kungfuology.com: June 2008 Archives

Following our first two vidcasts, I have now kicked off our Box of Shaw feature. The first movie is 1982's Human Lanterns.

check it out

I will be doing a movie a week in the live blogging style (but not technically live) on each Sunday. With around 90 movies in the box, it could take some time.

In other news, I have to go to Hong Kong tomorrow to sort out my VISA for next year. It's the first time in 6 years that I have to do the infamous Hong Kong run. We are in the middle of a VISA crackdown too so I hope it goes alright, otherwise I could get stuck there. I'll be there for about 5 days so no posts until I get back.

This morning the rain finally held off and we filmed our double header of vidcasts for our new site.

Pu Laoshi and his student Shaun Hogan were really nice and open and no one bothered us at all during filming. Pu Laoshi was worried a bit about the look of it and that they didn't have performance clothes but we soon got the idea over to him.

We had a funny moment when he called me by my Chinese name when I very first arrived, but he has such a strong Shanghai accent that I didn't catch it. He then ribbed me about not knowing my own name for ten minutes.

You can find the vidcasts here:

Today was Kai's birthday. Kai Uwe Pel is my Kung Fu teacher and every year on his birthday we go to Paulaner Brahaus, a German brewery and restaurant. Kai is German, you see and it's his yearly treat.

We usually go to the Fen Yang Road branch near my house but this year we went out the 'Bin Jiang'. Bin Jiang Da Dao is the tourist riverfront strip on the Pudong side of the river. It has a riverside park, walking area and a selection of bars and restaurants with river views. I actually liked it. The Puxi side of the river where the older buildings are is packed with touts, vendors and assorted annoyances. The Pudong side was quite relaxing.

All the usual crowd were there and afterwards me and Phillipe, my couchsurfing guest, went back across by ferry.

Above: Diana, Vanessa, Mel, Helen, Kai, Cameron and Nathan.

Left: Bo, Kai, me, Phillipe and Helen. 

Me and Cam went down to Zhongshan Park at 7.30 this morning to follow up a lead for our first Kungfuology vidcast. My friend Sharon Tan tipped us off about a traditional teacher there called Pu Laoshi.

Pu Laoshi is 70 years old and teaches among the racket of radios and millions of Taichi and dance groups that fill out Shanghai parks in the mornings. His style 'cha quan' was traditional and he showed us weapons, hand forms and even a two man set.

Of course, you can't just demand a teacher to perform for you as strangers then make videos so we had to oblidge with performances and a bit of training ourselves first. No worries, it was a beautiful morning and the locals largely left us to it. We took turns in between his other students, Sharon trained some straight sword too.

Next week his overseas student comes back and we will film for our first vidcast.

Me and Sharon

Cam, Pu Laoshi and me