Everything Chinese Portal

Philip Sahagun was among the 36 world's top martial arts masters who gathered at the Shaolin Temple, cradle of Chinese kungfu in Central China's Henan Province, for a nine-day seclusion in preparation for the final stage of a supreme kungfu contest aimed at unearthing a new Jet Li or Jackie Chan.

The seclusion is a training method of Zen Buddlism which focuses on concentration and meditation. The Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of Zen Buddhism.

During the seclusion, the multicultural contestants had a chance to learn Shaolin culture and the essence of martial arts. They not only learned kungfu skills from Shaolin's 18 kungfu monks, but had lectures on Buddhism and kungfu history.

The seclusion ended by Sep. 9th and the top 9 -- four Chinese, two Americans, one Russian, one French and one Australian -- went into the final contest early this October.

Ancient Temple, Modern Monks

While the monks' astounding physical abilities have gained them worldwide fame, the temple itself is now standing between a tumultuous past and a commercial future.

While follow their old tradition, monks in Shaolin are embracing a more secular and digital life.

The country's first temple-based website (www.shaolin.org.cn) was set up in 1996, when few in China had heard of the Internet. It's not surprising to find the website address on the name card of the head abbot Shi Yongxin and an email address in the Temple's want-ads recruiting monks.

In July 2004, the temple revealed some documents previously considered top secrets, including medical recipes, documents recording how to practice kungfu and Qigong, such as the 72 Consummate Arts Secrets, and the Cavity Press or the ability to neutralize an opponent's power. As a result the website was flooded with over 100,000 hits a day. It is the monks themselves who keep updating the website.

The Zen of Business

Shi spends time every year going abroad to meet celebrities from various communities. And he is among the first to send his monks to take MBA courses and get degrees.

"I would say we had no choice but to do what we did. They are the product of this age. A prime example--in the past, what you did wouldn't be able to go beyond a few kilometers around you. Now everything you do can become the top headlines in mass media. Through films and the Internet, they can become known to the whole world. So what we are doing is just accommodating the times and tide of globalization."