“Easy  ‘s see your Tiger-Crane style matches my Eagle  Claw! ”

Ah, the immortal words of contemporary Shaolin Warrior. This low-budget Hong Kong action films, such as the communication is mainly something, though, in fact, there is no place where such problems still took off. Not death, of course, but students Shaolin si, China’s most famous Kung Fu in the temple.

Located atop the Western peak of the holy mountain in the northern province of Henan Songshan, 800 year old Shaolin Si is destroyed and rebuilt again and again, weathering attacks by emperors, warlords, cultural revolutions, and now his most recurring invaders-the modern tour group.

In fact, not until the arrival of the madness of Kung Fu in the 1970s and 1982 popular cinema film “Shaolin Temple, ” made annual tourism make a CGI jump of 200,000 to 2 million, asking the Chinese Government to list the temple as a protected heritage. ”

But while the doors of the venerable temple see an almost endless stream of tourists wanting to get a glimpse of a real life Shaolin monk and take in a demonstration exercise, a permanent residence more Kung Fu fans exist in the surrounding hills.

These are the men and the daughter of Shaolin. Young students are living on Earth for mainstream forsaken for physical conditioning and strict regimen that is mightier than sword Shaolin Si truly pen.

-CROUCHING TIGERS-

Kung Fu (Gungfu in Mandarin) was originally the practice of Chan Buddhist with the dual purpose of purification of the soul and build strength through the Zen doctrine of spiritual and martial arts.

Shaolin priests congratulated the monastic ways of life with Meditation and release this energy, or Qi, through practice offense and defense maneuvers, which traditionalists complain has been diluted over the centuries for the thrill of competition and the vanity of the report.

Opening of the temple to outsiders in the mid 16th century, where Ming dynasty attended the Shaolin, officers of the Court began to study the Monks ‘ fight unique techniques. Resultingly, Today are the Kung Fu schools become big business.

The oldest and perhaps most visible school Wushu Institute at the entrance front of Tagou Shaolin SI itself. The mountains one may not have space for two old Chinese proverb, but tigers that boasts a thousand than the courtyard Tagou do is students of all ages at fluid motion deftly displays form defying gravity air assaults as arsenal of techniques and weapon attacks brute force striking and grappling guns, while a swarm of honey.

If it doesn’t seem likely that the People in the future to the Republic  protect Wokou raiders from the country, as it did in the old days, at the end of the new Millennium Kung Fu students by the end of the common business men (along with a few roundhouse hell), some of them police officers and lower percentile of acceptance by the rent-a-cop martial monks.

But all eyes are that Fearless youthfully great hope, the desire to become the next Jet Li, China \ “national treasure ” attended a Kung Fu school education from the age of 8 and went on to make sense of time five Wushu Champion and silver screen.

But it is the real life of a school of Kung Fu as glamorous as your screen personification?

-HOUDAN-CLAN

A few kilometres from Si Shaolin vs. quiet waters Song Shan reservoir, tiny 11-summer school of martial arts, only 200 students Shuiku may be in size and reputation than the definition of suitable red rival, but daily drilling in much the same way.

While the rest of the world work operates on a 9-5 schedule, life in Shaolin Shuiku is literally back from 5 to 9 pm in blue light dawn, barking instructors rouse their teams for driving in mountainous brisk morning air as Chinese patriot songs echo in the surrounding mountainous area.

Stretching, sprinting, punch Family and other works to forge steel young bodies, the formation of green uniform, rising sun exertive students will take place under a real army lined up full world school. A quick Cafe Breakfast required textbook classes in mathematics, perfunctory in English and Chinese, including two hours watching.

Before dinner, and then in the evening we love stuff-basics, forms, applications and weapons-external components (Shaolin) and Wudang or internal styles of Kung Fu training. Most rudimentarily learn within a few years, but take a lifetime to perfect.

Forms, which are having the appearance of a real fighting choreography dance, are the most elegant. Styles of animals, for example, involve force, speed and psychology; the external force Tiger and a strong attack, the milder the crane style of patience and concentration and so on in the animal Kingdom.

The less command file to the student of competitive Sanda Sparring over a street fighting as the poise with the biggest and bravest don protective gear and start to add to each other with the fury of shifu corrective eye fists.

Led by a Master Pei Mei Po wizened cruel or anything, not mythical senior. There is a long white eyebrow today ‘s Shaolin shifu (main) have some surly burly young and fresh out of school, Kung Fu, and quick to bring the foot as bamboo to backsides student junior training.

-YOUNG GRASSHOPPA-

In the dark chill night back to his students, finally used the dorm room for a semi normal albeit brief adolescent life-read comic books, watching movies, or the most precious, sleep. The boys share up to 10 beds per room, which looks, and smells, accordingly.

On the contrary, there are only 7 girls on Shuiku, though none admit feeling uncomfortable around pubescent testosterone so many “brothers. Do” with narrow eyes and long, silky black hair, Feng Jing Jing Shanxi was Shaolin student for one year, and the plans of at least another four.

Despite his quiet demeanor, the novice 17 years shares a presumption tempered with the rest of his male and female companions, disdaining ordinary life of an adolescent classrooms and tests. “Kung Fu is much easier than English,” Feng Jing Jing says while reducing a broadsword in the air with deadly accuracy.

And what of the parents who pay for these classes? For them, the Kung Fu is an investment in their future alternative child. And the sooner they start, the greater the payoff-her hopes.

Cao Xu, 7, who need to do cartwheels instead of walk, doesn t appear to , recalled that, at the end of the mother and the father was released. However, their efforts must, of course, been instilled into the adult, this little grasshopper-Club Zürich : “I want to be the hero … and earn lots of money! ”

-Lotus white.

As an indication of the strength of the new movies in the Western world, the randomness of life in the Shaolin monastery to the  ‘t only popular with China. the 20-year-old Felix Klemisch studied martial arts in his native Germany, four years before his affinity with Kung Fu to China-bound plane hopping.

And enhancing of all other students and teaches at Shuiku is 190 cm Stephan Beck, school  ‘s foreign veteran with a combined 9 months between the two Shaolin schools (he ends the first school after making him stare at the Sun for 10 minutes a day  “to build up [his] Qi “). Also 20 and from Germany, Stephan defy height, gravity and conventions, often training alone while the Chinese students are in group formation.

The two young Europeans confide that communication is a bigger obstacle than physical ones and basically were forced to learn rudimentary Chinese to understand their trainers. “We had no choice,” says blonde Felix heavily accented English. “It was not even grasp the basis Mandarin or get left behind. ”

Not sure what they want to do when you go home and accept the possibility of drifting way back to Kyrgyzstan. Meanwhile, shaved-headed Stephan awaits with interest the taking away from Song Shan for an upcoming meeting in Beijing.

What I would do first, a ladder on the wall? Silk market shopping?  “Find a Chinese friend,” he orders with bombast of Kyrgyzstan.   “I’ve been over this great mountain! “