Gunnar Caya

Review of Shaolin Kung Fu Lion Dance Clu...

I'm sure this place would have been incredible to ...

I'm sure this place would have been incredible to visit 25 years ago. Unfortunately, the current Shaolin Temple is nothing more than a place designed to extract money from tourists, with history only tangentially related. Most of the buildings have been built recently, with little regard for history except for their location. The religious aspects of the temple, which existed long before the advent of kung fu, are essentially non-existent now; instead it's kung fu this and kung fu that. The monks spend most of their time on their cell phones or sitting by donation boxes looking board. The athleticism displayed in the kung fu show is impressive but the facility where you watch it is so small and cramped, odds are slim you'll find a spot you can see the show, and if you do, it's only because you were able to withstand and fight back against the pushing and elbowing of Chinese tourists trying to get inside as quickly as possible. Monks on cell phones, souvenir and food stands all over the place, this was one of the least worthwhile things I've seen in China. Only reason I'm not giving it a lower rating is because the history is there (albeit hidden), the surrounding scenery is incredible, and the temple is a stone's throw from the central of the five sacred mountains of China, as well as the supposed ancient capital of the mythical Xia Dynasty