The Legend of Kung Fu

The group watched a Chinese play called "Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu." This was a Chinese theatrical rendition that seemed to mimic a Broadway production in many ways, except for its meaning. It is an attempt to represent large aspects of Chinese culture without rigorous study. It is a middle ground between easily bored Westerners and ancient, deeply rooted Eastern culture. My piece on the play is that it had a rather boring plot with many exceptional action scenes, and an unforgettably amazing choreography. The story is easy to follow, a young boy leaves the comfort of his mother's arms and is raised by Buddhist monks who train him and teach him all the ins and outs of Kung Fu. Chun Yi learns through time and eventually becomes the Abbot of the temple, succeeding the aged, wise man who taught him almost everything he knows. Many scenes boast the strength of the actors, with their suspense-driven taunts of danger. Blades, wooden sheets, and metal rods are commonplace throughout the show. In addition, Buddhist teachings and Chinese principles are scattered in every scene. The most impressive part of the entire play was the choreography. The fighting was incredibly realistic, and the dancing was unreal. There were a few scenes containing the play's only female actor, used to represent the fantasy of Chun Yi. These scenes invariably involved dancing of the male-female-infatuation type. I found that every single movement made to the slow and lovely music represented exactly the dreamlike temptation of love that everyone encounters at some point in their lives. I found myself astounded at the complete beauty of these dancing scenes. In fact, I came to a rather profound epiphany about my own life during one of these scenes. The play brought me to many emotions, and also taught me more than I ever thought I could learn about Chinese Buddhism in two hours time.