Shaolin Monks Hit Abu Dhabi

A crowd of onlookers gasp and look whether the daredevil feat has caused any injury.

This was one of the most spectacular moves demonstrated by a group of Shaolin monks at Abu Dhabi Mall for two weeks, to demonstrate their martial arts.

Fast twists and jumps, followed by gentle moves and even standing still in meditation, are all part of the 40 minutes demostration of one of the best known martial arts — kung fu.

“Shaolin is a culture, a way of life, which started in China 1,000 years ago,” Shan Liang, the representative of the 13 Shaolin monks, told Khaleej Times.

Kung Fu is one of the many martial arts they practice.

Traditional Chinese schools of martial arts, including the famed Shaolin monks, often dealt with the study of martial arts not just as a means of self-defence or mental training, but as a system of ethics, called “martial morality”. Meant to cultivate the inner harmony between the emotional mind and the wisdom mind, the ultimate goal is reaching no extremity, but getting both wisdom and emotions to be in harmony with each other.


silvia@khaleejtimes.ae