The story goes that Bodhi Dharma, an Indian monk, arrived at the base of Mount Shaoshi in Henan Province of China 32 years after the founding of the Shaolin Monastery in AD 495.

At the monastery Dharma spread Zen Buddhism and started the temple's martial art tradition.

He probably didn't imagine that the martial arts form would become associated worldwide with the quintessence of the Chinese culture.

That, however, is just what happened.

More than 1,500 years have passed since the Shaolin Monastery was founded. In that time, generations of Shaolin monks have devoted themselves to enriching and improving the Shaolin martial arts tradition.

In collaboration with the China Performing Arts Agency, the latest generation of Shaolin monks will present this tradition in a live production called "Shaolin Warriors" between May 29 to June 3 at the Theatre of the Nationalities Cultural Palace.

Members of the audience, especially foreigners, will no doubt be awed by the monks' skill in fighting bare-handed and with 18 different weapons, including the cudgel, spear, sword and broad sword.

At the centre of the event will be performances of martial arts forms built on the movements of various animals and a demonstration of the famous "drunken master" style of kungfu made popular by Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan.

Audiences will also be treated to descriptions of the meditation and training involved in becoming a Shaolin monk.

Training for the martial arts is a notoriously tough undertaking. The physical and mental pain involved in dangerous daily training exercises and long periods of seated meditation weeds out all but the most dedicated of practitioners.

Despite romantic notions associated with martial arts, and Shaolin martial arts in particular, many people in China find it difficult to contemplate such a rigid life.

When asked why he chose to be a monk, 10-year-old Li Deyilang gave a quick answer: "I like martial arts very much and I want to be a master of martial arts."

Li comes from a martial arts family. He began to learn basic kungfu at the age of six under the guidance of his father, who established a Shaolin martial arts school in An'yang, Henan Province. Four years later, the boy has devoted his life to the pursuit of martial arts perfection.

Luo Mingjin, whose Buddhist name is Yan Ming, traditionally takes the lead role in a group performance by nine monks. A shy 21-year-old from Wenzhou, in Zhejiang Province, he began to study Shaolin martial arts in 1996. His passion for martial arts started long before that, however. "I became obsessed with and deeply attracted to Shaolin when I was about four years old. Ever since then, I have been determined to learn martial arts."

The 24 visiting monks come from different regions of China. They are bound together by their common love for martial arts and their desire to promote it.

Practising martial arts and chanting Buddhist scriptures are the top priority for Shaolin monks, but the growing global popularity of the monastery's particular brand of martial arts has provided monks with the opportunity to get in touch with outside world.

Facing life, with all of its diversions and temptations, the monks maintain their fought-for tranquility.

Shaolin monk Liu Mingkuo, known as Shi Yankuo to his fellow Buddhists, is from Tai'an, Shandong Province. In performances, he does the majority of qigong demonstrations.

He explained how the monks manage to ignore the allure of life outside the monastery by quoting a Buddhist saying.

"Buddhism's scope is wide but it won't take those who can't devote themselves, just like the rain will never moisten grass without roots," he said. "Since I have made up my mind to be a Buddhist, I must do my best to be a true Buddhist," he continued.

The 24 monks are all relatively young. Although they spend most of their time in the austere confines of a monastery, they have individual dreams and interests like others their age.

"Teachers teach us English and History. They say if we learn English better, we can communicate with foreigners and tell them how terrific the Shaolin martial arts are," Li Deyilang explained.

"We watch TV and listen to songs in our leisure time. I like watching teaching programmes and kungfu films," Liu said. He revealed he admires Jackie Chan and Li Lianjie, another martial arts film star.

According to their master Tai Chang (Shi Yanchang), the life of a monk is not as mysterious as common people have thought it to be.

"Because we are Buddhists, we obey certain rules, such as no drinking," the master said, adding that Buddhist rules are no different from social or political rules.

The Shaolin Monastery is heavily grounded in tradition, but it hasn't resisted the tide of development that is washing over China. "We do not want to be monks who know nothing but martial arts," Tai Chang said.

Because of this, after finishing the day's martial arts training, Shaolin monks also learn computers and study a number of advanced academic topics.

"We are able to maintain our peace of mind," Tai Chang explained. "The peace of mind is our protector, not martial arts."

(China Daily 05/28/2001)