well.

What do you want people to take away from the videos?

We just hope that people watch and enjoy them. This is a passion project for us so we hope that people can enjoy the videos as both individual characters and as a collection. It's a project that, with funding, we hope to continue for a long time.

What's next for you?

Moonshot is a versatile company doing digital, commercial and television work. We have a bunch of projects that we are currently developing for TV.

[GeneChing]

USA Shaolin Temple Moving to 102 Allen Street
Posted on: May 26th, 2016 at 5:17 am by Elie



Photographer Alex Cao departed the second-floor loft at 102 Allen Street not too long ago. The studio had been a mainstay for over a decade, with images of pop-art framed in each of the windows.

It’s all gone now, replaced with brown paper.

The replacement is from left field. Here comes the twenty-two-year-old USA Shaolin Temple, which is moving from its longtime SoHo stomping grounds. It’s apparently the second move for the temple since the congregation formed in 1994.

More info on the temple:

The USA Shaolin Temple teaches Chan Philosophy through the core Shaolin disciplines of martial arts or action meditation: Gongfu (Kung Fu) Taiji Quan (Tai Chi) and Qigong (Chi Kung). Students of all backgrounds, religions, ages, and athletic ability can train at Temple. Students come to the USA Shaolin Temple from all around the world to learn and grow from traditional Shaolin training. “Heart to Heart” and “Mind to Mind” is the essence of Shaolin Chan Philosophy — and this system of training spans the differences between language and culture as a direct form of growth and understanding. Students find many paths to get to the Temple; while some students seek to build better health and create a feeling of well-being, others may train for self-defense or flexibility, but there is a singular concept behind Shaolin training: martial arts and Chan Philosophy are one and the same.
The USA Shaolin Temple should open sometime next month.

“Shaolin” is also slang for Staten Island. Just ask the Wu-Tang Clan.

I'm posting this mostly to repost this video.

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

I started watching the first episode of Season 2 of Iron Fist but only got through the first fight. It was better than Season 1 but nothing extraordinary. I've read some positive reactions on social media so I might give it another go.

Meanwhile, Finn is now training Shaolin under Shi Yan Ming.

Inside Finn Jones’ Intense Martial Arts Training For ‘Iron Fist’ Season 2


Marvel's 'Iron Fist' New York Screening
Gilbert Carrasquillo / Contributor / Getty Images
by Charles Thorp

Screams ring out from inside a warehouse building in industrial Brooklyn Opens a New Window. . Nobody is actually getting their ass kicked inside, but it sure sounds like it. That is because inside is the makeshift dojo built by Marvel Opens a New Window. to create and rehearse the fight sequences for the upcoming sop****re season of superhero series Iron Fist.

But before stepping through these doors Finn Jones, who stars as Danny Rand Opens a New Window. aka Iron Fist, prepared for his return to the character by committing himself to a pious training regime five months earlier. “I was excited that we had this chance with stunt coordinator Clayton Barber to really dial in the fights,” says Jones. The actor started working with personal trainer Bev Ratcliff who set him up with a gymnastic-based routine Opens a New Window. . “This role requires me to be long and lean so that I can move fluidly, rather than just putting on tons of muscle.”

Ratcliff, who is a nutritionist as well, also created a strict diet plan for Jones to follow. “I dedicated myself to it,” says Jones. “I cut out alcohol and was eating as clean as possible every meal.”

Most importantly though, is the time that Jones spent with a Shi Yan Ming, a 34th generation Shaolin warrior monk and head of USA Shaolin Temple in New York. During their days at the temple Jones was put through a wide range of traditional kung fu Opens a New Window. movements while Ming gave strict instruction.


Finn Jones training for Iron First 2
Courtesy Image

“He yelled at me for ‘more chi’ and for ‘more power’,” says Jones. “I was able to find a reserve of energy that I never knew I had through our work together. You never really know what you have until you truly test yourself.”

Jones also incorporated study in tai chi, wishu, jeet kune do, as well more modern martial arts Opens a New Window. . “I see Danny as a brawler who has this foundation of traditional kung fu but also knows he has to get the job done quickly,” he says. “I love throwing elbows. It is so vicious and effective.”

The effort that Jones put in paid off when it came time to shoot the stunts. “I wanted to take what they did with the first season and crank it up a notch,” says Barber, who the producers brought in to do just that. Not only was Barber coming off working as fight coordinator on Black Panther Opens a New Window. , but his career as a taekwondo competitor gave him the background needed for the martial arts-anchored show.

“The first thing that excited me about this project is that there aren’t really any shows dedicated to Kung Fu like this has the chance to be,” says Barber. He also set the goal to have the lead actors perform as many of the sequences as possible, which was made possible through those months of intense martial arts schooling.

The experience has been so beneficial for Jones that he is already looking towards what could be done with more episodes. “There is some weaponry combat towards the end of this season and I really enjoyed working with the swords,” he says. “If we get a third season, I’ll be bringing my swords with me.”

Caption 2 'Iron First'

[GeneChing]

Associated Press
Published on Oct 3, 2018
(3 Oct 2018) RZA directed Wesley Snipes for the first time in the upcoming movie "Cut Throat City." But the two have a longtime shared teacher in New York Shaolin kung fu grandmaster Shi Yan Ming. (Oct. 3)

THREADS
Shi Yan Ming & Shaolin Temple USA
Wu Forever!

[GeneChing]

More on Sophia here.

Former RZA, ODB, and D'Angelo Manager Sophia Chang to Tell Her Story in New Audiobook Memoir
BY SHAWN SETARO
Shawn is a Senior Staff Writer at Complex and the host of The Cipher, a critically acclaimed hip-hop podcast that conducts in-depth interviews with the genre’s most interesting and important figures.
Shawn is also the former editor-in-chief of Rap Genius, and has written about music and culture for Forbes, The Atlantic, Vibe, The Source, GQ, Esquire, The Sondheim Review, and more.
JUL 25, 2019


Image via Publicist

If you watched the recent Wu-Tang Clan documentary Of Mics and Men or listened to the powerful 2017 podcast Mogul about the late Chris Lighty, you no doubt recall Sophia Chang. Chang, a memorable interview subject in both projects, calls herself "the first Asian woman in hip-hop," and she has the resumé to back up the title.

She has worked at record labels, including stints as General Manager of both RZA's Razor Sharp Records and Joey Badass' Pro Era Records. But Chang is best known for her time as a manager, with an all-star roster of clients: Wu-Tang members RZA, GZA, and Ol' Dirty *******; neo-soul heroes D'Angelo and Raphael Saadiq; Q-Tip; and more. ("I'm really hardwired to manage people," she explained to Complex.)


Now, after a career of helping great artists tell their stories, Chang is getting ready to tell her own. Her audio memoir The Baddest ***** in the Room (put out by Audible and Reese Witherspoon's company Hello Sunshine) comes out on Sept. 26, and is available for pre-order starting today (July 25).


Image via Publicist

Chang will be narrating the memoir herself, which she told Complex was absolutely crucial. To make the point, she quoted an old friend.

"I voiced the book myself because I think it's really important that people are exposed to my voice both figuratively as well as literally. RZA says, 'My tongue is my sword.' That's very much how I look at myself. I'm a petite Asian woman who did not come into this industry having wealth, power, fame. So what I had to do was work really, really hard, and part of crafting my persona and my identity was sharpening my blade. In kung fu, we say, 'Sharpen your blade every day.' So, not only do I train in kung fu every day, but I also hone the way that I speak, and my voice is my most powerful weapon and tool for myself and to speak on behalf of others."

Chang, who in recent years has started a new career in public speaking, says that the memoir provides her with an additional way to get her message out, and to honor the people who have been alongside her for her journey.

"I'm really grateful that Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine and Audible gave me this opportunity and believed that my story was also worthy of telling," she elaborates. "And now that I have the opportunity to tell my story, I'm really grateful that I can share a lot of how other people have been so influential and loving and gracious and generous. That's a range of people from somebody like a Joey Ramone [who Chang met on her very first trip to New York City] that tipped it off, to my mentor Michael Ostin, to Wu-Tang, to the friends that sit around my dinner table, to the extraordinary women in my life. I always talk about the mother****ing village that raised me, and that village comprises all of those people. I get to honor those relationships, and I'm grateful for that."

Baddest ***** in the Room can be pre-ordered here. Chang is coy about details, but says her audio memoir "will be like no other. This audiobook will be a game changer." You can hear an excerpt, in which she talks about her relationship with Wu-Tang, below.

THREADS
Shi Yan Ming & Shaolin Temple USA
Wu Forever!

[GeneChing]

Behind every great man...

I'm splitting this off from the SYM&STUSA thread into a separate thread just for Sophia. She's an old friend and did a lot for Shaolin in America.

Hip-Hop Memoirist Sophia Chang on Her Audible Original 'The Baddest ***** in the Room' and Managing Wu-Tang
9/27/2019 by Eric Diep


Dana Scruggs
Sophia Chang

On Tuesday, the first official day of fall, Sophia Chang made her way through the crowd at The Top of the Standard towards the wooden grand piano. She sits on top of it and smiles, but not for long.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the baddest ***** in the room, Sophia Chang!” says D-Nice, one of the DJs for Chang’s celebration of her Audible Original memoir, The Baddest ***** in the Room.

As everyone shouts and applauds, Chang stands on the piano, flexes and poses. Cameras flash to get the shot of our host, who is wearing her signature Gucci leather fedora and a comfortable outfit to dance in. Tonight’s party in Manhattan brought together her friends and closest confidants, some of them appearing as guest speakers in her audiobook.

“Would you guys like to hear a little bit of my audiobook?” she asks while holding a few sheets of paper. The response is a resounding yes.

“So, get your phones out because I promise, you’re going to want to have this,” she teases.

Chang recites a live rendition of an excerpt in her epilogue (which you can hear in full below), describing her unpredictable path of chasing creative passions while establishing her sense of self. Along the way, she explains, she has countless people to thank, who have built her up and supported her through thick and thin. “They are my pillars, my shields, and my mirrors, who challenge me everyday to be a better person,” she says. “I couldn’t do what I do without them.”

“Then, there’s the Clan. Peace Rakeem.”

“Peace Soph!” says RZA, watching his friend from afar.

“Method Man was the first to call me family,” she continues. “ODB was the first to hire me as his manager. And the RZA was the first to empower me as a general manager of a label. They weren’t a constant physical presence over the last quarter century, but they didn’t need to be. They are with me everywhere I go.”

“Wu-Tang helped me find my voice, and led me to Yan Ming. Method Man gently tended to my confidence as a middle-aged woman. What am I categorically certain of, right now, is it is my turn.”

Sophia Chang's Audible Original Memoir The Baddest ***** In The Room

On Sept. 26, Chang -- a music industry veteran, who once managed RZA, Ol' Dirty *******, and GZA, as well as other hip-hop/R&B icons like Q-Tip, Raphael Saadiq, and D’Angelo, is entering a new chamber as a memoirist. Her Audible Original memoir, The Baddest ***** in the Room, is out this week.

The story chronicles her life as a Korean Canadian, born and raised in Vancouver, who had to face unshakeable racism in her childhood. It follows her through her move to New York, where she lived through the golden era of ‘90s hip-hop, and her breaking into the music industry with stints at Jive and Atlantic, bonding with the Wu-Tang Clan, finding love with a Shaolin monk, dating with bravery as an older woman, and much more. It’s an untold perspective from one of the Wu’s closest associates, who famously bridged cultures by helping to orchestrate RZA’s first trip to the Shaolin Temple in China with Sifu Shi Yan Ming.

Just days before Chang’s audiobook release, Billboard spoke to her about writing The Baddest ***** in the Room, her relationships with ODB and Chris Lighty, mental health, women in hip-hop, and Asian representation in the entertainment industry.

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