They gave us a quick tour of the main building and gave us a brief history of wushu kongfu, and we spent some time watching the students practice. Then we went to another part of the school to watch the students perform a show. The students at the school ranged from 3 years old to college students, so the performance ranged from weapon demonstrations to types that resembled more acrobatics.
Then we walked to the Shaolin Temple. This was a Budhist temple that is still actively used. We walked through the temple and watched the monks.
During the day our collegeboard leader asked if we would like to go to a real Kongfu show at night and even though we were exhausted half of us said we would go. That was the best decision I made! The show was at 8pm and in an outside area in the mountains. We did not know what to expect, all we knew was that we needed to bundle up. When we got there they handed us huge heavy soviet-style coats to wear and we ran to our seats and the show began as soon as we sat and our mouths didn't close until the end. It was THE most amazing show I have ever seen (better than Broadway, better than any show in Disney). It was set between/on two (real) mountains and had over 700 performers, and we found out it wasn't really a Kongfu show but the Shaolin Zen Music Ritual show. Words can't describe it! It showcased the Chinese culture and music, and had action and lights all over the mountain, as well as 5 monks that meditated in various parts of the mountain for the entire show. It didn't matter how tired and cold we were, it was well worth it.
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