Shaolin Secrets

I thought it was just the movies, but apparently Kung Fu monks really do repeatedly smash body parts into hard objects to make themselves tougher. The secret is the herbal potions they brew to soak said body parts in each evening so they can repeat the process the next day. Nevertheless, there are side effects:

Advanced practitioners of a particular iron kungfu had hardened that particular part of the body for so long and with such force that the physical alteration of their bodies bordered on deformity. Deqing, who practiced iron fist, had fists that were so thick they looked like pincushions--the fingers serving as the pins. Another monk, who practiced iron spear, had driven his fingers into hard dirt for so long that the four fingers of his right hand when held together were exactly the same length, his middle as short as his pinkie. And all the iron head practitioners had knots on their heads and spoke with stutters.

I haven't gotten to the part of the book about iron crotch yet, but the pictures in the middle of the book are plenty scary.* And the practice does have its limitations.

In 1900, the Boxers--members of a Chinese secret society who believed they could harden their bodies through iron kungfu practice to the point where they were impervious to bullets--attacked British soldiers stationed in Beijiing. Rarely has the historical conflict between magic and science, mysticism and technology, been so dramatically put to the test with such lopsided results. When the smoke cleared, only the British soldiers remained standing.

Another interesting fact. Between the advent of bullets, civil wars, Japanese occupancy, and martial and cultural revolution, the temple was physically destroyed and the monks nearly decimated. In 1981, however, an 18-year-old actor and martial arts expert named Jet Li wanted to make a movie about the Shaolin Temple and travelled to the site. As a result, the government realized the tourist potential the destination presented and began to rebuild to generate revenue.

More quotes:

A rough guess was that of the 10,000 or so teenage kungfu students in the Shaolin village, about half had been sent by their parents rather than volunteered. They were the type of hyperactive boys who refused to study and got into fights. Shaolin was China's version of a reform school; kungfu was their Ritalin.

and

Jean-Claude Van Damme impressed the monks the most, especially his bodybuilder physique.

"Look, he has muscles on his muscles," Little Tiger shouted. "I wouldn't want to wrestle him."

"But muscles that are too big reduce the quickness of your technique," Deqing said. "Power is generated by speed, not size. You saw what a tiny bullet can do."

and

I was dumbfounded. In my spectrum of experience, Shaolin was as bad as it got. I knew very little about Afghanistan. Like most of my fellow countrymen, I preferred not to learn too much about dysfunctional countries until after my government invaded them. It's emotionally easier that way.

Halfway through.

*And by scary I mean Monk Dong doing squats with 100 lbs or so dangling from his dong.