Kung fu master leaves ancient Chinese temple for Costa Mesa
Shi Yanqing is the only Shaolin master in Orange County.
Master Shi Yanqing lived and trained in China's ancient Shaolin Temple for 17 years moving to Orange County last year and opening a Costa Mesa kung fu studio in September. He is a master at the the bare-hand and sword-wielding forms of the ancient Shaolin drunken combat style.
COURTESY OF SHI YANQING
By JORDAN GRAHAM / STAFF WRITER
Published: Dec. 4, 2014 Updated: 4:23 p.m.
Orange County Shaolin Temple Cultural Center
Where: 375 Bristol St. No. 45, Costa Mesa
Schedule: Classes offered seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., including adult sparring, adult self defense, kids kung fu, tai chi, Shaolin qigong and meditation and free lessons in Chinese language and Shaolin culture.
Contact: 949-701-8810 or
shaolinyq@gmail.com
About the culture
In A.D. 464, the Indian Buddhist monk Batuo traveled to China to teach the religion. Thirty-one years later, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty built a small Shaolin Temple for the monk, locating it on the sacred Mount Song, where Batuo liked to meditate.
Legend tells that in A.D. 526, another Indian monk, Bodhidharma, arrived at the temple and discovered the monks had become weak and unhealthy from their lengthy meditations. In response, Bodhidharma developed Shaolin kung fu to strengthen the monks' bodies. Paired with Chan Buddhism, it forms the basis of Shaolin culture.
Since then, Shaolin kung fu has expanded to include 708 series of movements (ranging form grappling to disjointing), 72 unique skill sets and 193 weapons series (for spears, staffs, swords and broadswords).
The Shaolin philosophy of improving general wellbeing also extends to herbal medicine and fine art.
Source: Shaolin Temple website
Like many kids growing up the early ’90s, Master Shi Yanqing watched Jet Li movies and dreamed of being a hero.
Unlike most of those kids, Yanqing lived only 170 miles from the 1,519-year-old Shaolin Temple, where Buddhist monks have practiced a meditative version of kung fu for centuries.
By age 12, Yanqing moved away from his family and joined the temple in the pursuit of becoming a Shaolin kung fu master.
Nineteen years later, Yanqing, 31, said he is one of only 600 Shaolin masters in the world – and the only one in Orange County.
After winning a kung fu world championship tournament and mastering both the bare-hand and sword-wielding forms of the ancient Shaolin drunken combat style, Yanqing opened the Orange County Shaolin Temple Cultural Center – a Costa Mesa kung fu studio – in September. In doing so, he completed the first step of a mission he was assigned by Shaolin Temple Abbot Shi Yongxin: to improve Americans’ well-being by spreading the Shaolin discipline stateside.
Yanqing recently spoke through a translator about his love for kung fu, his growth into Buddhism and what it is like to venture into Southern California after 17 years of living and training in an ancient temple.
Q. How did you come to kung fu and the Shaolin Temple?
A. My parents had a retail store, selling chemicals and supplies to farmers in the village of Handan, in Hebei province. In China, kung fu is very popular in a few cities and provinces, including my hometown, and I started to have interest in it when I was 8 years old.
I insisted to my parents that I wanted to learn it. I read kung fu books and saw kung fu movies, watching Jet Li, Yu Chenghui (a famous Chinese actor and martial artist). That’s all I wanted. I wanted to be a hero.
I went to the Shaolin Temple at age 12. To be accepted by the temple, you have to be very moral – a good person and good at kung fu. You don’t have bad habits. You have to treat your parents well. At that time, my master was Shan Duo Duao. I learned with him a couple of years, and he introduced me to the temple.
I ended up staying there for 17 years and would return home only once every five years. My parents wanted to see me sometimes, but I did not miss my family because I was used to it. In China, people say, if you are a good boy, you can go anywhere. You should not just stay home. As a man, you should leave your family earlier. Then, you can be more solid, more independent. The simple life will make you have a better moral center. The quiet lifestyle will nurture your heart.
Q. What was life like in the Shaolin Temple?
A. A lot of routine. It is a religion. I got up at 5 a.m. every day. At 5:30, I prayed. At 6:30, I ate. Then school and Buddhist teachings for four hours. Then lunch and an hour nap, followed by five hours of kung fu lessons.
You would practice kung fu by yourself a lot. Everybody would practice what you choose. If you like broadsword, then you do that. My specialty is drunken fist, drunken sword and drunken stick (a fighting style that mimics the movements of a drunken person). It was difficult. You need your body to be totally loose and flexible but still powerful when you need to be.
At the beginning, it was kung fu that attracted me to the Shaolin Temple. Later, I learned Buddhist concepts. I learned that you have to have love for all the people in this world. The concept made me see something very, very big. After five years in the temple, I felt that I wanted to become a monk.
At a young age, we liked kung fu because we wanted to win something. Later, we learned Buddhist concepts and winning was not important. Winning is something outside. It is not inside of things. I changed a lot and got inner peace. Winning and losing were not important anymore. I was trying to meditate myself to ensure I had an unchangeable heart and a stable mind. So no matter what happens outside, I could always be at peace.
Q. How did you end up in Orange County?
A. I am here to represent Shaolin Temple. Shaolin monks travel to many countries. The master trusted me and authorized me with this honor. We moved to Irvine last year. Before that, I was the world champion at a Korean international kung fu competition, and I saved money from my tournaments and performances to help open this Costa Mesa studio.
But now, I am not a monk. For my whole life, I will be a Buddhist, but to be a monk is a lifestyle change, and you cannot do 200 forbidden things. My master sent me here to promote culture, and being a monk would make that difficult. Monks cannot do business. Sometimes, you go out to talk business, and people offer you a little wine. But monks cannot drink any alcohol. Sometimes you try not to hurt someone by telling a kind lie. But monks cannot lie.
Q. What do you hope to accomplish here?
A. I hope for all of America to have a new lifestyle by practicing kung fu and meditation. To make them healthier. That’s how our concept benefits people. Physical health by practicing kung fu. Inner peace by balancing the mind through meditation. Shaolin monks use meditation to strengthen their internal energy. After you practice meditation, you will not feel tired during kung fu.
So far, we have 30 students and growing. The difference between American and Chinese kung fu students is very big. The kids here, most of them just want to exercise and have fun, and they don’t study as hard. But in China, those kids really love kung fu and make the effort. But we do have a few kids here who really like it and want to be good. We don’t teach ethics, but I put the (Buddhist) concepts into the lessons sometimes: to strive for greatness, awareness, braveness, effort and equality.
I felt like I had a responsibility to promote the Shaolin culture. There is a fear it will die out. Human beings already have too much in this world. We own almost everything. We have had enough. Sometimes, we really need some development of the spirit.
Q. What is it like to go from living in a 1,519-year-old temple to living in Irvine and teaching in Costa Mesa?
A. It’s hard to communicate. My English is not good, but I’m learning.
Sometimes I feel uncomfortable here, and the big cities have too much technology. People also carry guns too easily, which scares me, even though I know kung fu.
But the American lifestyle is simple. I like that. Sometimes it’s quieter. I like traditional American culture. I love old Western towns. I watched cowboy movies and would love to go to visit those smaller villages. I like small villages and would like to experience them. Especially places with historical things. I like the feeling of experiencing older things.
Q. Do you hope to settle in America or return to the temple one day?
A. Just follow the heart. Wait and see.
Contact the writer: 714-796-7960 or
jgraham@ocregister.com
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