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  1. #151
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    Anna Mattinger

    NOVEMBER 10, 2022
    An epic ‘gap decade’
    Anna Mattinger spent her 20s traveling the world, living in the wilderness, training under a Shaolin monk, and creating pyrotechnics at Burning Man – among other adventures – before enrolling at Stanford this fall to study computer science and artificial intelligence.
    BY ALEX KEKAUOHA
    Growing up in the suburbs of Silicon Valley, Anna Mattinger felt like an aberration. She said she was a “problem kid” who was often restless, belligerent, and rebellious.


    Anna Mattinger took a “gap decade” before enrolling at Stanford this fall. (Image credit: Andrew Brodhead)

    “In Cupertino, that made me stick out like a sore thumb because I was surrounded by a bunch of really good kids,” she said, adding that although she enjoyed learning and performed well academically, she didn’t like the structure of traditional school. “I felt very much in a bubble, and I really wanted to get out and see the world.”

    After completing high school through concurrent enrollment at a community college, she continued to take classes but eventually burned out. “I didn’t really know why I was there, what I was doing, or what I was trying to prove,” she said. “And that’s when I left.”

    At 19, Mattinger signed up for the Back Country Trails Program. For five months she lived and worked off-the-grid under grueling conditions in the wilderness of Kings Canyon National Park where she built hiking trails. She planned to use the time to clear her head before returning to school, but by the end of the program, she decided to change course.

    “After that, I was like, ‘I think I want to keep going!’ ” she recalled. “And that turned into 10 years of globetrotting and doing a bunch of different things.”

    Mattinger said that a whirlwind of experiences around the country and the world gave her greater perspective and purpose and made her better prepared for a formal college experience and the rigors of Stanford. “I’m really happy with the way I spent the early part of my adulthood,” she said. “I really needed the whole gap decade to get to where I am now.”

    Globetrotting

    Mattinger’s travels have taken her to Europe, Africa, South America, Oceania, and Asia. In 2017, her interest in martial arts took her to rural northwestern China to train under a Shaolin monk. His school, located in a cornfield between the Siberian and North Korean borders, accepts about 10 students at a time. During each of the three visits, Mattinger underwent intense training for 40 hours a week.


    Mattinger training under a Shaolin monk in China. (Image credit: Courtesy Anna Mattinger)

    “I would go for a couple of months at a time and when I was finished, all of my joints were falling apart,” she said.

    Her love of martial arts also took her to Thailand to learn Muay Thai. In 2018, she joined a gym and by the end of her first week, the head trainer and gym owner asked if she’d compete in a paid fight. Mattinger agreed and they ramped up her training.

    “I lost that first fight, but I think I learned more from the loss than I would’ve from a win,” she said.

    Mattinger said that one of her more memorable experiences was her four-month solo bike trip from Key West, Florida, to Bar Harbor, Maine, in 2015. She said the experience was one of the best things she’s ever done with her life because of the physical challenge, long stretches of solitude, and some harrowing moments, like getting lost and even getting hit by a car.

    “Getting myself through those moments really enhanced my trust in myself and my sense of competence and stability,” she said.

    Throughout her 20s, Mattinger worked various seasonal jobs to pay for her travels, including as a farm hand and a ski instructor at resorts in Lake Tahoe and Mammoth Mountain. She also worked as a freelance writer and model for small artists and designers. But it was her years working at Burning Man – the annual weeklong art event in Black Rock Desert, Nevada – where she learned to play with fire.

    Burning Man

    In 2012, Mattinger landed a gig as a golf cart mechanic at Burning Man. There, she also joined a team that built a full-scale replica of a Spanish galleon ship crashed into a pier. The event was an experience she has never forgotten, because of the artwork and the unique social dynamics.


    Mattinger canoeing in Bergen, Norway. (Image credit: Courtesy Anna Mattinger)

    “Burning Man provides a weird alternate context,” she said. “Everyone is confronted with the bodily realities of being literally ‘out of our element’ in an alkaline lakebed, often in extreme dust and heat. A lot of societal pretense and niceties go away in that environment, and people are often compelled to try on different ways of presenting and being themselves.”

    She returned to Burning Man in subsequent years to join teams constructing large art installations, which allowed her to learn carpentry and pyrotechnics. In 2013, she plumbed propane “poofers” that shot 30-foot fireballs from the top of The Control Tower, a six-story bamboo structure covered in interactive LED lights.

    For the 2014 event, she spent six months helping build an installation called Embrace, a seven-story structure shaped like the torsos of two people hugging. “Inside were mechanical beating hearts and spiral staircases to the heads, where you could look out the eye sockets,” she said. “It was the tallest thing out there that year.”

    Mattinger’s travels continued, including to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, where she attended regional “burns” inspired by Burning Man.

    She noted that her gap decade was a contemplative experience that gave her time to consider various social, economic, environmental, and technological challenges.

    “All industries, and the solving of most problems, are becoming increasingly entangled with computing and engineering. Computing, in particular, will increasingly have more power and reach when it comes to making things better—or worse—than anything else,” she said, adding that her intellectual curiosities reignited her interest in academics. “I’d been toying with the idea of eventually going back to school, and then the pandemic hit and my life was cancelled so I thought, ‘Well, there’s no better time than now!'”

    Becoming a Cardinal

    In 2020, Mattinger returned to California and enrolled at De Anza College to take classes online – mostly STEM courses. It was also the first time she’d ever signed a lease.

    “Being domestic did feel like a novelty, but I was surprised by how easily I adjusted,” she said. “It helped that I was really into what I was studying. It felt really fulfilling.”

    She applied to several schools but said that participating in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Community Research Experience cemented her interest in Stanford. Since enrolling this fall, she’s also enjoyed the nostalgia of being on the Farm; she spent much of her childhood here while her father was a Stanford graduate student. Although she hasn’t declared a major, she intends to study computer science and artificial intelligence.

    Mattinger said there’s still much more she’d like to experience, but she is glad to be a student again and eager to see what Stanford has to offer. “I’m happy that I waited to go back to school because now it feels right,” she said. “I have a purpose and I actually want to be here.”

    When asked where she sees herself in ten years, she said she doesn’t believe in making long-term plans.

    “If you’re living life correctly, then in two or five or ten years you will know more, have greater perspective, and will be able to make better decisions about what you do next,” she said. “Right now, I’m just excited to be here.”
    Shaolin to Burning Man...
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  2. #152
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    Enoal & Shaolin

    Shaolin Temple student stars in Netflix’s new Enola Holmes movie
    By Maanya Sachdeva - 1st December 2022

    Serrana Su-Ling Bliss
    A student at Junction Road’s Shaolin Temple has earned new fame with her breakout role in Netflix’s Enola Holmes 2 starring Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill.

    The film’s cast also includes Harry Potter stars Helena Bonham Carter and David Thewlis, as well as Sam Claflin and Louis Partridge.

    Serrana Su-Ling Bliss plays Bessie Chapman, a factory girl who approaches young Enola played by Brown, to help find her missing sister Sarah, played by Hannah Dodd.

    “During filming, [Brown] had her pet rabbit and poodle in her tent, and I would play with them. Her boyfriend Jake [Bongiovi] was also there a lot, and we sometimes played UNO together,” Bliss said.

    In an interview with Islington Now, the young actor recalled meeting “these huge stars” on set, adding that she “loved hanging out with” Brown.

    Bliss recounted other memorable moments from her time filming Enola Holmes 2, including speaking to Cavill about his costumes in The Witcher, and getting acting tips from Thewlis.

    “I also had my 12th birthday on set,” she said, adding, “It was so much fun, and they sang me ‘Happy Birthday’ on set.”

    Bliss, who lives in Haringay with her family, has been training at the UK’s only Shaolin Chan Buddhist Temple, near Tufnell Park station, for nearly seven years.

    “Actually, the reason I started kung-fu was because I saw the animated film Kung-Fu Panda, and I loved how Master Shifu made the flower blossom,” Bliss said.

    “I said to my mom, I want to learn kung-fu so I can make a flower bloom.”

    Bliss told Islington Now that she got her first acting gig – in a commercial for Lawn Tennis Association – through doing martial arts.

    “In the advertisement, I start out playing tennis but then transform into a ninja with a tennis racquet and do some martial arts moves,” she said.

    Bliss, now 13, said she feels “very lucky to be able to train” at the Temple, with Grandmaster Shifu Yanzi.

    “I think it’s a very unique, rare community. It’s given me so much confidence, and the instructors have been such amazing?mentors,” she added.

    Bliss made her acting debut as Sharon Nicholas in Kenneth Branagh’s Oscar-nominated Belfast, which was released last year.

    She is also part of the child dance ensemble cast in Matilda the Movie, which released in UK cinemas on 25 November.
    Enola-Holmes
    Shaolin-Temple-UK
    Shaolin-Journeys

    BTW, I watched S2 of Enola and enjoyed it more than S1. Maybe I'll review it here someday...
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  3. #153
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    Matt Jane

    23:10, 09-May-2023
    The modern Shaolin, the kung fu mom and the young warrior: London's kung fu family

    Updated 19:45, 10-May-2023
    Yubin Du

    A small town just north of London might not be somewhere you would expect to find a Shaolin temple. And Matt Jane might not be your typical kung fu warrior. But the 35-year-old has established one of Europe's foremost centers for the ancient martial art.

    In Cheshunt, a town of 45,000 people a dozen miles north of London's city center, there is a Chinese-style temple for people who love practicing martial arts. The owner is Jane, a Londoner who went to China at 16 years to train for five years as a Shaolin warrior in the mountains of central China's Henan Province.

    Jane – also known as MJ, or 'The Modern Shaolin' – and his wife Chun, 'The Kung Fu Mom,' have won international renown through appearances on blockbuster TV shows such as America's Got Talent and its British equivalent.

    In addition, they have gathered millions of fans around the world through social media videos featuring jaw-dropping feats like standing on iron rods or cracking bricks on a bare head.

    "The world is so much more open given social media, and the power and wisdom of kung fu can be spread across the world," MJ tells CGTN Europe. "I'm very happy to be one of the individuals to help spread this culture, which has helped change my life and in turn can help change other people's lives too."

    The show that changed his life forever

    MJ's passion for martial arts began with movies he watched as a small child – "I had posters all over my walls of Jet Li, Jackie Chen and Bruce Lee" – but it was a non-fiction presentation that really caught his imagination.

    "It wasn't until I was 11 years old that I saw a show called The Wheel of Life, about Shaolin monks practicing kung fu," recalls MJ. "They were touring the world, and this was the first time I'd seen kung fu live on stage in front of me.

    "I saw things like finger handstands, iron bars being broken across the head, flying in acrobatic movements – things I thought were not real from the movies. And now seeing them first-hand, it gave me a dream – to become a Shaolin warrior."


    Outside the Cheshunt temple. /MJ

    At 16, having struggled through the British education system, he decided he needed a new focus in his life and traveled to China.

    "I went to a Shaolin temple where I trained and lived like a Shaolin warrior, waking up every day in the early hours of the morning, running up mountains, crawling back down on my hands and knees, doing headstands on concrete for hours and hours," he says.

    "I learned a lot about becoming an adult whilst living at the temple. The very simple, basic day-to-day routines really touched me and gave me a new insight into how life could be and essentially should be."

    Ten years after he first watched The Wheel of Life, MJ became the first and only non-Chinese Shaolin warrior to be part of the show.

    "My dream had come true, and I found myself touring the world with the Shaolin monks," he says. "It was incredible."

    The making of the kung fu family

    MJ met his future wife Chun in a restaurant in Dengfeng, Henan Province. She was immediately attracted to him – and didn't realize he had a linguistic advantage.

    "I encountered Matt when I was just 18 years old," Chun says. "I told my friend in Chinese 'He's got beautiful eyes' – but I didn't realize he understood Chinese, and his face turned red."

    The attraction was mutual, and MJ set about impressing some very important people.

    "He danced for my mom and sang for my mom – so my mom fell in love with him straightaway," Chun laughs. "He looks after my little brother like a father, and I thought 'He's very much good husband material.'"


    The family members now pass on what they have learnt. /MJ

    When she was 19, Chun discovered she was pregnant. The young couple decided to get married and move to the UK. Setting up home in Cheshunt, they started the temple to offer local youngsters martial arts classes and a taste of Chinese philosophy.

    In the same year, their son Xiao Tian was born. He grew up alongside their new venture, practicing kung fu from his first years. Now nicknamed the Young Warrior, he is the proud holder of an Official Guinness World Record for performing backward handsprings on a platform supported by his colleagues.



    The value of martial arts

    MJ teaches his students and followers not only the physical skills of kung fu but also the philosophy behind Chinese martial arts. The gestures used by warriors often have significance behind them – for instance, the greeting formed by placing one palm on the other fist, which is a call "to stop the fight."

    MJ says kung fu has helped him find happiness and a better way to live – and his mission now is to enable others to follow the same path.

    "All the virtue of martial arts is finding the perfect blend between positive and negative, yin and yang," he says. "Through meditation and physical martial arts training, you can find balance."

    In the modern world, where young people can easily become disenchanted and distracted, learning how to direct the power of mind and body can be the solution to avoiding conflict, he believes.

    "To be honest, it wasn't just about kung fu – it was a way of life which I'd never seen before," he admits. "Growing up in London, I had quite a big ego and didn't have a wide opinion of the world, because I hadn't seen much.

    "Going to China, I learned a lot about myself. Kung fu wasn't just about learning to fight. Instead, it was about learning to live."
    There's a video too...
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #154
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    Shaolin Journeys

    Exclusive: Pawan Kalyan is level-headed, calm and clear, reveals co-star Shaolin Warrior Monk Harrsh Verma
    The first Indian to be adopted into the Shaolin Temple, is currently working with Pawan Kalyan in his Telugu film debut, and he has nothing but praises about the veteran

    Written by S Devasankar Updated on Sep 08, 2023 | 08:30 PM IST | 71.9K


    Pawan Kalyan is level-headed, calm and clear, says martial artist and trainer Harsh Verma (PC: Harsh Verma Instagram and Pawan Kalyan FC)

    Pawan Kalyan is one of the biggest names when it comes to the Telugu film industry. The veteran actor’s next film is an action flick titled Hari Hara Veera Mallu, directed by Krish Jagarlamudi.

    The film also features the likes of Bobby Deol, Nargis Fakhri, Nidhi Agarwal, and the debutant actor, Harsh Verma. Verma is one of the most sought-after celebrity martial arts coaches in the country, training the likes of Vicky Kaushal, Sara Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon and more

    In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, the martial artist said that he got to be Pawan Kalyan’s martial arts trainer and action designer for the film, all thanks to Shyam Kaushal, the veteran stunt director.

    But what started off as training quickly built the bond between them, as Pawan Kalyan himself is a trained martial artist. Verma also stated what an opportunity it was to be working with the Bheemla Nayak actor, who was ecstatic to be working with India’s first shaolin warrior monk.

    Commenting about the veteran actor’s working, the shaolin warrior said that Pawan Kalyan is one of the easiest celebrities he had worked with, also stating that the actor had a profound mental balance.

    “He is just so level-headed, he is just so calm… And he is just so clear. His vision is just so straight. He is not black or white, he is just straight.” Verma said in the interview.

    Watch the full interview below:


    The martial artist also said that the Gopala Gopala was calm and composed, giving inputs when necessary, without hesitation. Above all, the thing that stood out for Harsh Verma was the fact that in spite of being such a huge star in the industry, the actor-turned-politician was so down to earth. In fact, it was Pawan Kalyan who made way for the martial artist to make his Telugu debut, when he expressed his interest in becoming an actor.

    More about the Movie

    Hari Hara Veera Mallu is in its final stages of production with one schedule still left to be shot. The final leg of shooting will begin soon, once Pawan Kalyan is done with his political commitments.

    You can even hear the entire podcast on the following channels:

    You can hear the entire podcast on our channels - Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Podcast Index, RSS community, and Listen Notes.
    Hari Hara Veera Mallu
    Shaolin-Journeys
    Harsh-Verma
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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  5. #155
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    Shi Dejian

    Shaolin pivots to a future beyond kung fu
    While mountain temple is globally famous, other cultural attractions are also gaining foothold
    By Wu Yanbo in Dengfeng, Henan | China Daily | Updated: 2024-03-19 06:26

    The heads of the St. Petersburg Shaolin Culture Center practice their moves in the Russian city. [Photo provided to China Daily]

    Fourteen years ago, Australian cancer sufferer David Ian Burn visited Songshan Mountain in Henan province to learn Zen techniques to try and improve his chances of beating the disease.

    While the area is famous around the world for Shaolin Kung Fu, it is also becoming known for other cultural aspects including Chan Wu Yi, which combines Zen meditation, kung fu and traditional Chinese medicine, and has been promoted by Master Shi Dejian for 30 years.

    In 2010, Burn stayed for two weeks on the steep mountain and learned about Chan Wu Yi from the master.

    "This time was really important to my recovery," said the Australian, now aged 72. "His (Shi Dejian's) counsel and support enabled me to go into the hospital well-prepared, confident and relaxed. He also provided me with some herbal medicine, which was very useful to me after the surgery."

    Since then, Burn has continued to live as a vegetarian, and still practices Chan Wu Yi.

    "Practicing internal cultivation has become a normal part of our lives, and it can be said that Chan Wu Yi is our basic way of life. I am grateful for the connection with the masters and their continuous kindness," he said, adding that he is writing a book to provide an understanding of Chan Wu Yi culture to more Westerners.

    Stretching from east to west for over 60 kilometers, Songshan Mountain is eulogized in folklore as the "origin of all mountains "and according to ancient script has "72 peaks on the mountains and 72 temples below".

    Its spectacular, well-preserved angular rock shapes were formed by three violent movements in the earth's crust, the most recent 570 million years ago, when the Himalayas and the entire Qinling Range were submerged under the sea.

    However, it is the 1,529-year-old Shaolin Temple, nestled in a mountain forest near Dengfeng, and its style of kung fu that has left the biggest impression on the world. Today, 162 Shaolin cultural centers have been established in over 50 countries and regions, while the Shaolin Temple attracts nearly 7 million Chinese and international tourists and martial arts enthusiasts every year.


    A view of Songshan Buddhist Academy in Henan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

    But located 8 km from the temple is Songshan Buddhist Academy, the main practice center for Chan Wu Yi. Chan means Zen, Wu means kung fu, while Yi means medicine.

    In 1994, Master Shi Dejian, under the guidance of his mentor, initiated the restoration of the academy's dilapidated buildings to help promote Chan Wu Yi. Eleven years later, the Songshan Chan Wu Yi Research Institute was established near Songshan Buddhist Academy, with Shi Dejian serving as its director.

    Shi Xingjia, a disciple of Shi Dejian, said the institute also operates an official website to provide free public education on Chan Wu Yi culture, which has attracted nearly 1 million followers.

    Chen Ruiyan, a professor and clinical psychologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who specializes in the brain and nervous system, is one of Master Shi Dejian's disciples. She has set up a research team that has found indications that practicing dan tian breathing enhances brain function, and eases emotional, sleep and gastrointestinal problems.

    "The practice of dan tian breathing is the foundation of Songshan internal cultivation, the basic method of Shaolin Chan practice, and is also a good way to improve people's psychological and physical condition," Chen said.

    She has been practicing Chan Wu Yi for over 10 years, and her research results have been published in several international academic journals. Chen has also written two books on the subject — The Way of Mind Peace and Dejian Mind-Body Therapy.

    Songshan Buddhist Academy has established an ecological health culture base at Lingnan Chan Temple in Luhe county, Shanwei, Guangdong province, to provide information on Chan Wu Yi culture to the public.


    A performer demonstrates moves at the Shaolin Zen Music Ritual performance. [Photo by Lu Ping/China Daily]

    Largest live stage

    Every evening from late February to early December, in Daixiangou, 7 km from Shaolin Temple, a large-scale live-action performance captivates thousands of tourists from home and abroad.

    The Shaolin Zen Music Ritual performance takes place deep in a canyon surrounded by slopes, streams, waterfalls, bridges, boulders, trees and temples.

    The performance area covers nearly 3 square km — with the highest point 1,400 meters above sea level — making it one of the largest live stages in the world. The audience members sit on 3,000 cushions provided for them.

    The show mainly focuses on Shaolin history, culture and martial arts, and incorporates traditional Chinese music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Eighty-eight traditional zithers are used in the show and nearly 600 martial artists participate. The performance depicts the seasonal changes of spring, summer, autumn and winter, to the accompaniment of Buddhist music.

    "We need to find a new way to showcase the charm of Songshan Mountain to the world, breaking away from the monotonous tourism concept of 'climbing mountains and visiting temples'," said Zhou Dingjun, the deputy general manager of the show.

    Most of the performers are students from martial arts schools and professional dancers from art schools, along with some local theater troupes and part-time actors.
    continued next post
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  6. #156
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    Continued from previous post


    Two students practice martial arts at Chanxinju Homestay. [Photo by Lu Ping/China Daily]

    Homestay havens

    In Yangjiamen village, 5 km from Shaolin Temple, residential courtyards with old brick and mud walls, small bridges, flowing water, and scattered rocks, trees and fields create a picturesque rural landscape.

    In 2018, Yangjiamen was listed in the fifth group of China's traditional villages.

    Much of the village is now Chanxinju Homestay, or Zen Mind Homestay. Chanxinju has established a traditional cultural study center that integrates food and lodging, Shaolin Kung Fu and a rural lifestyle. It has also co-founded the Qingnong School (Songshan Mountain) Rural Development Research Institute in conjunction with Tsinghua University.

    Liu Shaoli, manager of Chanxinju, said before 2011 it was a desolate and abandoned village. Due to its location in a hollow of the mountain and inconvenient transportation access, the villagers had gradually moved out and left behind the dilapidated old buildings.

    The founder of Chanxinju, Lu Hailong, is from a rural family in Liyang, Jiangsu. Lu spent over 10 years repairing the old village houses with the idea of preserving the past for future generations to enjoy.


    Two students practice martial arts at Chanxinju Homestay. [Photo by Lu Ping/China Daily]

    The first completed courtyard, Chongshan Academy, began operations in 2014, offering enrollments to students from Lu's martial arts school and organizing a series of traditional cultural experience courses and summer and winter study programs. The renovated buildings opened in 2018, with 13 guest rooms for visitors.

    "The interiors feature simple Zen-style modern facilities, along with a vegetarian restaurant, a cafe, and a camping and barbecue area, attracting many young people from nearby cities such as Zhengzhou and Luoyang to visit, take photos, experience nature, and enjoy the quiet and old-style rural life," said Liu, the manager.

    Historically, the village was an important stop on the way to Shaolin Temple and Luoyang, she added. "The village has a long history, and there are many ancient trees and buildings around it worth exploring. It is even more beautiful on rainy days when the mountain villages are shrouded in clouds, it's like a fairyland," Liu said.

    During long holidays like Spring Festival, Chanxinju receives many tourists from across the country. Every summer, Lu Hailong's foreign martial arts disciples bring their friends who love Shaolin Kung Fu to study in the village, said the founder.


    [Photo by Lu Ping/China Daily]

    Russian disciples

    While changes are happening on the ground, Shaolin culture is also strengthening its foothold overseas.

    In January, Russian Oleg Gizatullin, or Shi Yanfu by his monastic name, returned to Shaolin Temple to participate in a Shaolin Kung Fu examination. The 56-year-old has practiced kung fu for more than 30 years.

    Gizatullin was accompanied by his 36-year-old wife Svetlana Vsemirnova, or Shi Yanbin, who has practiced Shaolin Kung Fu for 13 years. The pair have established the St. Petersburg Shaolin Culture Center at a sports school in St. Petersburg, which currently has over 30 students.

    "Every morning we practice Shaolin Kung Fu by the banks of the Volga River, starting with qigong and meditation," Gizatullin said.

    Vsemirnova, who spent four years studying at the Harbin Institute of Technology and is fluent in Chinese, said Shaolin Kung Fu culture has helped her spiritual cultivation. She said everyone encounters different issues and finds their own way to heal themselves.

    "Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, practicing qigong regularly has been greatly beneficial in improving our lung and heart functions, enhancing our immunity and alleviating anxiety caused by the pandemic," Vsemirnova said.

    "Now, every friend around us has been influenced by Shaolin culture. They come to us for help when facing problems, and we teach them qigong to relieve depression and stress, promoting self-cultivation."

    She said she hoped to eventually live in Dengfeng for a lengthy period and further her studies of Shaolin culture.
    I reported on Shi Dejian in our May+June 2005 issue cover story: Shaolin Trinity: Shaolin Monk Shi Dejian Discusses the 3 Treasures

    Shaolin-Journeys
    may-june-05
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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