In the world of martial arts, there is monkey-style & crane-style. Korea even has Gangnam-style, but none of them are quite like WISS Shanghai’s Tiger-style.
With unbridled enthusiasm and can-do attitude, the group made the trek up to mountain-side temples and discovered distinct differences between Taoism and Buddhism. Along the way, WISS students spent the morning sponsoring a trash clean up at one of Shaolin’s municipal parks. The WISS Tigers also scoured the Shaolin Temple from top to bottom trying to understand the origins of the ancient art. Once steeped in the knowledge within the temple walls, they took to their outdoor afternoon of XMA kungfu training with zeal. Even the local masters were impressed with the intensity displayed by their new pupils, but these Tigers wouldn’t stop there. The next morning, they spent their day teaching other martial arts students a kungfu form they only learned one day prior. While at the school exchange, the WISS group also came to understand how radically different their lives are from those of their peers at the martial arts academies.
Teachers and students both took on this experience together with clear conviction in trying to push their own boundaries, whether it be strange new foods to pitching a tent for the first time. Classmates encouraged each other and pushed one another to do more than just participate. As a result, The WISS Tigers made new friends along the way and learned that Shaolin Temple is more than just kungfu. The Hutong can’t wait to see what these Shanghai Tigers do to impress us even more next time!
