Fans of Chinese kung fu could soon learn the oldest form of the martial art via mobile games, thanks to some tech-savvy monks at the world-renowned Shaolin Temple.
Shaolin Temple, reputedly the birthplace of both Zen Buddhism and kung fu, is going to develop its first motion-sensing mobile game in a bid to teach the traditional Shaolin fighting style to an audience of smartphone-carrying aficionados.
Shi Yanlu, one of China’s most famous living martial artist and head coach of Shaolin Warrior Monk Team, led a group of acolytes to the first-ever “Chinese urban economy and e-commerce summit,” held by e-commerce giant Alibaba in the eastern city of Hangzhou.
Their goal: to learn the Internet and digital technologies, so as to pave the way for the thousand-year-old temple to develop an educational martial-arts mobile game, according to a 21st Century Business Herald report on Monday.
Shaolin Temple, located on Mount Song in China’s Henan province, attracts a great number of kung fu enthusiasts from all over the world, hoping to learn from the monastery’s masters. Its fame has led to a boom in private kung fu schools in neighboring areas, where more than 70,000 students are trained each year, according to an earlier report by the state-run People’s Daily.
However, once the motion-sensing game launches, fans far from Mount Song can learn directly from the Shaolin monks how to use various weapons featured in Shaolin kung fu, including sword, stick and knife techniques, according to Lin Xiaosong, whose Tiandizhizhng Web Development company handles brand management for the Shaolin Temple.
That’s right: Shaolin Temple has a brand-management firm.
Actually, it’s not the first time the Shaolin Temple has ventured into technology. In March, the temple’s Venerable Master Abbot Shi Yongxin visited the California headquarters of Google Inc.and Apple Inc., the official Xinhua News Agency reported at the time. Shi even met with Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, expressing an interest in using iTunes and other digital technologies to spread Shaolin culture.
– Source : www.marketwatch.com
