Photograph: Mohammed Rasheed
Many hundred years back, they protected an emperor from his enemies before all but five of them were poisoned to death by the very man they saved.
Today, they must rebuild their monasteries, which have been stripped off riches, down the years.
And to accomplish that, they do what they know best: Kung Fu. They perform the martial art in all its original, breathtaking finesse in Dubai.
Yes, the Shaolin monks are in the city.
And part of every dirham that you spend to watch them perform the spectacular ‘Wheel of Life’ on Nov.24 and 25 at the Madinat Jumeirah will go into rebuilding the Shaolin temple in south China, according to the monks’ team manager.
The group of 22 monks from the Shaolin Temple will integrate their martial arts display into a well-choreographed show featuring live music and actors.
The monks are led by Master Wang Hai Ying.
He said the monks devote their entire day to perfecting the martial arts.
They wake up at 5am and continue their general practice sessions until 7pm when they break for meditation to gain inner strength.
Yassin Matbouly, managing director, Vibe Middle East, organisers of the show, said “Wheel of Light” is the most spectacular show he has ever seen.
Show director Micha Bergese said a host of amazing feats including bending iron bars and breaking concrete blocks have been lined up for the audience.
These are made possible by taking in the “strength of the universe into the body.”
Every monk will have his own characteristic movements.
Bergese, an accomplished director and choreographer, has worked with renowned names in the music world including Mick Jagger, Julio Iglesias and Tina Turner, among others.
A curtain-raiser to the show, performed for Dubai’s media, highlighted the rigorous training regimen the monks have gone through.
The soldier monks dived up in the air, somersaulted, landed on their hands, walked on them, lay flat on the ground and swiftly again went through the routine without even a pause.
That a mere body somersault could take so many different forms was only complemented in its awe factor by the immaculate foot work of the monks.
And they came in all sizes. The youngest, Denghui, is only seven years old. The oldest are 24.
