VARIOUS: CHINESE SHAOLIN TEMPLE MONKS GIVE A PERFORMANCE OF MARTIAL ARTS IN THEIR SHOW "THE WHEEL OF LIFE"

Record ID: 389162

  • Title: VARIOUS: CHINESE SHAOLIN TEMPLE MONKS GIVE A PERFORMANCE OF MARTIAL ARTS IN THEIR SHOW "THE WHEEL OF LIFE"
  • Date: 7th April 2000
  • Summary: SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHA BERGESE, DIRECTOR OF THE WHEEL OF LIFE, SAYING: "They have their own village life, so to speak with them, but of course it is a culture shock to go out to the streets of Soho when they've never seen a woman or been in touch with a woman and they are not supposed to be touched by a women. So all that is quite extraordinary for them".
  • Embargoed: 22nd April 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: HENAN PROVINCE, CHINA AND LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM, AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Communications,Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA9TQCG3Z832JYVS8PFKPHY0B4P
  • Story Text: Moving with the grace of a gymnast and striking with the ferocity of a tiger, the monks of China's ancient Shaolin temple are high kicking their way through a new show.In a display of seemingly impossible feats of physical endurance, 'The Wheel of life' takes the message of serenity and discipline to English audiences in April.
    High on a lonely mountain top in China's central Henan province, the Buddhist monks of the Shaolin temple have been praying, training and fighting for the last fifteen hundred years.
    It is a harsh life by Western standards.Children as young as four leave their families forever to learn the legendary martial arts' skills of the monastery.
    Rising at five in the morning, the day of a soldier monk stretches out in a cycle of mountain runs, prayers, Kung Fu and studies of the Buddhist scripture -- all on a strict vegetarian diet.
    English audiences will catch a rare glimpse of Shaolin prowess when 25 monks perform 'The Wheel of Life' until the end of April.
    At home in China, the monks are used to giving short displays of their kung fu for the many pilgrims who come to visit.But the tour of England is something different.
    The show is a melange of International talent.Western production values meet the athleticism of the monks to tell the legends of Shaolin and raise money for the upkeep of the Chinese temple.
    Micha Bergese, Director of The Wheel of Life, says: "The performance is showing the world that this is what you can do if you live the life that they live.We pray, we are vegetarians of course, we meditate, we bring all the energies of the universe into our bodies and this we want to demonstrate to you how we do it and what the result is and the result is extraordinary.Nobody could fake it.You couldn't fake it".
    The mystic skills of the Shaolin monks have been the staple of Kung Fu films for years.
    But these monks are the real thing and don't need stunt doubles or special effects to perform an amazing array of physical feats.
    Bergese says: "They monks are very special people.They are genuine monks as you know and come from the monastery of China and their lives are centred around their Buddhism, their religion, their physicality, which is the kung fu, the protection of the temple and they haven't lost this in the show.So the impression of them is of the genuine article, performing just like stars even though they don't want to be stars and they don't about stardom".
    Shaolin kung fu originated in the sixth century, and it's widely held to be the source of all Asian martial arts.
    The monks believe that they can reach spiritual heights through kung fu.It is only through struggle that the monks believe they can achieve inner peace.
    One soldier monk, Yan Jia, "Being a shaolin monk means that my goal in life is to lighten the shaolin spirit and to do good deeds and help people.
    Yan Xing was nervous when he first went on stage.But now he's used to performing.
    He says: "When I perform it is just like I am practicing in the temple.My thoughts are all in the kung fu exercise and I empathise with the spirituality of the art".
    They fly through the air in arcs, lie on beds of nails and shatter metal rods against their heads -- yet still manage to look as though they are practising yoga.
    Yan Jia says: "There are loads of difficulties and hardships in the whole process.But if one devotes one's whole time to practice it is not hard to overcome".
    This focus not only enables them to perform precise, athletic movements with fantastic speed, but also makes them nearly impervious to pain.
    But what about life in London? Bergese says: "They have their own village life, so to speak with them, but of course it is a culture shock to go out to the streets of Soho when they've never seen a woman or been in touch with a woman and they are not supposed to be touched by a women.So all that is quite extraordinary for them"
    Calm spirits and mind over matter have been the hallmarks of the Shaolin monks for 15 centuries.
    They can also pack quite a punch.
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