Shaolin Special 2009

[richard sloan]

practice does make perfect.

but how did they know what to practice, if it didn't exist, according to your ignorant statement.

yep.

LOL!!! Photoshop was created when? Next you will tell me we should wear aluminum hats to stop the mind rays.

[SimonM]

He probably will...

This is Uki after all.

BTW: Said this over on the review thread but this was a great issue. One of the best in a long while. And I stand by my opinion that Kung Fu Magazine is, on average, the best martial arts magazine on the newsstands so that's saying something.

[GeneChing]

Don't get me wrong. There are definitely 'actors' in monk robes around Shaolin. But not all of them are actors. In fact, it's only a very few. Unfortunately, these are the few that everyone sees. They are the performer monks. There's even a term for this class of monk - biaoyanseng. Most people are only exposed to biaoyanseng because all they know of Shaolin is what they see on TV or at live shows. Even if they go to Shaolin and take a few lessons, unless they have a connection (guanxi), they'll probably get a biaoyanseng. Few schools are willing to invest their top teachers for nibbler tourists that are only taking a few lessons. I'm getting the feeling that this is shifting a little, but not a lot.

There are all sorts of challenges - those of mouth and those of deed. Who is more insecure?

[SimonM]

Everything in China is about who you know.

When I went to Longquan I was able to quickly get access to good swords (rather than the tourist crap most vendors sell) by walking and talking and glad-handing.

Likewise somebody seeking a Shaolin connection would be well advised to walk, to talk and to ask locals for their opinions.

And get a plurality of opinions.

And use that for further research.

China is a great place to be if you can communicate. Therein lies the catch.

[Lucas]

uki, that's almost a sig worthy quote. Thanks. Too bad I don't do sig quotes now.

Lucas, you're the second villain that rushes to attack the hero, between the first villain and the third. Your line is "Arrgh! Owww..." and you bleed a lot.

cool, im good at bleeding. im probably a better villain than a hero any ways. but i think i could roll a darn fine vigilante.


"ARRRGHHH!!!!!!......OWWWWW!!!!!"""

Time to retire to my sewer stronghold. i have tea with the rat king down there.

[GeneChing]

Believe it or not, I first learned the fine art of guanxi from Matt Polly. It's actually a venerated tradition in Chinese culture. I think that's a major part of the problem with westerners studying martial arts, not just at Shaolin, but across the board. They don't understand the culture of guanxi. They interpret it as bribes. To understand it, you need to understand the nature of China. you need to understand why the national symbol is a dragon - a combination of nine different mascot totems. China is an amalgamation of warring tribes. That's quite different than America's system of United States. It's more like feudal war. You can still feel that in the clan systems in martial arts. Guanxi can be interpreted as a way for feuding clans to communicate peacefully. It's all about trade.

[SimonM]

I think you hit on another important aspect of Chinese traditional culture: mercantilism.

Most peasants were traditionally small-hold landowners back in the day. They traded goods locally to merchants (and paid taxes to feudal lords) who in turn traded trans-regionally.

Compare this to Europe where the peasants were mostly serfs - very nearly property of their local feudal lord during the same basic timeframe.

China invented paper money and modern banking. It is a very merchantile place.

It is also, as Gene said, a very clannish place; with clans frequently forming blocs for the purpose of trade. These blocs later expanded into things like the Shanxi Merchant's Guild of the Qing dynasty.

In the hinterlands China is very much unchanged today. The people who live in my wife's hometown can mostly trace their family trees back into the mists of history without leaving that valley!

So when an outsider (not-family / not-community-member) wants to enter into a relationship of trust with somebody the two paths are 1) through reciprocal action - guanxi - which frequently takes on a monetary character and 2) through earning acceptance into the in-community group.

The first is the basis of guanxi in all it's forms from benign flattery, wining and dining all the way to out-right systemic corruption which is presently becoming very problematic in China.

The second is indicated by situations such as brought up in the one article in the most recent issue of the magazine about Dr Yang and the YMAA retreat center.

[uki]

There are all sorts of challenges - those of mouth and those of deed.

there is no challenge.

Who is more insecure?

those who believe there is...

[David Jamieson]

"accepted" cultural idioms doesn't equate to "good" or even "correct".

[SimonM]

Idioms?

You take umbrage at the term "eating bitter"?

I'm sorry but your statement does not follow.

[Songshan]

there is no challenge

....but there is. A challenge doesn't have to be a physical one. A challenge can be a wanted explanantion, justification or even contesting something.

[uki]

....but there is. A challenge doesn't have to be a physical one. A challenge can be a wanted explanantion, justification or even contesting something.

yet is that truly a challenge? i see only solutions, not the problem... if you sidestep the problem, you can focus on the solution.

[Kansuke]

I think that's a major part of the problem with westerners studying martial arts, not just at Shaolin, but across the board. They don't understand the culture of guanxi. .

That's a very good point!

[Songshan]

I enjoyed the issue! My favorite articles were the traditional shaolin stance training by Walter Gjergja, the interview of the abbot and the temple & the auto shop (interesting how a shaolin school just blossoms in a busy California store front )

Gene keep the shaolin specials coming!!

[uki]

what abbot, where?