MALINGSHAN SHAOLIN
KUNGFU ACADEMY
As we approach the road to the academy, I can see that the area is surrounded by rice fields and tea plantations. The greenery is soothing. But nearer the academy, I notice pockets of huge barren lands and leafless trees that remind me of Tim Burton’s movie Sweeney Todd. At that moment, I feel almost depressed to be in the middle of nowhere.
To make it worse, the weather is cold. The temperature hovers at 10°C and lower. I am not used to such cold weather and this depresses me further.
The only building within sight from the academy is the house of a Chinese medicine woman. Located less than 1km away from the academy, her house later becomes a place I frequent during my stay. It’s where I get treatment for colds and exhaustion.
I hate the cold. I have to put on triple layers of clothing just to keep warm. It rains occasionally and the days are often dull and grey.
However, there’s an interesting aspect of the academy’s location. It’s within the Maling Mountain Scenic Zone, ranked one of the 4-AAAA tourist attractions in China. (There are five Tourist Attraction Rating Categories in China, ranging from 1-A, the lowest, to 5-AAAAA, the highest).
The beauty of the Maling Mountain area is legendary. It was honoured as the First Scenery by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. Unearthed archaeological evidences confirmed that the land was once a habitat for early human beings, dating back to the Paleolithic period of some 100,000 years ago. The ancient people made tools and hunted. Later, it became a historical battlefield, where enemies fought to seize control of the land. Eventually, history and legends blended together to give the place its own unique allure.
Setting foot on the grounds of the academy, I receive a warm welcomed by Lisa, Bao’s wife and academy’s translator. She shows me to my bedroom which I share with David, a former British marine. The room is humble, with very basic furniture. Each of us has a bed but we have to share a cupboard and a writing table.
Three meals per day are provided. Bao’s parents are the cooks and we eat almost the same food every day during the three months of our stay. Breakfast is a bowl of oatmeal, a bun and an egg. Lunch and dinner consist of vegetable dishes with very little meat and rice, and some tea, which tastes very nice. Sometimes, we get fried rice or dumplings. It’s important not to be late for meals as there’s always a possibility that there won’t be much food left.
Life here is simple. I get to appreciate the little things in life... watching the sunrise and sunset, sleeping on the grass, enjoying the natural views, swimming in the lake and just letting myself “go”. I needn’t have to impress anyone. However, the place does have Internet facility, so it’s not that bad — we can still get connected to the outside world.
The daily routine is set. We wake up at 7am for breakfast. The few of us who choose to do tai qi wake up earlier, at 6am. Kung fu training doesn’t start till 8.30am. From then on, it’s “train, eat, rest, train, eat, rest”. It’s lights out at 9.30pm. We repeat this routine five days a week.
We get the weekend off and we spend the time mainly on grocery shopping or going to the nearby cities for Dico’s (China’s fast food equivalent of KFC). How we long for something different to eat. Chinese la mien (pulled noodles), dumplings, fried rice and skewered barbecue meat are also the common favourites on such outings.
EXHAUSTIVE TRAINING
Repetition is the key and one can get a good workout without having to buy any expensive gadgets at all. I lost 3kg in two months.
The training consists of traditional kung fu forms, sanda kickboxing, acrobatics, conditioning, qigong, tai qi and stretching exercises. There isn’t really an easy training session. Even in stretching classes, we get sat on and are “pulled” in different directions till our bodies contort weirdly. However, it’s not as bad as it sounds. The instructors are friendly and this makes the hard training fun and tolerable.
We understand that our kung fu teachers are not looking for perfection. They simply demand the warrior spirit of conquering and pushing ourselves.
When we have completed 24 tai qi forms, we are told there are another 48 to learn. On top of that, there are different forms which require the use of weapons. It seems that one can never complete the lessons here.
Each master has his own ways and methods of teaching. Some who have been teaching mainly local Chinese are more militant and unforgiving compared to those who teach both local and international students. However, all of them share the same principle: “To push yourself until you can’t push anymore and then some.”
It doesn’t matter if one is slow, out of shape or uncoordinated. Every newcomer starts from the basics and progresses at his or her own pace. The master teaches the trade, while the perfection of skills depends entirely on the student. Then there are other “unexpected” lessons like brushing teeth and breathing the correct way.
I learn that martial arts is not only a form of exercise. It is a way of life. Every day, we should invest some time in ourselves and develop the habit of exercising. The form of exercise does not matter. Our body is our tool. My experiences over the years have taught me not to take our bodies for granted. It’s our responsibility to take care of our body.
OUTSIDE TRAINING HOURS
Aside from training, there’s little else to do. There’s hardly any entertainment. Most of us will just watch downloaded films, go online, listen to music or read. Some, like David and I, take up photography. Quite often, a few of my fellow trainees get bored and play Dungeon & Dragons while listening to elves’ music. They can’t do this for long though as Bao will come around and stop them from playing beyond sleeping time.
Outside of training, Bao comes across as shy and gentlemanly. But it’d be unwise to be fooled by this demeanour. I had a shock during one training session when he switched to Nazi-like mode. We were asked to do high kicks repeatedly non-stop for over five minutes and I seriously thought my legs and back were going to break at any time. That class was one of the toughest.
Bao started learning traditional Chinese martial arts when he was 7. He is now 27. At 12, he went to Shaolin Temple and stayed there until 19. He had the great honour of being a disciple of Shaolin Master Shi De Qian, who was both nationally and internationally renowned and highly praised by the fraternity. From Master Shi, Bao learnt not only traditional Shaolin martial arts and different styles of qiqong, but also traditional Chinese medicine. Due to his excellent performance, he was invited to live with Shi’s family.
As head of the academy, Bao helps to address our concerns and makes sure we enjoy our stay despite the tough training.
On my last day at the academy, I reflect on my journey here and how much it has impacted my life. Have I found the “balance” I was looking for? To a large extent, yes, for I have found a greater inner peace and satisfaction but I know I have a lot more of the Shaolin principles to learn. Most of all, my experience at the academy has left me with many good memories... the people I met, the arduous training, the lessons I learnt, our trips to the original Shaolin Temple, night outings and just getting around China have made this journey a highly interesting one and educational as well. I will return for I hold strongly to the saying: “It’s never too old, never too late to learn”.
How to get there
Malingshan Shaolin Kungfu Academy is in Xinyi, 2,021km from Beijing and 1,416km from Shanghai. Details at
www.shaolin-kungfu.com, email:
info@shaolin-kungfu.com or call +86-516-887 307 77.
By Train
1. Train 1502/1503 departs Beijing West Station at 9.43am and arrives at Xinyi Train Station about 12½ hours later. Ticket cost: Hard seat ticket costs 106 yuan (RM51) for hard seat and 208 yuan for a hard sleeper.
2. Train K8356/K8357 departs Shanghai Train Station at 6.57pm and arrives at Xinyi Train Station about 13 hours later on the next day. Ticket: 191 yuan (hard sleeper), 275 yuan (soft sleeper).
By Flight
1. Air China CA1849 departs Beijing International Airport at 6.25pm and arrives at Xuzhou Guanyin Airport at 7.50pm. The fare is 690 yuan.
2. Shanghai Airlines FM9241 departs Shanghai Hongqiao Airport at 8.25am and arrives at Xuzhou Guanyin Airport at 9.30am. The fare is 600 yuan.
Fares are subject to change.
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