Shaolin Temple Documentaries

[David Jamieson]

Chow's book is a good primer for any novice looking to get into Kungfu.
It doesn't go into detail in much, in particular the technique stuff so I wouldn't be looking forward to learning a lot from it.

But if you know squat from point A, it's a decent ditty.

I'm off to do some handstands.

[GeneChing]

hanguolaohu, you came to Shaolin after most of the kitsch was purged. You should have seen it in the mid 90's. The village was crazy with kitsch. There were all sorts of cheesy attractions from house of horrors, to mummies, to full-auto rifle ranges, to my personal fav, the roller coaster simulator. It's relatively tame now.

Chow's book is a little dated now, but it did set a lot of precedents. It was one of the more comprehensive books of its day and is still relevant. That being said, there aren't many books that try to be that comprehensive.

Speaking of Carridine, what a fine time to plug our new grasshopper shirt.

[hanguolaohu]

True, the hardcore kitsch of Shaolin village is gone. Alas. Interesting how most tourists would deplore the place, and say that it detracted from the temple's "peaceful" atmosphere. Ironic how the people who trained Shaolin, sweated, ate bitter, and lived the Shaolin life loved the novelty of "Shaolin Land". I guess its success was due to it being anything but Shaolin, it was an escape from the rigid lifestyle of Gongfu.

Actually, I witnessed the destruction when it happened. By then, the village had the death knell hanging over its head, so it lost it's spirit, but at least I can tell my grandkids, "yes, indeed, there was a village near Shaolin, and my friend Gene would yell at the top of his lungs riding on the Roller Coaster simulator".

Don't worry, for all you folks who still haven't had the chance to visit Shaolin. There's still plenty of kitsch in China waiting for your amusement. Just check out Doc's site.

Hanguo Laohu