Black Belt Magazine

Shaolin Monks Will Not
Enter Beijing Games

The Shaolin monks from China are martial arts masters from ancient times.

Shaolin monks perform at an event hosted by United Studios of Self-Defense in Irvine, California.
(Photo by Robert W. Young)

SHANGHAI, CHINA—The Shaolin fighting monks, the world’s most respected kung fu practitioners, won’t take part in the wushu events planned for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The monks made their announcement days after Zhang Faqiang, vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said that wushu would be “showcased” at the Beijing Games. The significance of this inclusion is that it could be the start of wushu becoming an Olympic sport.

The general manager of Henan Shaolin Temple Development Company, which was set up by abbot Shi Yong-xin to preserve the temple’s reputation, heritage and roots, said Chinese wushu is a competitive sport and Shaolin wushu is a traditional martial art.

“The two have different natures, standards and connotations,” he said. “Performance in Chinese martial arts can be quantified, but Shaolin wushu cannot be measured in that way because it contains Buddhist elements and showcases a harmonious combination of Buddhism and kung fu.”

While this division may disappoint those who expected to see China represented by the monks, it fits the protective mission of the abbot. That mission includes, among other things, getting UNESCO to name it an “intangible cultural heritage.”

SHAOLIN TEMPLE KUNG FU DVD SERIES
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