Shaolin Temple delegates welcomed in US to commemorate martial art

California put its best foot forward to celebrate a special day and welcome a delegation from Shaolin Temple, a birthplace of kung fu.

The delegation, led by the temple's abbot Shi Yongxin, arrived in the United States on Monday to attend activities commemorating the 10th anniversary of the California State Assembly's unanimous passing of Resolution 675, which designated March 21 as Songshan Shaolin Temple Day in the state.

"During the past 10 years, we have met and shared Shaolin culture with folks of different races, beliefs, faiths, ages and backgrounds," Shi said at a news conference on his arrival in San Francisco.

"Our efforts have been supported and recognized by local officials, higher-education institutions, such as Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, as well as by various communities," he said.

Shi will also attend activities commemorating the seventh anniversary of the establishment of Shaolin Temple USA in San Francisco.

Shi Yanran, executive director of Shaolin Temple USA, said on Monday that Shaolin kung fu has more than 4 million fans and followers in North America.

"Ten years ago, Americans' knowledge of kung fu came from Hollywood movies and Bruce Lee," he said. "Today, they have a more mature understanding about the spirit and power behind kung fu."

Shaolin Temple USA has been able to attract many followers because it provides an easy way of sharing the wisdom of Buddhism and Shaolin's contribution to the peace and health of mankind, he said.

At Stanford, more than 200 professors and students learn Shaolin kung fu every Friday on campus under a university health promotion plan coordinated by Stanford's school of medicine, he said.

Shi Yongxin, the temple's 30th abbot, kicked off, literally, the weeklong trip on Monday with 20 monks, including some kung fu performers.

Shi will attend a forum on Wednesday — Kung fu and medication in Buddhist practice: A view from the Shaolin Temple — at UC Berkeley.

Saturday sees three key engagements. First, a Buddhism blessing ceremony, presided over by Shi, will be held at the Shaolin Temple USA Culture Center in San Francisco.

Later, the visiting monks will perform Shaolin kung fu at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco. Shaolin Temple USA students will give a display of martial arts.

Shi will also attend a blessing and inauguration ceremony at the Shaolin Kung Fu & Zen Medicine Wellness Center in Sunnyvale, California.

"We hope to show the harmonious philosophy of Shaolin culture and the healthy lifestyle of Shaolin Zen meditation and let everybody experience the essence of Asian culture," he said.

Located in mountainous Dengfeng, Henan province, Shaolin Temple has a history stretching back more than 1,500 years.

The temple has been busy on the international front recently. In October the First North American Shaolin Cultural Festival opened at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event drew 45 teams and more than 800 competitors from North America, along with thousands of Shaolin culture enthusiasts and Chinese martial arts enthusiasts.

The festival highlighted various aspects of Shaolin heritage with kung fu performances in New York and Los Angeles.

Also that month, Shi gave a lecture on the wisdom of Buddhists at Harvard University.

About 200,000 foreigners visit Shaolin Temple every year, and hundreds stay at the temple to study kung fu and experience Shaolin culture, Shi said.

Its popularity is closely related to China's rapid development in the past decades, the abbot said.

Ling Jiefang, a writer, said that as an ancient Buddhist monastery, the Shaolin Temple has a historical and cultural value that is unique.

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