National Geographic on Shaolin

[kal]

Found a show on youtube called "Myths and Logic of Shaolin Kung Fu."
Done by National Geographic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpn7gUSUQK8

These guys are very skilled at what they do, but is this genuine Shaolin martial arts? Or is this all really just modern wushu?

[xcakid]

Had Shi Deyang on it. Must be legit. I want a copy of that video.

[oasis]

but yes, it shows traditional songshan shaolin kung fu as taught by shi de yang. i believe it showed xiao hong quan or da hong quan or both, and some interesting training sequences. also shows the young students' crazy schedules.

if you want a dvd of it you can get it from netflix or easily order it from many websites.

[kal]

So are there in fact genuine Shaolin monks after all?

I have become so jaded and cynical since all that Wheel of Life crap that now whenever I see someone in an orange robe I immediately assume they are fakes doing wushu.

[Royal Dragon]

The Monk doing the Tai Tzu Long Fist was totally doing the Wushu version.

[zhangxihuan]

So are there in fact genuine Shaolin monks after all?

I have become so jaded and cynical since all that Wheel of Life crap that now whenever I see someone in an orange robe I immediately assume they are fakes doing wushu.

Fakes?? wushu? I disagree. Some people practice both traditional and modern.. Wushu stresses the athletic and "traditional" the fighting, however both have the same source in traditional styles. True there are many 'Performance' monks... however not everyone can be lumped into this category.

[B-Rad]

Wheel of Life was pretty darn cool. Some people just don't know how to have fun anymore

Dude, Lime wire is a file shareing program, it bypasses your firewall, and connects you directly with another's computer through the internet. It automatically opens your system up to anyone useing limewayre as well, and they are free to roam your system and copy whatever file it is they want from you. Which is basically what you did when you used it to down load the files you already have.

In Limewire (at least the current version) you designate which folder people can download from (usually a "shared" folder) or whether they can download from you at all. You can set it so no one is allowed to browse any of your folders if you want (some just won't share with people who don't share themselves). Of course you still better have good spy ware and virus protection, because it's always risky to go peer to peer with someone you don't know.

Anyway, to get back on topic, I think a monk can be a real monk and still do modern wushu. Also a monk can be a fake monk, and still know traditional kungfu The two don't have to be related.

[Shaolin Wookie]

but yes, it shows traditional songshan shaolin kung fu as taught by shi de yang. i believe it showed xiao hong quan or da hong quan or both, and some interesting training sequences. also shows the young students' crazy schedules.

if you want a dvd of it you can get it from netflix or easily order it from many websites.

I downloaded it free from limewire a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.

[SaintSage]

I downloaded it free from limewire a long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.

Communist!

[Royal Dragon]

Dude, Lime wire is a file shareing program, it bypasses your firewall, and connects you directly with another's computer through the internet. It automatically opens your system up to anyone useing limewayre as well, and they are free to roam your system and copy whatever file it is they want from you. Which is basically what you did when you used it to down load the files you already have.

I stopped useing it when it searched a ramdom infected computer somewhere and brought that virus back to my system. It was a nasty one too, and I ended up having to strip my operateing system because of it.

You couldn't pay me to have Limewire on my PC now.

[ingchao]

Had Shi Deyang on it. Must be legit. I want a copy of that video.

Netflix has it.

[xcakid]

Netflix it is then. I love that company, they get it to me next day if its available.

[Aussie SHaolin]

Hi Shaolin Enthusiasts


In regards to the aformentioned doco, you are correct in stating that it is very much a focus on Shi Heng Jun and his school. Although my Sifu was in it he did not participate much in this production, its focus lay with Shi Heng Jun. Alot of the footage was not collected within Shaolin Si itself but surrounding areas.

It is a good doco as it is one of the first western docos that has highlighted parts of such traditional forms as Xiao Hong, Lohan etc. It is interesting to observe however some of the training is just for the camera! There is also so much training and skills not shown, so enjoy the doco and got to Shaolin and experience it for yourself!

[GeneChing]

It was "National Geographic show -- genuine Shaolin?" It will now be "National Geographic on Shaolin" as I cannibalized this thread for the new update. I just merged RAF's post here, to reduce redundancy.

[David Jamieson]

Just got my NatGeo and opened it up to the Shaolin piece. Haven't read it yet, but will do so over tea on a weekend morning I think. Nice photos too! (of course, that's natgeo for you)