Length of training: 2 months, December 2011 – January 2012
mintoi@hotmail.com

When I first chose to go and train kung fu at Shaolin Kung fu school in Qufu I really did not know what to expect, other than perhaps training in harsh weather - as I was choosing to go in the depth of winter time - and somewhat basic conditions as is to be expected in China.

I was not to be disappointed and as the authentic Shaolin way of life commands, both of these materialised and much more enrichment beyond my expectations.

I had been training kung fu and tai chi consistently for three years in London under Shaolin Temple Masters and was ready to take on the challenge of training in China. In this way I could have a taster of the kung fu that my own Masters had so often talked about as they had experience growing up at the Temple.

Going to Qufu was the best choice I ever made. And although most students and masters in Europe would choose or suggest going to train in Deng Feng, the home of the 1,500 year old Shaolin Temple, I chose to go to Qufu, the 2,500 year old home of Chinese philosopher, Confucius in Qufu, Shandong.

I was very glad I had followed my instinct and that I had chosen a school that was set up under the aegis of the Shaolin Temple Abbot, where the Masters are highly experienced and where the discipline and regime echoes the traditional kung fu schools in China.

During my two-month stay, I was taught by a Master whose experience included teaching at Shaolin Temple for seven years. The regime was hard albeit tailored to all needs, beginners and advanced students alike. Classes started at 6am with Tai Chi and then throughout the day we would get enough breaks to recover from the array of classes that conditioned the mind and body, such as Shaolin basics, stamina and flexibility work, sanshou (chinese boxing), take-downs and self defence techniques.

At times when weakness got the better of us and we could not keep going, our Master would push every student to his/her limits, in a way that opened the heart and mind and released all ego and limitations.

The school’s full time translators ensured that there would never be a lack of communication between master and student and at the same time Masters were able to impart their teachings clearly and concisely without hurdles. The wholesome experience also included Shaolin theory classes, Chinese and Calligraphy lessons so that the immersion into a China- kung–fu-training experience was not going to be a superficial one.

I left Qufu with a desire to come back, and apparently I am not the only one. There are many students who go back to train with their Masters, because the teachings and energy of the place leave an imprint in our souls that is somewhat indelible.