In 2004, KungFuMagazine.com Publisher Gene Ching began his series of Shaolin Trips essays with Shaolin Trips - Episode One: Open Two Doors. The series ran until 2010 with the eleventh and final installment, Shaolin Trips - Episode One: Flashback, which was published after Gene released his book Shaolin Trips and his accompanying documentary video, Shaolin Trips: The First World Traditional Wushu Festival. The book and video compiled his Shaolin Trips essays along with his Shaolin research from Kung Fu Tai Chi along with additional material. Now, Gene is reviving his Shaolin Trips series for the impending visit of the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, Venerable Shi Yongxin, to America next month.
Now that the pandemic has subsided, the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, Venerable Shi Yongxin, is travelling the globe again, continuing his never-ending mission to propound and promulgate the legacy of Shaolin. Just prior to this upcoming trip, the Abbot made an exploratory trip to the United States, meeting privately with several eminent Shaolin monks who have already immigrated to America, along with our own Publisher Emeritus, Gigi Oh, and the Founder, creator and CEO of Immortal Studios, Peter "Payhuan" Shiao.
Now for November 2023, the Abbot is embarking on his second visit to the United States since the pandemic subsided. And this time, it’s open to the public.
But let’s cut to the chase. What follows the Abbot’s tentative itinerary. Note that dates and events are subject to change, which I’ll discuss in successive coverage of this historic trip.
November 2-4: San Francisco Bay Area
The Abbot will be assisted by his disciple, 2012 Shaolin Special cover master, Shi Yanran, head of the Shaolin Temple USA Culture Centers in the San Francisco Bay Area and Virginia.
On Thursday, November 2nd, the Abbot is scheduled to give a talk at Meta and then will be present at a Welcome Banquet at the HL Peninsula Restaurant in Milpitas. This Meet & Greet will include a Shaolin Warrior Monk Kung Fu showcase.
On Friday, November 3rd, the Abbot will participate in the 15th Anniversary Celebration & New Facility Grand Opening in San Francisco. This will include a Buddhist Blessing Ceremony, presided by the Abbot, along with another Shaolin Warrior Monk Performance. There will be a 15th Anniversary Celebration Banquet at the Hong Kong Lounge in San Francisco that evening.
On Saturday, November 4th, the Abbot will preside over a Buddhist Prayer Ceremony at Shi Yanran’s Shaolin Temple USA Culture Center in Fremont. There will be another Shaolin Warrior Monk performance, and the Abbot will be signing his new book The Shaolin Temple Story.
For more information, see the flyer below.
November 5-9: Chandler, Arizona
From there, the Abbot is scheduled to head to the Shaolin Temple Cultural Center of Arizona under his disciple Shi Yanqing. On Sunday, the Abbot will participate in a Land Blessing Ceremony for the Red Mountain Shaolin Temple, an ambitious project to construct a temple complex in Northern Arizona.
For more information, see the links above.
November 10-12: Los Angeles
The Abbot will be assisted by his disciples, 2013 Shaolin Special cover master, Shi Yanxu, head of the Shaolin Temple Culture Center USA, Shi Yanhui and Shi Yanyi.
On Friday, November 10th, the Abbot returns to California. He’ll be in Los Angeles for the remainder of his USA visit. He will be present for another Welcoming Banquet at the Sheraton San Gabriel. There will also be a special performance by the Shaolin Temple Warrior Monks.
On Saturday, November 11, the 2023 North American Shaolin Kung Fu Games will be held at the Sheraton San Gabriel. This is the inaugural North American Games, part of an intercontinental competition series. The first Shaolin Kung Fu Games was held on June 17, 2023, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. Following this, the Asian Shaolin Kung Fu Games, the North American Shaolin Kung Fu Games, the South American Shaolin Kung Fu Games, the European Shaolin Kung Fu Games, and the Oceania Shaolin Kung Fu Games are planned. The Shaolin Champions from these competitions will be eligible for the World Shaolin Kung Fu Games finals, scheduled for 2024. It is a search for the next generation of Shaolin Kung Fu stars.
At this writing, the 2023 North American Shaolin Kung Fu Games is nearing its competitor cap. Word spread quickly through the Shaolin sangha, and competitors from all over the country are flocking to take part in this historic competition.
On Sunday, November 12th, is a special Shaolin performance and awards show held at the historic Million Dollar Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. “Immortal Shaolin: the Past, Present, and Future of Kung Fu” is a cooperative production between Shaolin Temple and Immortal Studios.
For more information on the Los Angeles events, visit Shaolin North American Association.
November 18-19: Venice, Italy
After the conclusion of the North American events, the Abbot will move on to Europe for the 2023 European Shaolin Kung Fu Games held at the Palazzo Del Turismo in Venice, Italy. The Abbot will be assisted by his disciple Shi Yankui (Giuliano Zampese) head of the Shaolin Temple Venezia. For more information, visit Shaolin Games European Competition 2023. However, this is outside of my range (unless someone wants to send me a ticket).
Another Shaolin Trip…
It’s been almost twenty years now since I’ve walked the rugged soil of Shaolin Temple. This has had a profound effect on my coverage. But it’s been somewhat of a mountain and Mohammed scenario – while I’m not Mohammed by any measure, Shaolin has been coming westward.
So why, you may ask, am I reviving Shaolin Trips for this latest Shaolin episode? It just feels right. It’s not my trip. It’s the Abbot’s trip.
Nonetheless, preparation for the Abbot’s visit has already been a trip for me. It’s been in the works for several months now. For me personally, it began with a weekend I spent with Payhuan Shiao at one of the biggest fan gatherings in the nation. In The Kung Fu of Comic Cons – San Diego Comic-Con 2023, I teased this beginning of this project at the end of that report. And it’s gone through many permutations since then, including a date change that almost derailed me. But being a Shaolin disciple, I am here for it.
I’m delighted to revisit my Shaolin Trips blogs once more. After I finished my book Shaolin Trips, I shifted my essays to focus more upon the practice. My successive series, Shaolin Ways, were all themed upon specific forms of Shaolin Kung Fu. My first installment was Shaolin Ways: Episode 7: Yinshougun.
Astute aficionados of Shaolin know how perplexing Shaolin can be sometimes, like some mind-boggling zen koan, or chan gongan (禪公案) is we are more appropriately Shaolin about it. If anything, my personal Shaolin journey has been a long, strange gongan. It’s something I strive to capture within my Shaolin Trips and Shaolin Ways series. It reminds me of my favorite gongan, Case 12 of the Blue Cliff Record, when Dongshan Shouchu (洞山守初 910-990) was asked “What is Buddha?” If you know his answer, don’t tell. And remember, knowing does not mean understanding.
For Part 2 of this 2023 Trilogy, see Shaolin Trips: The Abbot's 2023 Trip to the SF Bay Area.
