The limited release of the new martial arts film Shaolin, starring Andy Lau and Jackie Chan, has drawn some attention to China's Shaolin monastery. I understand the real Shaolin monastery was used as one of the filming locations, with real Shaolin monks as extras.
The current abbot of Shaolin, Shi Yongxin, is criticized for making the place too commercial. The "CEO abbot" has franchised the Shaolin brand to martial arts schools around the world and rents the name "Shaolin" to film and cartoon producers. At one time the monastery hosted a kung fu reality television show. An interview of the abbot in the Financial Times says the monastery is preparing to market a Shaolin brand of traditional Chinese medicine.
Some background: Shaolin was built in the 5th century by Emperor Hsiao-Wen. Bodhidharma established the Chan (Zen) school of Buddhism there in the 6th century. The factual history of the Shaolin monks first taking up martial arts has been lost to time and myth, but there are engravings dating to the 7th century showing monks engaged in kung fu.
The monastery's buildings have been replaced several times over the centuries. The monastery was sacked by Red Guards in the late 1960s. Martial arts schools all over the world raised money to help restore the place. Now the benefactors can see it on their home televisions, as soon as the Blu-Ray and DVD of Shaolin comes out.
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