The podao is a traditional Chinese weapon with a wooden hilt and a steel blade. The long wooden hilt needs to be held with both hands. Shaolin Podao has 18 moves, which can be summarized as sweeping, stabbing, lifting and chopping.
The Shaolin Podao is a long weapon with great power. /CGTN Photo
The podao is too heavy to be controlled with arm strength alone. You need to make use of the balance between the hilt and the blade in order to wield it up. This process requires great strength. First of all, keep your feet steady, otherwise you could be overwhelmed by the weapon. Also important is waist strength, which is the basis of chopping and hacking with the heavy podao.
Shi Yanhe is a monk at the Shaolin Temple, who went there to practice martial arts in 2011. While life in the temple seems uneventful, it could also be described as arduous or tedious. Monks get up at five in the morning, and spend all day long training and praying.
Climbing stairs is the most basic part of physical training at the temple. First, monks run up steps, and then climb down in a push up position.
Climbing stairs is the most basic training at the Shaolin Temple. /CGTN Photo
"Everyone was leaving. I thought I was going to be quite lonely here. But actually I'm not. With the passage of time, the Shaolin Temple became my home," said Shi Yanhe. His childhood passion for Shaolin Kung Fu pushed him to keep going on.
Shi Yanhe is a monk at the Shaolin Temple. /CGTN Photo
Practicing martial arts strengthens the body. It changes you by enhancing your physical health and improving your social skills. It calms you down and helps you find peace. This is the essence of "unity of Zen and the skills," which is key to Shaolin martial arts.
Zen often comes from daily life. In his spare time, Shi Yanhe goes on trips. He gradually fell in love with this lifestyle, going out to see different views and meeting different people.
"Unity of Zen and the skills" is the essence of the Shaolin Temple. /CGTN Photo
"Life has various angles. Practicing martial arts has given me a new understanding of life. Everything could be Zen," said Shi Yanhe.
In addition to practicing and meditating, Shi Yanhe has made many friends who share his interest in martial arts. He often talks about his experience online. For him, passing on traditional culture also means letting more people know about it and eventually falling in love with Shaolin Kung Fu.