Nine daily kung fu shows, all the same, are performed for the public. I saw one on the day I left Shaolin. If you have a ticket for 100 rmb, this show is included. If not, it is 20 rmb. Public announcements state that photography is prohibited, but this is not enforced. Much of the audience is flashing and snapping and videoing.
The show was a disappointment. Almost all of the show is with a solo performer on stage. I would much rather have seen mock combat between two fighters. Only a few moments was the stage occupied by several performers.
So what did the show consist of exactly? One young boy doing flex poses, putting both legs behind his head, for example. Another boy leaned his chest into two spears (what were the handles made of?) until the handles bent.
Most impressive was the feat one boy performed: he threw a needle through a pane of plastic, at least an eighth of an inch thick, popping a balloon on the other side, the needle remaining embedded in the plastic!
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