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 THE 

CHANGING FACE 

OF KUNG FU!

In the fifth century—according to legend— 

an Indian master taught some monks at the  

Shaolin Temple a series of exercises, or forms, 

inspired by the movements of animals. These  

forms became the basis for the style of fighting  

known as kung fu. Over 16 centuries, the  

monks have used kung fu for self-defense and  

in war. With it, they have won many battles  

against their enemies. 

In Dengfeng today, ten kilometers from the  

Shaolin Temple, there are over 60 martial arts  

schools with more than 50,000 students. They  

come to the schools for a variety of reasons.  

Some hope to become movie stars. Others come  

to learn skills that will ensure good jobs in the  

military or police force. A few are sent by their  

parents to learn self-control and hard work. 

Master Hu Zhengsheng teaches at a small  

school in Dengfeng. Recently, he was offered  

an important role in a kung fu movie. It would  

have been good publicity for his school, but  

he did not accept. He doesn’t agree with how  

kung fu is often shown in movies. He feels they  

show too much violence. 

Unlike many large schools, which teach  

acrobatics and kickboxing, Hu teaches his  

students traditional kung fu forms. He teaches  

them the way his master—a Shaolin legend— 

taught him. But attracting new students to this  

style of kung fu has become a problem. Hu  

is afraid his art will soon die out. He has to 

remind his students that kung fu was designed  

for fighting, not to entertain. 

“There are no high kicks or acrobatics here,”  

he says. “It is hard to convince boys to spend  

many years learning something that won’t  

make them wealthy or famous.” 

Hu’s students have little. They sleep in  

unheated rooms and train outside no matter  

what the temperature. They hit trees with their  

bare hands and take turns sitting on each  

other’s shoulders to build leg strength. Why  

such hardship? To master kung fu, they must  

learn respect, and how to “eat bitterness,”  

a Mandarin expression meaning “to endure  

suffering.” The life of a Shaolin master, Hu  

teaches, is not easy or attractive. 

Master Hu is in a difficult position. For old  

traditions to survive, the young must learn.  

Gradually, he has begun offering a few courses  

in kickboxing and the acrobatic kung fu forms,  

hoping to attract new students. Then, maybe,  

he’ll be able to convince them to learn Shaolin  

kung fu the traditional way