Shaolin history, politics, martial arts, current events, personalities, all with a unique perspective. With a selection of other traditional martial arts, including Muay Thai, Sanda, Seidokan, and others.
A web site that finds its origins back in 1995, with initial publication in early 1996. Millions of viewers, thousands of members, hundreds of pages, hundreds of multimedia presentations, and a large group of dedicated contributors. All from a group of people with diverse relevant contacts and interests. A site distributed over three separate domains, and multiple hosting servers.
It started as a personal look at the inner workings of the Shaolin Temple, from the perspective of a solitary individual, an "insider". It has evolved into a compendium of information from diverse scholastic sources, all dedicated towards bringing forth an honest perspective of all things Shaolin.
No bullshit. No pomp. No grandmaster worship. Just an honest and occasionally irreverent perspective of the Shaolin Temple and its keepers.
Welcome to russbo.com. We hope you enjoy your stay here.
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How to get around
russbo.com is made up of various domains, all distributed over multiple servers. The main part of the site can be found via the menu links found on this page. Some of the links will open a new window in your browser. Have your browser "allow popups" for russbo.com so that these new pages can open...
Getting to Shaolin
We can help you get to Shaolin to train with the various monks that we are familiar with. More information in the Site FAQ area of the site.
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russboTV
russboTV: a new aspect of the site where you can view the hundreds of Shaolin and China related videos from russbo.com. You can also join and upload your favorite videos to this YouTube type of site at www.russbo.tv.
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You can submit articles and other information to be used on russbo.com. Become a russbo author, and help contribute to the community. More information can be found in the Site FAQ; through the link in the Site Menu.
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Want to advertise your Shaolin based events and seminars on russbo.com? We can publish your advertisment on the front page of the site, and even send out mailers to our community for special occasions. Contact us for more information.
Submitting Links
It's easy to submit links to your favorite and relevant sites. You need to successfully register with the site first; after that, log in, and a new menu will appear, the User Menu. In that, will be a link for you to submit your sites to our Links section.
Discussion Forum
Our Forum / Library hosts multiple features, including a Photo Library and a Video Library. There is also an Archive from past discussion forums, and a slew of other features. Join now, and get to know the rest of the gang!
docBooks Section
The docBooks section is a Flash enabled book section, which has, and will have, some interesting Shaolin historical features. At present, a booklet from the Shaolin Chan Wu Xue Yuan, a successful and then failed attempt at opening up a Shaolin based school in Las Vegas. Also, a t...
Shaolin School Advertising
Advertise your Shaolin based school on russbo.com, in the Shaolin Schools Section. Create your own school web site here. Just register and contact doc about getting Author privileges. It's easy, and it's fast.
Webhosting
In order to better serve our community, we are now offering members the opportunity to host their material and websites on russbo.com's servers, either in russbo.com or in a subdomain of russbo.com. More information in the Site FAQ.
Alexander Sebastien Lee’s Provocative Shaolin Kung Fu Documentary Launches Limited Edition DVD in Time for the Holidays
Hollywood, CA-December 22, 2009-After the sold-out world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and winning the Documentary Special Jury Prize at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, THE REAL SHAOLIN is finally available for purchase on DVD! THE REAL SHAOLIN is a feature documentary about two Chinese and two Westerners who are inspired by Kung Fu movies and journey to the legendary Shaolin Temple in China. While there, they endure a year of rigorous martial arts training in the hopes of becoming Kung Fu warriors, but they find that reality may be a harsh wake-up call. THE REAL SHAOLIN is not a typical martial arts documentary focusing on martial arts performance or history, but follows the personal journeys of four individuals as they overcome obstacles in pursuit of their dreams.
THE REAL SHAOLIN limited edition DVD is ONLY available for purchase online directly from the filmmaker at: www.realshaolin.com
Until 12/31/09, the DVD will be available at a special introductory price of $19.99, making it the perfect gift for martial arts enthusiasts, Kung Fu film fans, spirituality seekers, or anyone interested in Asian culture and China. The film's trailer can be seen here: www.realshaolin.com/trailer.html
Some quotes:
“The film not only transports us to a different country, but to a different state of mind.” Toronto International Film Festival - Thom Powers, Documentary Programmer
“An inside look at a hidden world, a look at the reality of a world shrouded in myth and legend… A fascinating view, a study of clashing cultures and the human spirit.” Twitch.com - Todd Brown - Founder
“The most provocative documentary to come out on Shaolin… [The director] weaves an intricate brocade that is both moving and profound.” Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine - Gene Ching, Associate Publisher
About the Director Alexander Sebastien Lee was born in Los Angeles and raised by his Korean mother, who exposed him to the works of Akira Kurosawa, Zhang Yimou, and Claude Berri from an early age. Alexander passionately studied theater in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and learned to speak French fluently during a year at the Sorbonne University in Paris. After receiving his BA in Film Production at USC, Alexander journeyed to the Shaolin Temple in China determined to learn Kung Fu at the source. Along the arduous journey, Alexander encountered martial arts aficionados with fascinating tales, and was deeply inspired by the incredible spirit of the Chinese people. These experiences forged an idea to film a documentary that demystifies the modern day Shaolin Temple. THE REAL SHAOLIN is Alexander’s feature directorial debut.
2009 USA 89 min. Color In English, Mandarin and French with English subtitles.
After our sold-out world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, my feature documentary The Real Shaolin is about to premiere at 4 film festivals across the United States during the month of October. The Real Shaolin is an award winning documentary about four people inspired by Kung Fu movies who journey to the Shaolin Temple in China to fulfill their dreams. I will be flying in from Beijing, China to attend all of these festivals. I would appreciate if you could spread the word to any of your friends who would like to watch the film play on the big screen.
Click on any of the links below for tickets and movie information:
NEW YORK CITY- Tuesday, 10/6 at 8pm Stranger than Fiction IFC Center, 323 Sixth Ave, NY 10014. Near 3rd St.
WASHINGTON DC- Wednesday, 10/7 at 8pm DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival Goethe Institut, 812 Seventh Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
HONOLULU, HAWAII- Fri. 10/16 and Tues. 10/20 Hawaii International Film Festival Screening 1- Friday, 10/16 at 9pm Screening 2- Tuesday, 10/20 at 8:45pm Dole Cannery F, 735 Iwilei Rd, Honolulu, HI 96817
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA- Sun. 10/18, Sat. 10/24 and Sat. 10/28 San Diego Asian Film Festival Screening 1- Sunday, 10/18 at 9:15pm Screening 2- Saturday, 10/24 at 2:50pm Screening 3- Saturday, 10/28 at 9:45pm Ultrastar Theater (Stella Artois), 7510 Hazard Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92108. Located off Friars Road at 163.
Ever wonder what the process was for training in Shaolin? Well, it's different for everyone; people come from various countries and circumstances, and things can be distinctly incomparable at times. But, overall, the questions tend to be similar. Over the years I've helped many people find good training opportunities in Shaolin, and over the years, generally, it's the same questions and answers. I've created some areas in the FAQ sections to help answer those questions, but I thought that if I posted a thread of questions and answers that was fairly within limits of the norm of what I get over the years, it might prove helpful to those of you who want to make the journey. So, I've put together some messaging with one of the latest members of our community who has made the trip to Shaolin to train. The thread is rather extensive, but within it lies answers to some commonly asked questions, and some pearls of wisdom that all travelers to Shaolin really need to know.
The initial question was, as usual, "How much does it cost to train in Shaolin?" The question was more specifically asked about Shi De Cheng's school in Dengfeng, right outside of the Shaolin temple area. The comments in italics are my responses, the type in normal font are the potential student's questions.
Dear doc I'm interested in training with Shi De Cheng at his school in China later this year. Can you give me more information? How do I do this? Sorry to bother you! xxxxx
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