About Shaolin

The Shaolin Temple is a Chan (“Zen”) Buddhist temple located in Dengfeng County, Henan Province, China. It is believed to have been founded in the fifth century A.D. and was developed by monastic monks originally for health purposes. Shaolin Kung Fu evolved into a means of self-defence for personal protection and security of the Shaolin Temple and its treasures.

Within the Shaolin Temple, Shaolin monks would practice long sessions of meditation and originally used Kung Fu to strengthen their bodies, maintain high levels of flexibility, and to cultivate Qi (also known as “Chi”). Qi is usually translated as “vital life force”, but in the context of Classical Chinese Philosophy and Shaolin Culture – Qi means much more than that simple translation. Qi is the force that makes up and binds together all things in the universe.

It is important to note that Shaolin Kung Fu is both spiritually and physically intertwined. In order to develop the body, one must have the mental resilience to do this. Equally, one cannot rely on mental resilience alone, one must look after the body.

To this day, The Shaolin Temple is the main temple of the Shaolin school of Buddhism.

Shaolin Kung Fu has a 1500-year history and is considered the birth place of Chinese Martial Arts.

In 2010 Head Instructor Sifu David Greenland of Emerald Dragon was training at the Shaolin Temple under Shi De Quan with 3 of his students. Towards the end of his training, Sifu David Greenland received an invitation to meet with Grandmaster Shi De Yang. This meeting took place at the Shaolin Martial Monks Reserve Team Training Centre, located in Dengfeng City. At this time, Sifu David Greenland did not have a formal Master, but after meeting with Grandmaster Shi De Yang, he was invited to stay on for exclusive and intensive training. At the end of the first week of training (in which both the Grandmaster and student had time to know one another), Grandmaster Shi De Yang and Sifu David Greenland formalised their commitment to one another in a traditional Buddhist ceremony. The Buddhist Ceremony affirmed that Sifu David Greenland was an invested student of Grandmaster Shi De Yang’s teachings. Likewise, it was acknowledged that Grandmaster Shi De Yang was invested in Sifu David Greenland his formal student. Sifu David Greenland continued to return to Shaolin to visit and train with his Master.

In 2013 Grandmaster Shi De Yang made his first visit to Emerald Dragon Martial Arts in Sydney Australia and held seminars in traditional Shaolin Kung Fu and Shaolin Qigong. Grandmaster Shi De Yang has continued to visit Emerald Dragon Martial Arts in Australia every 2 years.

In 2014 Sifu David Greenland facilitated a team of his students from Emerald Dragon to visit and train at Grandmaster Shi De Yang’s Kung Fu school. During this trip in 2014, Sifu David Greenland became a formal disciple of Grandmaster Shi De Yang. Sifu David Greenland’s discipleship ceremony was held at the Shaolin Temple as a genuine 32nd generation Shaolin Temple Warrior Monk. Grandmaster Shi De Yang gave him his disciple name Shi Xing Ao. In becoming a disciple, Sifu David Greenland’s English and Disciple name inscribed on a tablet of 32nd Generation Shaolin Disciples of She De Yang. The following photo was taken in the Shaolin Temples Pergoda forest.