Guandu Shaolin Temple

[ShaolinDan]

For those of you who don't know, the Guandu Shaolin Temple is a new-ish (2008) project by Shaolin. Guandu is an 'Old Town' on the edge of Kunming, capital of Yunan Province in China.

As of 2008, Shaolin has taken over the management of a cluster of four temples there, now known collectively as The Guandu Shaolin Temple.

Though there is already some discussion of the temple on other threads, I'd like to dedicate this thread to any further discussion of the temple.

I am currently living in Kunming and training at the Guandu Shaolin Temple, so if any of you have any questions please ask. Hopefully I can be of service.

[ShaolinDan]

There has currently been some discussion of the Guandu Shaolin temple on the thread entitled "Economic State of Shaolin Temple Today" : http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/foru...t=42957&page=4
And on my thread about living in Kunming, "In Kunming" : http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/foru...ad.php?t=64408

[ShaolinDan]

There is also an article about the Guandu Shaolin Temples in the current May/June Shaolin Special, "Shaolin in Spring City." This article includes an interview with Shi Yanbei who is heading the project. http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/maga...p?article=1088

And there is also an ezine article I wrote about my personal experiences training at the temple, entitled "The Shaolin Temple You've Never Heard Of," here: http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezin...p?article=1092

[ShaolinDan]

Here are some links to other articles I have found about Guandu and the Guandu Shaolin Temple:

General Background
http://www.tour-yunnan.com/Item/826.aspx
http://www.chinakunming.travel/Show.aspx?aid=5193
http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/blog/it...les_open_today
http://www.yunnanexplorer.com/features/guandu/
http://www.gokunming.com/en/blog/ite...uandu_old_town

Shi Yongxin in Kunming
http://en.kunming.cn/index/content/2...nt_2681966.htm
http://en.kunming.cn/index/content/2...nt_2464868.htm

[ShaolinDan]

Guandu Ancient Town or Guandu Guzhen (官渡古镇) is Kunming's 'Old Town.'

For those of you who have not traveled in China, 'Old Towns' of varying size, beauty, and authenticity are common throughout China. Typically (as is the case with Guandu), the old town will be a sectioned off neighborhood of the city, blessedly free of cars (unfortunately not ebikes), consisting of old and old-style buildings. As tourist attractions you can count on an 'Old Town' to have lots of yummy food and lots of shopping, particularly small street-side venders selling local goods.

The Guandu Ancient Town is fairly small, but is pretty packed with temples, pagodas, and other old buildings. It's also a lot less expensive than downtown Kunming. For example I once had a five course dinner there (including four beers) with two local friends of mine for 85 RMB...about $13. The same meal in city center would have cost about twice as much.

Although frequented by local tourists, Guandu Ancient Town is off the map for western tourists. I've been spending one full day (early morning to evening) there a week for several months now, and have only once seen any other foreigners there (aside from the few I've brought to the temple with me).

Between the lack of cars, the lack of foreigners, and the traditional architecture, the Guandu Ancient Town feels more like the China of our period-piece-kung-fu-movie-tainted-minds than anywhere else I've been so far. Of course it doesn't hurt to have a kung fu temple there as well.

[ShaolinDan]

Here are some photographs I took in Guandu:

[Patrice]

Hi Dan,

Great you have the oppurtunity to train with Shaolin monks! I read your all your stories with a lot of intrest!!! You still around and training in Kunming at the moment? Also do you speak (little bit) Mandarin with them because thee monks come from Henan or even the local Kunming dialect?

I have a question for for you, end of next month I with my wife, son and daughter will arrive in Kunming for several weeks to visit my parents in law.They live north west of Kunming in the area Puji Rd (G108) which should be close to Guanying temple? By car about 10 minutes so I hop by bike about the same.
Could you confirm in this temple it's possible to train Shaolin or even better of you still train Shaolin how to contact the monks by email or phone to be informed? My wife like to request lessons for me and my son.

We are living in the Netherlands and our Sifu is Fei Yuliang from Nanjing (youtube performing Zui Quan or Drunken Master) and 1 of the forms we are learning for this moment is Lo-Han and Pu Chi, Bagua, Qi Gong and Thai Chi.
Before I trained in Nanjing or trained by my self in Kunming but I need a teacher for my son. He is almost 7 years old and is in training for 1,5 years.
I hope he can train every day at least 2 hours to improve his basic (nothern style) and to learn a simple form.

For the future he can return to Kunming to train Wushu but also to improve his Mandarin. If you could help would be great....!!!!
And ofcourse, if possible I like come over to watch you training. No problem to come over to another temple even when it's very early in the morning.

[ShaolinDan]

Hi Patrice,

Actually I am leaving Kunming to travel for a while tomorrow morning, then I'll be going home to the States for a while at least--maybe to stay. So, sorry, won't be able to meet with you here.

Actually the Guandu Shaolin Temples are in the Southeast of Kunming--one of them is called Guanyin Temple, but probably there is another Guanyin Temple in the Northwest that is totally unconnected to Shaolin--it's a popular name for a temple here. Maybe it will take a lot longer than ten minutes to get to Guandu for you.

The monks there are from Henan. Some of them speak Mandarin, others speak Henanhua, but they all understand Mandarin. Not the place for your son to learn perfect Beijinghua, but he'll still be practicing his Chinese all the time--no one there currently speaks more than a few words of English.

Anyway, convenient or not, if you can arrange to spend some time training at the temple, it will certainly be a worthwhile experience. The atmosphere alone is fantastic.

Your wife can write to Master Yanbei (释延贝) at shiyanbei009@163.com

If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask them here. As I will be traveling the next several weeks I may be a little slow to answer, but I'll do my best.

Good luck and enjoy your visit to Kunming!

[Patrice]

Thanks for your reply!!! A pitty you will leave today but I hope you enjoyed the time in Kunming and your trip in China before to return to the States.
Ofcourse, when you will visit the Netherlands feel free to contact me.

We will contact the shaolin monk to ask what is possible to arrange some training. Otherwise we need to search again.
There is park close to our appartement and a lot of people are training Thai Chi so maybe we can find a Shifu.

I will post our experience and some photo's of Kunming in time. Maybe other people like to visit Kunming and to train with the monks. It's a very beautifull city and area, nice food (spicy,) culture and after all the best weather conditions of China!

[ShaolinDan]

Thanks Patrice. Good luck. Love to hear how things go for you.