Remarks from the Director

To get a true understanding of Shaolin Kung Fu, some have climbed Mount Songshan in China’s Henan Province, others have visited the Shaolin Temple to meditate or simply to study the Chinese characters on the temple’s front gate.

The two characters alone, 禅 (meaning meditation) and 武 (meaning martial art or Kung Fu), can inspire even the biggest of skeptics to follow the path of Shaolin. The characters for meditation and martial arts also mean inaction, and action, respectively.

Shaolin Kung Fu advocates virtue and goodness of heart. The former focuses on developing one’s mind and temperament, while the latter promotes physical health. These two perceived opposites share a common goal: to achieve peace in the body and the spirit.

The story of SOUL OF SHAOLIN unfolds through the martial arts techniques handed down through generations in the Shaolin Temple. It weaves the story of the characters’ inner worlds, their changing destinies, events, conflicts and contradictions, demonstrating Kung Fu emphasis on strength and virtue. The story of Shaolin is timeless, and appeals to all audiences, young and old.

Thanks to painstaking efforts by the production team and a large number of artists and Kung Fu masters, who have contributed their wit and sweat to the play and the training of a great number of people, we present to you a new work of Kung Fu based storytelling: SOUL OF SHAOLIN

Xue Weijun, the Executive Director