About Sholin

Students who sincerely wish to learn the chinese martial arts are invited to come to northern China and learn all levels of traditional shaolin martial arts from disciples of the famous northern Song shan mountain temple protection monks. If desired, students may optionally learn Wudang mountain area style Kung fu and Tai chi chuan (Tai ji quan), or slow Qi gong for health.

In the year 2000, Shao lin masters from the south of China also joined with the academy to teach southern Shao lin kung fu to foreign students interested in their styles. Here, and in the following pages, teachers may also be reffered to as protection monks, fighting monks, warrior monks, layman monks, masters, grandmasters, or sifus.

Our academy hosts both male and female students age 6 and older, with or without experience in the martial arts.

Younger children (minors) train alongside our domestic chinese students and participate in mandarin and formal education. We have a baby-sitter or nurse to care for the needs of younger children and an on-site orthopedist as well. Professional medical care is within a 15 minute drive from the academy.

Please send all enquiries regarding the academy to it's chief manager, Mr. Che, (Shi Xing Kuo) who is a layman-disciple of the great grandmaster Shi De Qian, previous chief manager of the Song san mountain Temple (note: written Song shan temple below - either way is Ok). Mr. Che has been authorized by the Song Shan Temple authorities to invite the protection monks or their diciples to live and teach shaolin martial arts to foreign students who enroll at the Siping City Shao Lin Martial Arts Academy, located next to the Ye He ancient castle, which is located approximately 5 kilometers (or 3 miles) from the ancient Jai Lan Temple near Siping City, Jilin province, in the Chang Bai mountains of northern China.

We received verification of Mr. Che's credentials from the last Fang zhang (first abbott) of the Song Shan mountain temple, Shi Yong Xin, who has re-confirmed Mr. Che as a shaolin layman monk during the mid-part of November, 1999.

We also received the following information from Mr. Che about his sifu (who's office is located next to the Song Shan mountain temple, since no Shao lin monks have been allowed to teach students inside of the Song shan temple for the past couple of decades), in accordance with the government's rules.

"About Shi De Qian: He was in the Shao Lin Temple when he was 15 age of years, and stayed there to be a shao lin protection monk for 31 years, until 1992.

Then he lived outside of the temple, as a Shao lin layman monk.

Shao lin layman monks compare with the temple monks (who still live in the temple) the only difference is they can eat meat or drink beer and other foods and beverages, but the rest about them is the same. So All shaolin temple monks who live outside of the temple are shao lin layman monks too. They have a certificate which was issued by their sifu from shao lin temple, as I have. Because we all trained in the Shao lin temple in previous years everybody is still permited (and proud to say) they are shao lin temple Wu Seng (fighting monks, or protection monks).

Shi De Qian sifu is very highest skills in the shao lin temple and he still writes many shao lin kung fu books and his sifu Shi Shu Xi and also himself just do not mean to let some highest secret kung fu lose for it not easy to get and they don't want to see these secrets lost with the years going, as I did with recorder of kung fu forms not only for profit, but also in this meaning. Shi Yang Ming (shao lin temple 34th generation) who is in the USA is still like this, and he has certificate from shao lin temple as I have".

Note: Shi De Qian is co-author, publisher, and has contributed many treatises to the famous Encyclopedia Of Shaolin Kung Fu.

We asked Mr. Che to tell us where the term shaolin was derived from. Here is his answer: "Shao lin temple the name is given from Shao Shi sheng(mountain name). the local people gave the name is shao lin temple. In china there are many temples, but they are not famous as shao lin temple, from kung fu; such as Wu Dang Temple, Er Mei Temple, etc.."

Many students have e-mailed Mr. Che requesting more information about what wu shu and kung fu mean to the shao lin. Here is his answer to one student:

"In chinese "wu shu" means martial arts such as practical boxing, formerly cultivated for self-defence, now a form of physical culture. "Kung fu" means work, effort, time, in martial arts training. In China we learn kung fu in wu shu school and we don't name it kung fu school. That does not mean a student is to learn wu shu for demonstrations.

So from words directly translated, "wu" means martial arts. "shu" means skills. "gong fu"(kung fu) means you need to work hard on training to develop your skills.

Our academy teaches the traditional real chinese shaolin kung fu skills."

In other words, what we understand Mr. Che to be saying is they teach real shaolin kung fu for personal protection and combat at the academy as well as the basics of how to perform the quans in the form of individual "exercise routines" like so many of the martial art schools do in the west, and now even in some parts of China. The academy takes pride in teaching their students the traditional shao lin qi gong (the traditional kung fu).

If you should have any questions regarding the authencity or expertise of those who are training students at the academy, be sure to send them to Mr. Che, prior to going to China to study their martial arts. Realize also, the teachers at the academy may be wushu disciples from either active or retired shaolin monks now located next to the temple or living away from it somewhere else in China because the chinese government has not allowed shaolin monks to conduct martial arts gong fu training inside of the Song Shan mountain temple since 1979.

Students at the Si Ping Shao Lin Martial Arts Academy study in modern facilities with a big training hall, and training is conducted outside in the clear air as well. Every student agrees where the academy is located is the right environment to train in. It is in the mountains near the home town of china's last queen, Chi Xi, and is the Qing dynasty home town.

A few people have expressed disbelief that the academy actually exists, or is licensed and approved by the chinese government. Following are the details Mr. Che provided us of the office interested students can contact for confirmation: The government office in charge of the academy is the Jilin Province Education Department, and their phone number is 86 431 8905328 and the names of the department's officers are Wang Di, and Liu Jun. Here is a link to a copy of the academy's license.

Most of the teachers do not speak english, so the academy provides english translators during training times. Mr. Che and some of the office staff speak english and most of the foreign students speak english, either as their primary or as their secondary lanaguage.

At any time, there are around 50 foreign students studying shaolin kungfu at the academy with from 5 to 8 monks to teach them taiji quan, qi gong, shaolin gong fu, wu dang gong fu, san da, etc.. The academy's yard is approximately thirty-thousand square meters, and there are ten-thousand square meters of living and training facilities on the mountain.

Due to it's simple accommodations, the academy cannot accept for training those persons with major illness or disabling older age infirmities, but they are welcome to come to the Academy to visit at any time.

Note: The gentle movements of slow Qi gong (or Chi kung) and Tai Chi Chuan (or Tai jai or Tai ji quan) for centering and good health are taught at the academy, which are pleasant forms of exercise for all ages.

Also the famous combat form of Tai ji Chen is taught at the academy, which is an excellent martial arts form for women and elderly persons to learn and perform.

Note: Any student who has had a prior or recent physical injury and is still under the care of a physician or other doctor, before coming to the academy must provide a letter from and signed by the doctor stating the student is physically fit and he or she can perform martial arts training exercises.