SunWuKong
09-23-2002, 10:29 AM
Most people imagine monks closeted, absorbed in the act of hushed and sedentary meditation.
So it is a shock to find a group from central China kicking and somersaulting their way around the world's stages.
The monks, from the ancient Shaolin monastery, are currently engaged on a gruelling tour of Europe, the US, Canada, Japan and Australia.
Their show tells the story of Shaolin's tumultuous history - over the past 1500 years the monks have been called on to defend their temple from a series of invasions.
During the course of their campaigns, the monks transformed a set of fighting actions which they had originally developed as a means to keep fit, into a deadly natural armoury.
The moves, which emulate those of birds and animals, evolved into what is now known as kung fu.
more... (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2276142.stm)
So it is a shock to find a group from central China kicking and somersaulting their way around the world's stages.
The monks, from the ancient Shaolin monastery, are currently engaged on a gruelling tour of Europe, the US, Canada, Japan and Australia.
Their show tells the story of Shaolin's tumultuous history - over the past 1500 years the monks have been called on to defend their temple from a series of invasions.
During the course of their campaigns, the monks transformed a set of fighting actions which they had originally developed as a means to keep fit, into a deadly natural armoury.
The moves, which emulate those of birds and animals, evolved into what is now known as kung fu.
more... (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2276142.stm)