In the annals of Chinese martial arts, no single place captures the imagination quite like the Shaolin Temple and the warrior monks who have made it their home for centuries. This fall The Hutong Education brought the Beijing City International School and Western International School of Shanghai back to the home of Kung Fu. Accompanied by the peerless Master Xie of Beijing’s XMA Martial Arts Academy, our budding masters took to their training with uninhibited passion. With fists and kicks flying in all directions, Master Xie took the students on a physical adventure through the movements with precision and power.

Students combed the grounds of the temple itself on another of the Hutong’s famous scavenger hunts, searching high and low for clues and answers to the mysteries of the ancient temple. We clambered up secret trails behind the temple to take in the majestic views of the valley below. Our hike culminated at the sacred cave where it is said that the monk Bodhidharma’s shadow is imprinted on the wall from the nine years spent meditating inside the cave. Time was also spent cleaning up local trails and learning more about the challenges posed by mass tourism on the local environment.

Both trips wound up with a visit to Master Xie’s very own high school and an exchange with the current students of the academy. Our students showed off their slick new kung fu forms and used the spirit of the kung fu to communicate and overcome the language barrier between them. While at the school exchange, our students developed a deeper understanding of the lifestyle and challenges of their peers as well as an appreciation for the own personal opportunities often taken for granted.

Our students returned home newly aware of the different social and cultural reality of the friends they made at the school, and with a newfound zeal for the kung fu forms they learned over the course of our trip. Staff and teachers left Shaolin impressed by students pushing their boundaries farther than they ever had before.