Shaolin Temple Documentaries

[Jingwu Man]

****, the "Iron head" guy in the "raiders of the lost kung fu" was brutal!
He's not going to last long doing that!
And the fight club! Thats the first I've seen of that documentary. Crazy!
Thanks a lot.

[GeneChing]

...or did it?

There was also the Human Weapon episode (which I still haven't seen )

Next week, there's the premiere Fight Quest episode.
WUSHU; SANDA
Location: Dengfeng, China
Masters: Shi DeYang/Shi De Cheng
Features: Hands, Feet, smashing things
Premiere: Dec. 28, 2007

[GeneChing]

Extreme Pilgrim
Fri 4 Jan, 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm 60mins
1/3. China: The Mountain

Peter Owen Jones has been a vicar in the Church of England for 14 years. He has three parishes in the beautiful Sussex Downs, and is happy with his rural ministry. But Peter feels that spirituality - a closeness to God - is almost absent from religious life in the UK. In a series of three tough, physical journeys to the extremes of world religions he seeks to discover and experience spiritual enlightenment for himself.

The Chan Buddhist monks of the mountains of central China practice a form of Buddhism in which enlightenment is achieved by extreme physical and mental disciplines. Prayer books and scriptures are thrown away in favour of extended meditation and martial arts moves of astonishing complexity. When Pete arrives at the world famous Shaolin monastery he has to start from scratch, enduring a painful and rigorous regime of Kung Fu training that leaves him writhing in agony. And in a China that is developing rapidly the monastery has become a tourist trap. Pete knows there is another centre for this kind of training run by a mysterious monk - Shi di Jiang, deep in the Song Shan mountains. Here, with guidance from the master, Pete learns to empty his mind and achieve enlightenment through a series of simple disciplines, whilst learning about love and the meaning of non-attachment from the monks and a 76-year-old nun.

I'm told this is sort of the spiritual version of Human Weapon/Fight Quest. I did some consulting on this project (should get a credit) and the producers are sending me a copy. For you in the UK, it's on this Friday at 9.00 p.m. on BBC 2 - we'd love to hear more about it.

[LFJ]

Hi, I'm new to the forum.

I have a BBC documentary about Shaolin that was aired several years ago, that I was lucky enough to tape, as it has never been repeated or made commercially available (probably locked away in the BBC archives). The basic idea being to look at how the age-old traditions of Shaolin is facing up to the challenge of modern China... the old Religion vs. Mammon debate etc etc. Running time 50 minutes (no commercial breaks).

Anyway, the documentary focuses on the handsome & charismatic Shaolin senior monk, De Yang.

We see De Yang teaching & demonstrating kung fu with his students (and chastising them gently for getting their moves wrong), doing his routine early morning physical exercises, going about his religious activities, accepting a young novice monk as his formal disciple in an initiation ceremony, visitors bowing to him on their knees in awe (he very humbly tells them to stand up), etc etc.

There is also an interview section with him (English subtitles) - he talks about how quick the pace of modern life is, how he can channel chi energy to makes his arm rock hard (he demonstrates this), how he became a Shaolin monk, how he was taught kungfu by his teacher [Su Xi] - he laughingly recalls how his teacher was very strict with him and would whack him if he wasn't up to scratch.

The documentary finishes with him performing the ?Xiao Hongquan routine among the stupa forest of Shaolin. Totally awesome.

I'll dig it out and try to post some stills of him from it.

where is this chuckster guy? he's got to upload this.

[Su Lin]

Extreme Pilgrim.

I watched this in the UK last night and it was good,though don't expect to learn anything new. The English Vicar seems somewhat disillusioned with his faith and seeks to find new meaning and examine other religions than Christianity.
He arrives at Shaolin and stays at one of the big schools outside to train for a couple of weeks. It's the old story of unfit guy going to train, finding it tough and throwing up ,proclaiming how hard it is etc.

After a few days he gets to visit the Temple and is assigned one of the fighting monks. He is hoping to try and see the relationship between Buddhism and kung fu, but finds it really hard to see the connection. After a while he comes to realise that Shaolin is almost a theme park and a huge brand and seems somewhat disillusioned. I must say though, at this point I knew he was trying too hard to see the links, trying to find something that wasn't there almost.

He hears of Di Yang (sp) and heads out to the mountains to see if his training will enable him to gain any enlightenment. It is here he undergoes his most significant realisation and comes to realise that the relationship between Buddhism, meditation and practising physically is relatively simple. After we see Di Yang training on a roof overlooking a huge drop and the Vicar and Di Yang training in a karate kid-esque "wax on wax off" session with a mop, the vicar understands the point and begins to value his time there.

He comes to realise that in the West ,in particular Christians, cling to the notion of God, rather than letting go . There are 2 elderly nuns there (who incidentally are terrifying) and one is asked the question about the notion of love and letting go, about loving family and she explains the Buddhist notion of all the love being joined together for everyone, essentially the idea of loving kindness.

By the end of the programme he honestly seems like a transformed man.After his disillusionment with Christianity, then with Shaolin and the temple,it is in the remote mountains that he learns the idea of friendship, love, trust and,perhaps most fundamentally, the strong link between practising kung fu and the idea of meditation.

I enjoyed it anyway.

[banditshaw]

Sounds like an interesting episode. Hope it comes on BBC America at some point.

[Cimaroon]

Where can one find these docs? WHere to order from?

[Su Lin]

Not sure where you are based but the one I reviewed (Extreme Pilgrim) is available here for the next few days www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer .Not sure if it is available world wide

[mad4dos]

can some one please direct me to where i can get a copy of
the doc Abbot Hai Teng Of Shaolin
the only one i can find is a secondhand VHS on
amazon for $79.99!!!!


mad4dos ..

[doug maverick]

are you serious i bought that thing for like five bucks in harlem.

[sha0lin1]

There is a new documentary on National Geographic channel on Shaolin Temple. It is called Kung Fu Temple and is about how Shaolin is coping with modern times. It was pretty interesting. You can find it if you have the National Geographic On Demand Channel.

[GeneChing]

On the Comcast site I can find:

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple
National Geographic Channel HD
Go behind the scenes at the legendary Shaolin Temple to see how a new generation of warrior monks is adapting a 1500-year-old tradition to the 21st century.

...but I can't find it on the National Geographic Channel site.

BTW, I'll add that I enjoyed Extreme Pilgrim, despite the fact that they didn't give me a promised credit on the broadcast (although I didn't do much for them but give them a little advice). AT least they comped me a DVD. Jones studies in Shaolin Temple, at Taguo, and with Shi Dejian.

[sha0lin1]

On the Comcast site I can find:

...but I can't find it on the National Geographic Channel site.

BTW, I'll add that I enjoyed Extreme Pilgrim, despite the fact that they didn't give me a promised credit on the broadcast (although I didn't do much for them but give them a little advice). AT least they comped me a DVD. Jones studies in Shaolin Temple, at Taguo, and with Shi Dejian.

Thats it Gene. On Time Warner they shortened the title a little.

[GeneChing]

Pop "Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple" into Google and this thread comes out on top. That's what a National Geographic Channel programs promoter did. They sent me this press release which I'll share for free. After all, a certain NG photographer has done a lot for us (although I'm not sure he was involved in this project).

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple
Thursday, December 18 at 10pm ET/PT
http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...fu-temple-3627

The Shaolin Temple in rural China gave birth to one of the greatest martial art forms: kung fu. For over a thousand years, the warriors of Shaolin have defended the temple with carefully crafted skills of self-defense. But now, Shaolin may be experiencing one of its hardest battles: maintaining a traditional temple while grappling with the 21stcentury. Watch as young kung fu students balance their piercing physical regimen with the shrewd rules of the business world. As the ancient temple transforms itself into one of China's hot tourist destinations, what will happen to the cherished tradition?

Below is the full press release about the program. Also, here's a preview video "Kung Fu Dream" from Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple, in which we see a glimpse into the world of kung fu novices at the Shaolin Temple, whose dream of worldwide acclaim drives them to dedicate their lives to the art: http://channel.nationalgeographic.co...title=06199_00

ANCIENT TRADITIONS CLASH WITH THE 21ST CENTURY IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL'S SECRETS OF THE KUNG FU TEMPLE
Rural China's Famous Kung Fu Temple Must Decide if It Can Honor the Past and Embrace the Future

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple Premieres Thursday, December 18, 2008, at 10 PM ET/PT

(WASHINGTON, D.C. — DECEMBER 8, 2008) Shaolin Temple in rural China is the birthplace of kung fu and home to Zen Buddhism. Over centuries of turbulent history, the temple has been destroyed and reconstructed, with varying degrees of success. While it has survived challenges ranging from the Cultural Revolution to battling warlords, the temple has never lost sight of its true essence: mastering martial arts and honoring deep-rooted traditions. However, the hardest battle of all still remains: maintaining tradition in the chaotic rage of a 21st century world.

Premiering Thursday, December 18, 2008, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, National Geographic Channel's (NGC) Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple takes viewers inside the 1,500-year-old monastery known for training the best warrior monks in the world. We meet novice monks, hand-picked from kung fu schools across China, and see what it takes for these boys to become master fighters. We also see how Shaolin is adapting to the 21st century and transitioning into a tourist attraction complete with entrance fees, monk-blessed souvenirs and commercialized excursions. The generation gap between the older, traditional monks and their younger, Hollywood-dreaming students is wider than ever — or is it?

Head Abbot Shi Yong Xin may wear a saffron robe instead of a business suit, but with cell phone in hand, he is constantly working to take Shaolin Temple to the next commercial level. Xin functions as a brand manager for the temple's multimillion-dollar business ventures and is shrewdly expanding its reach with schools in the United States and Europe, while building global portfolios in property, media, tourism and health care investments. "I believe if our first teacher, master Bodhidharma, were alive today, he would have done the same to adapt to today's society," comments Xin.

Despite the modern commercialism, Shaolin kung fu masters work hard to maintain the ancient integrity and techniques of their art, which include more than 700 movements and a disciplined connection between mind, body and spirituality.

Kung fu literally means "hard work." Over five hours a day, 365 days a year, the monks train with a very strict regimen. For these novice monks, Shaolin could be their chance to get out of the poverty and isolation of rural China. By traveling the world displaying their kung fu mastery, the best at Shaolin may very well strike stardom.

Meet Yan Xiu, the instructor and expert warrior who uses drill sergeant techniques to work his students, while his 60-year-old colleague Shi Yong Qian offers the students his deep knowledge of meditation and Zen. You'll also meet Zhou Jinbo and Luo Zhenzhong, two student monks competing to be among the top kung fu fighters in the world. We get an inside look as these students tackle extraordinary acts of strength, grace and flexibility not commonly seen in the West, such as breaking metal bars with their skulls by standing on their heads for 30 minutes each day.

And we see how one man, a Belgian choreographer, attempts to mix traditional kung fu at Shaolin Temple with modern dance movements. Watch as he tries to transform these traditional kung fu warriors into world-class performers for the London stage. Will the head monk approve of this modernization of traditional kung fu?

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple takes a glimpse at the incredible art of kung fu as it intersects with the disorienting tides of the 21st century.

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple is produced for the National Geographic Channel by Natural History New Zealand Limited (NHNZ). For NHNZ, the executive in charge of production is Michael Stedman, executive producer is Andrew Waterworth, supervising producer is Steven R. Talley, producer is Kyle Murdoch, director and camera is Mike Single and editor is Christopher Tegg. For the National Geographic Channel, executive Producer is Noah Morowitz, senior vice president of special programming is Michael Cascio, and executive vice president of content is Steve Burns.

For more information visit http://www.natgeotv.com/kungfu.

# # #

National Geographic Channel

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high-definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 68 million homes. For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com.

[GeneChing]

It's a gorgeous documentary - spectacular time lapse filming, dramatic slow motion of traditional and modern forms. You'd expect no less from National Geographic. I would love to get access to the cutting room floor footage, because there are a lot of scenes of monks executing traditional forms in the doc, but only short cuts. Surely they filmed the entire form and and then edited it down. Only Shaolin practitioners would want to watch the entire form. For the sake of a popular audience, just the short clip will do. But man, the complete forms filmed so professionally in HD - what a treasure!

I couldn't be more pleased about the timing of this release, of course, since our Shaolin Special is on the newsstands now.

As for the content of the documentary, it dwells a bit too much on the biaoyenseng, the performance monks. Much of the drama is focused upon two story arcs: a new Shaolin show for London getting approval of the Abbot (touted as the first East West collaboration for Shaolin, which may be true if you factor in the Abbot, but we all remember Alonzo King's work, which we covered in our 2007 November/December issue) and two young initiates trying to make the A demo team. I'm sure the "Shaolin just actors" contingent will have a field day with that direction, which is all the more reason proponents on both side of the Shaolin debate should see this - it definitely fuels that debate. Abbot Yongxin is portrayed in a generally positive light. I still have yet to see The Abbot CEO of Shaolin, but I imagine SofKFT is similar in it's treatment of the Abbot. There's a moment when Abbot Yongxin bows down to the stupa of Venerable Shi Suxi (which we addressed in United Nations, Divided Shaolin: Clearing Shaolin Valley and the Relocation of Shaolin Village in our 2003 November/December issue.) Suxi is referred to as Yongxin's predecessor as abbot, but we know that wasn't quite the case. There are other odd comments in the narration, like one that implies that wushu weapons are light because the monks abstain from killing. And Jet Li's debut film Shaolin Temple is referenced, but the scene shown is not from Shaolin Temple. I'm not sure what it's from. I'm having a hard time placing it and I know I've seen all Jet's films. Hopefully one of you can remember for me because it's really bothering me. That being all said, as someone who studies Shaolin intensely, I can see some research errors, but I'll probably be one of the only ones.

I highly recommend seeing this one. After it debuts next week, I hope we can all discuss it further here.