www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1153

the dude in the article has some good suggestions. but in my opinion. what is taught in shaolin is a useless composition of modern wushu and traditional kungfu, unfortunately it took the worse of both.

i practiced in henan shaolin and it's a joke. a lot of BS it's great if you want to join the military ir police force. besides that it's a polutical cadre school. has not much to do with buddhism or kungfu but it has a nasty price tag.

if you want to get closer to the real deal check out wudang. or as a matter of fact some of china's martial artist are located in or around Yunnan. better weather and cheaper.

guandu shaolin is for sure better than the henan one but still it's still just shaolin.

The dude in the article is me. :)
I don't entirely disagree...I am happier with the kung fu training I get with my teacher back in the States than what I found during my brief time in China. But the atmosphere/cultural experience of training in China is a worthwhile experience in itself.

I agree with the fact that being in Shaolin temple in Henan is like a Graceland for Martial Artists but after hanging out with some of the old hounds there I learned that a lot of the legends are just made up.

The dents in the bricks of the training hall are not from the years centuries of training but from poor and washed out soil underneath. The dragon and tiger cauldron wasn't used as it has been told, etc.

Nonetheless the place has a great appeal and again just walking through the monastery as somebody always in love with martial arts is an intense feeling and luckily I was able to sneak in with the help of a monk and we did the jibengong there, where he showed me some tricks that the coaches don't teach.

Although he was hugely disappointed with the party presence and political stuff, shaolin turning into a marketing gig, as well as with the lack of real buddhism being taught there.

He was waiting for his visa to go to Thailand to study buddhism there.

I recommend to visit Shaolin and as much as you will get the itch to join a school and learn, just hold your horses and safe your money. as I said there are great masters around, especially in Yunnan taking a look at the blue sky it becomes clear why.

Most of them teach you for a fraction of the fees, they are more devoted and more likely know more of the ancient tricks and ideas behind the martial art.

Shaolin both factions are nice to show off back home with some orange monk cloth and an old master next to you. But if you are serious about learning a proper martial art, turn your back and put Shaolin as far behind as possible. All my old Shaolin buddies have found great masters after a few month on the road. And it was worth their and my time.

I went there。I am from Henan. I am practicing Chen -style Taichi now in Minzucun

i see that 'the pig' is in trouble now www.theguardian.com/[...]

Interesting scandal - monks can be tricky, long history of this worldwide.

Monks can be tricky, long history of this worldwide.