The Legend of Shaolin Warriors has returned

The Shaolin Warriors or martial monks are famous for their incredible strength and fearless daring fighting techniques. It has been more than a decade since Kungfumagazine hosted a show performed by the authentic warriors from the Shaolin Temple in Henan, China. 

Shaolin Monastery, also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It was first built in AD 495 and has remained as a spiritual center. Bodhidharma, the 28th patriarch of Mahayana Buddhism in India, arrived at the Shaolin Temple around 527 AD and discovered that the monks were sick and weak. In response, he created two important Qigong exercises, “Xi Sui Jing” or Bone Marrow Wash and “Yi Jin Jing” or Joint and Tendon Exchange to revive the monks’ health. Over the course of its history, the Shaolin Temple has been subjected to repeated attacks, robberies, and destruction by bandits, warlords, or even government’s army. As a result, it became necessary to train the monks in self-defense, leading to the development of various profound martial techniques and maneuvers in both barehand forms and weapon use. As a consequence of this emphasis on combat training, Shaolin Kung Fu became one of the most prominent martial art systems in China.

Following World War II, the Shaolin Temple was no longer under threat of attack. However, in recent decades, the temple has formed a special group called “Wu Seng Tuan”, also known as martial monks, to preserve the heritage of Shaolin Kung Fu. Most members begin their training at a young age of 5 or 6 years old. The martial monks no longer fight to protect the monastery, but instead showcase their skills to raise awareness of the art. They are a popular attraction for tourists visiting the Temple and have been invited to perform tours in the Americas and Europe.

Due to the COVID pandemic, the Shaolin Warriors have had limited opportunities to travel abroad. However, the organizer of the Kungfumagazine Tournament, Gigi Oh, just announced that a group of over ten Shaolin martial artists will be performing at the “Legend of Shaolin Warriors”, an event hosted by the tournament on May 5, 2023, in Fremont, California. The program promises to feature spectacular demonstrations of Shaolin Kung Fu and Weapons, as well as special performances of extremely challenging Qigong feats like “Tong Zi Gong” or Youth Qigong, “Wu Qiang Ci Shen” or Five Spears Stabbing Chest, “Wu Qiang Ci Hou” or IronThroat, and “Er Zhi Chan” or Two Finger Handstand. Ticket information can be found on the event website.

Disclosure: I am invited to be a judge at the Kungfumagazine Tournament.