On with the show

　　Anyone who spends more than a few days at Shaolin can get beyond the surface of smiling monks and kung fu shows and see how they live modern, secular lives.

　　As for zen meditation, Shaolin academy teacher Xiao Long (name has been altered) says, "Zen has no place in the modern world. It had a purpose long ago, but not anymore." He says this smiling, in a matter-of-fact way. Xiao Long isn't a cynic. He's actually a really loveable, not to mention talented, guy who more or less reflects the sentiments of Shaolin today. He also openly admits that he can't use his kung fu in a real situation. What is being taught in certain kung fu schools, and performed in the exhibitions may not be authentic Shaolin martial arts, says Yang A, one of three grand masters at Shaolin. "It is just for show. Real Shaolin kung fu is rare these days."

　　Master Jin Kong agrees. "At the time when I was in Shaolin Temple, few people knew the true, traditional Shaolin kung fu."

　　To be sure, what some schools are teaching and what tourists are treated to in some performances isn't just a sleight of hand. "These kids spend their whole lives training for this," says a German student who lived at Shaolin for the past six years. He goes by the Chinese name of Shan Li, and is featured in almost all of the brochures and videos produced by Shaolin.

　　"To find a true kung fu teacher," he says, "you have to be extremely lucky. It may take more than one lifetime. Out of a thousand people in this temple, maybe one is actually a real master. In kung fu, your heart is the most important thing. No true master is going to give you knowledge that can be used to kill people unless your heart is absolutely pure. And who can say they are pure? Not me."

　　Backstage pass

　　Shan Li says he's aware of the mounting criticisms, but doesn't worry about the temple's reputation. "I think Shaolin is actually getting better," he says. "There are a few people here, including myself, who are trying to bring the original spirit back. You have to see beyond the surface of Shaolin. But it is happening, just very slowly."

　　Much more quickly, unscrupulous profiteers are exploiting the "Shaolin" brand name. Type "shaolin.com" into your web browser and what comes up is not created by Song Shan Shaolin Temple, but by a rival foreign school that actually discourages people to go to China to study kung fu.

　　Meanwhile, inside the temple, behind the tourist barriers, a fat, jovial fellow with a shining face invites a visitor to play Chinese chess. Xing Du is more Winnie-the-Pooh than warrior monk. He knows a little kung fu. "You know, not all Shaolin monks are warriors," he says. In front of a beautiful reclining Buddha, the tourists and the annoyances begin to fade away, reminding of something Xiao Long had said a few days earlier.

　　"Life in the temple is tied to the state of life in the outside world," he said. "The world is different now."