Life at Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Academy
Weekdays:
There is full program during the weekdays with training most of the day. Complete schedule can be seen in the section about training. There is a long lunch break each day where students can either take a nap or walk to the Shaolin Temple scenic area or go to market to buy groceries.
Weekends:
The weekends are off and can be used for relaxing, shopping and to explore the nearby nature areas or cities.
It is possible to take a weekend trip with one overnight stay for trips further away but it is not recommended to do often, your body will need rest in the weekends after a hard week of training. Overnight trips has to be approved by The academy and organized in good time.
Around Shaolin Temple
There are many scenic spots around Shaolin Temple, such as the Mount Song, Yong Tai Temple and Song Yang Academy in Dengfeng City, the Yellow River Scenic Area, the Hometown of Huangdi and Fuxi Mountain in Zhengzhou City, the Longmen Grottoes, Laojun Mountain and Baiyun Mountain in Luoyang City etc.
Dengfeng City
Dengfeng is located at the foot of the Mount Song, one of the most sacred mountains in China. The city is one of the most renowned spiritual centres of China, home to various religious institutions and temples, such as the Zhongyue Temple, Fawang Temple and Huishan Temple etc.
In 2010, UNESCO inscribed several of the most renowned sites across Dengfeng onto its World Heritage List under the title “Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in ‘The Centre of Heaven and Earth’.” The World Heritage Site includes several historic gates, temples (including the renowned Shaolin Temple), a Confucian academy and the Gaocheng Observatory.
Dengfeng City is where students go most Saturdays to relax and stock up on necessities. The bus leaves a 8-10 minutes walk from the entrance of Shaolin Temple every 15 minutes and costs 3 yuan (less than a $/€). For the home trip with groceries a taxi is recommended, most students split the 30 yuan bill for that.
In Dengfeng city students spend their time eating food, also western food can be found, getting a massage, playing pool, shopping and going to the supermarket.
There isn’t airport or Train Station in Dengfeng city, the nearest airport to Dengfeng city is Zhenghou (Xinzheng) airport and the nearest Train Station to Dengfeng city is Zhengzhou Train Station (or Zhengzhou East High Speed Train Station), It’s about 100km away from both Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport and Zhengzhou Train Station.
Zhengzhou City
Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan Province in the central part of the People’s Republic of China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yellow River and It is one of the National Central Cities in China, the centre of Central Plains area and serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational center of the province.
Zhengzhou is a National Civilized City, State-list Famous Historical and Culture City, one of the Eight Ancient Capital Cities and one of the birthplaces of Chinese Civilization, and the birthplace of the Yellow Emperor. Historically, Zhengzhou was the capital of China for a thousand years (five times). Currently, there are two World Cultural Heritage Sites (including 15 places) in Zhengzhou.
Zhengzhou is a center of China’s national transportation network, there are railways connecting Zhengzhou and Europe, and a bustling international airport (Asia, Europe, Africa, America, Oceania). The students some time take a day trip to Zhengzhou to explorer the city and see something else than Dengfeng. The trip to the city from the Shaolin Temple takes approximately 1.5 hours, an overnight trip is also possible. From Zhengzhou it takes 4,5 hours to get to Shanghai and 3 hours to get to Beijing on the fast trains.
Luoyang City
Luoyang is Situated on the central plain of China, It is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Luoyang is one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, and is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It was the capital city of 13 ancient dynasties from Xia Dynasty (21st-16th century BC). Boasting the world heritage site Longmen Grottoes and adjacent location to the famous Shaolin Temple, it is a popular tourist destination in central China.
Peony is the city flower. The Peony Culture Festival, starting in April, attracts a great number of travelers worldwide. It is also famed as the ‘Poets Capital’ because poets and literates of ancient times often gathered there and left great works.
There is an excellent public transport system in Luoyang City. Beijiao Airport has many domestic flights to many large cities in other provinces. With two railway stations and Longhai Railway (an important east-west rail trunk) passing through, trains are readily available to reach the city. The students some time take a day trip to Luoyang to explorer the city and visit the Longmen Grottoes. The trip to the Luoyang City from the Shaolin Temple takes approximately 1 hour by bus, an overnight trip is also possible.