Shaolin monks give kung fu show in Greece

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A group of Buddhist monks from China's Shaolin Temple demonstrated their kung fu skills to an audience in Athens on Friday.

The monks, who impressed the world with their performance during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, will also perform on Saturday and Sunday at the Taekwondo stadium, a venue built for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Chinese Shaolin monks demonstrate traditional Chinese martial arts in Athens, Greece. /Xinhua Photo‍

The performance, titled "Shaolin: The Legend," is part of the program of the 2017 Greece-China Year of Cultural Exchanges and Cooperation of Creative Industries aimed at bridging the two countries and peoples through culture.

The performers from the Shaolin temple, which has been at the heart of Chinese martial arts for centuries, visited Greece in 2011.

"We have been practicing in particular for this performance for three months. Our target is to show the legacy of the Shaolin culture through this show to audiences," Master Sun Fusheng told Xinhua.

Chinese Shaolin monks demonstrate traditional Chinese martial arts in Athens, Greece. /Xinhua Photo

The new production showcased the strength of the human body, and reminded the audience of many Chinese kung fu films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers."

The audience was amazed by the skills of the Chinese kung fu masters who flew through the air with repeated back flips, balanced on the tip of spears and splintered wooden blocks with their bare hands.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency