NGC Presents Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple

The infamous Shaolin Temple in China is known as the birthplace of kung fu and home to Zen Buddhism.  Over centuries of turbulent history, the temple has been destroyed and reconstructed, with varying degrees of success. 

While it has survived a range of challenges,  the temple has never lost sight of its true essence: mastering martial arts and honoring deep-rooted traditions.  Now the hardest battle of all remains: maintaining tradition in the 21st century.

National Geographic Channel's (NGC) Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple will take viewers inside the 1,500-year-old monastery known for training the best warrior monks in the world.   Novice monks, hand-picked from kung fu schools across China will see what it takes for boys to become master fighters.  We also see how Shaolin is adapting to the 21st century and transitioning into a tourist attraction complete with entrance fees, monk-blessed souvenirs and commercialized excursions.  The generation gap between the older, traditional monks and their younger, Hollywood-dreaming students is wider than ever — or is it?

Head Abbot Shi Yong Xin may wear a saffron robe instead of a business suit, but with cell phone in hand, he is constantly working to take Shaolin Temple to the next commercial level.  "I believe if our first teacher, master Bodhidharma, were alive today, he would have done the same to adapt to today's society," comments Xin.

Despite the modern commercialism, Shaolin kung fu masters work hard to maintain the ancient integrity and techniques of their art, which include more than 700 movements and a disciplined connection between mind, body and spirituality.

Kung fu literally means "hard work."  Over five hours a day, 365 days a year, the monks train with a very strict regimen.  For these novice monks, Shaolin could be their chance to get out of the poverty and isolation of rural China.  By traveling the world displaying their kung fu mastery, the best at Shaolin may very well strike stardom.

Meet Yan Xiu, the instructor and expert warrior who uses drill sergeant techniques to work his students, while his 60-year-old colleague Shi Yong Qian offers the students his deep knowledge of meditation and Zen.  You'll also meet Zhou Jinbo and Luo Zhenzhong, two student monks competing to be among the top kung fu fighters in the world.  We get an inside look as these students tackle extraordinary acts of strength, grace and flexibility not commonly seen in the West, such as breaking metal bars with their skulls by standing on their heads for 30 minutes each day.

And we see how one man, a Belgian choreographer, attempts to mix traditional kung fu at Shaolin Temple with modern dance movements.  Watch as he tries to transform these traditional kung fu warriors into world-class performers for the London stage.  Will the head monk approve of this modernization of traditional kung fu?  

Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple takes a glimpse at the incredible art of kung fu as it intersects with the disorienting tides of the 21st century.

The show will premiere Thursday, December 18, 2008, at 10 PM ET/PT.