Shaolin Temple
Study martial arts at the temple where it all began  Songshan, China

The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory nor defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.  —Master Gichin Funakoshi

  China’s ancient Shaolin Temple where kung fu was allegedly born is probably the most famous Buddhist Temple in the Western world. It’s where Kwai Chang Caine, or “Grasshopper,” played by David Carradine in the TV series Kung Fu, studied the lessons taught by Master Po and Master Kan. It’s also where four-time national martial arts champion Jet Li filmed mainland China’s first kung fu hit. According to conspiracy theorists, martial arts icon Bruce Lee, who lived to be only 32, was murdered for revealing some of Shaolin’s 1,500-year-old secrets.

            You can take your pick of how the fame started. The official story places the origins of the Shaolin tradition in the sixth century, when a Buddhist monk named Bodhidharma, noticing his new charges were in ill health and unable to devote themselves to the physical rigors of contemplative practice, began offering the physical drills that are said to be the basis of kung fu. It’s still actively practiced by the monks, who combine the martial art with Zen Buddhism practice.

            But as to when everybody began, as the song says, “kung fu fighting,” you need to look back a few thousand martial arts movies to “Shaolin Temple,” featuring the Chinese kung fu star Jet Li  Li borrowed as his plot the Shaolin Temple’s most famous legend, the one about 13 monks who rescued the Tang emperor from a vicious warlord. 
            For a while, anyone vaguely familiar with Chinese martial arts could hang up a shingle and claim to be a Shaolin kung fu school. But the monks recently persuaded the Chinese government to declare the 170-movement practice a recognized brand, which protected it under rules of the World Trade Organization.

            Today, the world’s most famous Buddhist temple is home to more than four dozen wu shu (martial arts) schools. Although the Chinese government recently razed the schools’ former buildings that lined the road leading to the temple, the schools themselves were relocated to nearby DengFeng, where monks and their apprentices still dispense daily lessons in kung fu. 
            Foreigners are invited to join in the fun, although calling it “fun” might be stretching it. The lessons can be rigorous and the true life of Shaolin is simple and austere, alternating the swinging arms and breaking boards with meditation and chanting prayer. 
            Tagou School of Martial Arts, the largest of the 50 or so schools, trains 18,000 students, many of whom are hoping to be the next Jet Li or Jackie Chan. They gather each morning and late afternoon to practice with the famous “fighting monks.”

            If you study at Tagou or one of the other DengFeng Shaolin schools, you’ll get your own coach, your own room in the Darma {AU: Dharma?} Hall, and the chance to watch the daily Shaolin demonstrations. Although serious students usually begin their day with a 4:30 a.m. training run (and you are free to join them), the wu shu lessons don’t officially begin until 8:30. You can choose between studying kung fu basics or more advanced weapon forms. There are also lessons in tai chi, qi gong, and other martial arts. 
            Although it’s possible to show up at Shaolin and sign up for classes, it’s probably best to book a trip before you leave. Joy Dupont, a former United Nations employee, organizes ten-day trips to Shaolin Temple to study both martial arts and tai chi. With meals, accommodations, kung fu instruction, and other cultural activities, these trips cost $2,000 to $2,500, depending on the level of accommodation. 
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