September 13
Disciple of Shaolin
Ten days of intensive Kung Fu and Qigong training with Master Shi Yanchen. A translator is beside you at every training session. Full guidance.
This Retreat
What is “Disciple of Shaolin”
This is not just a tour or a fitness camp. This is ten days of deep immersion into an ancient tradition, where you are a disciple, not a guest. We live in wooden cabins nearby Dragon Spring Temple.
You wake up at 5:00 AM. You train three times a day. You eat, sleep, and breathe to the rhythm of the temple. Between sessions — calligraphy, foundations of Chinese medicine, tea ceremony.
Daily Schedule
Time* | Event |
|---|---|
5:00 | Wake-up |
5:20 | Training |
7:00 | Breakfast |
8:30 | Training |
12:00 | Lunch |
14:30 | Training |
17:30 | Dinner |
19:00 | Training |
20:30 | Lights out |
This is not a tour. Not a gym. Not a relaxation. The Master transmits knowledge. The translator transmits meaning. You do not miss a single word.
Immersion
10 days in Shaolin tradition with guidance
Discipline
3 training sessions daily and additional classes
Wisdom
Calligraphy, Basics of Chinese Medicine
Certificate
Awarded upon successful completion of the retreat
The first intake.
What Will I Gain from the Retreat?
You will leave with more than memories of China. Over ten concentrated days, you will experience a disciplined rhythm of training, receive direct instruction from Master Shi Yanchen and gain practical foundations you can continue to develop after you return home.
The Master
释延晨
Shi Yanchen
34th Generation Disciple
The Master follows a traditional shaolin system of teaching. He passes on knowledge “from heart to heart,” as it has been done in Shaolin for centuries. He does not explain theory. He shows movement, breathing, internal work. And he waits for you to repeat — not the form, but the essence.
I give as much as you are able to receive
Shi Yanchen
Shi Yanchen 释延晨
34th-Generation Shaolin Warrior-Monk and Founder of Yanchen Shaolin Kung Fu School
Master Shi Yanchen has practised Kung Fu since the age of six. A 34th-generation Shaolin warrior-monk, he carries a living tradition of training that joins physical discipline with Chan Buddhist practice. His experience includes 72 Kung Fu styles and 18 traditional weapons.
In 2011, he founded his own school, Yanchen Shaolin Kung Fu School, to preserve a personal and traditional way of teaching. Since then, he has taught more than 700 practitioners from around the world, including students from Germany, Italy, Austria, Denmark, the United States, the Netherlands and France.
At the retreat, you train directly with the Master—not through a distant curriculum or a large academy system. His method is based on transmission “from heart to heart”: he demonstrates movement, breathing and internal work; you practise, receive correction and gradually learn to recognise the principle behind the form.
For Master Shi Yanchen, Shaolin is not only about technique or physical strength. It is a path of humility, patience, respect, focus and a more harmonious relationship between body, mind and spirit. His school is built around this continuity of learning: from teacher to disciple, through regular practice and personal responsibility.
Language is no longer a barrier
The Master speaks Chinese. Alexey Karpov translates into English.
Alexey Karpov 释延脉
Alexey Karpov is not simply there to translate words. He has lived and trained in Shaolin since 2015 and has completed five years of disciplined Shaolin practice as a disciple. He understands the demands of the path from personal experience—not as a visitor observing the training, but as someone who has lived it.
With a Master’s degree from Beijing Normal University and extensive experience in Chinese culture, philosophy and etiquette, Alexey helps bridge the gap between the Master’s Chinese instruction and your own understanding. He also appeared in a Shaolin-produced film shown during China’s Chinese New Year prime-time television programming. During training, conversations and ceremonies, he clarifies not only what is being said, but also the cultural context, intention and practical meaning behind it.
This makes a real difference. You do not have to guess why a movement matters, what a term means or how a teaching relates to the wider Shaolin tradition. Alexey helps you follow the instruction with accuracy and depth, so language becomes part of your access to the practice—not a barrier to it.
Dragon Spring Temple
This Temple
This is an abode of peace. A secluded Buddhist temple, hidden among the mountains. There is no urban hustle, only the whisper of the wind and the singing of birds.
Dragon Spring Temple is located at the foot of Mount Wofo, in the Dahongzhai Scenic Area in Yuzhou, Henan Province. It was founded during the Han–Wei period (260 AD), making it more than 1,700 years old. The temple was founded by the eminent Buddhist monk Zhu Shixing.
accomodation
This is not just a place; it is an abode of peace. Only the whisper of the wind in the leaves, the singing of birds, and the gentle rhythm of monastic life around you.
You will live in cozy wooden cabins, each harmoniously integrated into the surrounding landscape. Each cabin has two double bed bedrooms, along with a shared common living room. Everything necessary, nothing excessive — just simplicity and functionality.
Next to the cabins
Next to the cabins is a tranquil pond, reflecting the sky, and all around — dense forest and majestic mountains, creating ideal conditions for meditation and training. You wake to birdsong, breakfast in complete silence, and train on an open platform with a captivating view of the mountain ranges. This is a place where nature and ancient wisdom merge, offering true seclusion and an opportunity for deep inner work.
10 days
The Retreat
This is a focused 10-day transition from city life to the disciplined environment of Dragon Spring Temple. You will replace daily routines with the traditional Shaolin cycle: training at dawn, communal vegetarian meals, and intensive practice under the Master’s direct supervision.
Sunday
Day 1: Arrival Day. Solemn ceremony of entry
A solemn ceremony marking your official entry into the Shaolin lineage. A moment of embracing ancient heritage and beginning a new stage. Evening tea ceremony — the first immersion into an atmosphere of peace and contemplation. Upon arrival, you will draw your room key at random. The room that finds you is meant for you — room changes are not permitted. Trust the process
Monday
Day 2–8: Training sessions
Three intensive training sessions daily: Shaolin kung fu, deep internal and external practices, qigong, meditation. Twice during the retreat — classes in the art of calligraphy and the foundations of traditional Chinese medicine, expanding your understanding of culture and philosophy.
Day 9
Examination Day
Certificate presentation. Farewell.
Day 10
Departure Day
Departure with new skills and inner transformation.
Immersion
10 days in Shaolin tradition with guidance
Discipline
3 training sessions daily and additional classes
Wisdom
Calligraphy, Basics of Chinese Medicine
Certificate
Awarded upon successful completion of the retreat
Included in 15,000 CNY
Participate in all training sessions led by Master Shi Yanchen, gaining invaluable insights and skills
Not Included
– Flight to China
– Medical insurance
– Personal expenses
– Private tour “Secrets of Shaolin”
Only this year
This is your chance to become part of history.
15,000 RMB
~ $2,300The 2026 retreat tuition is CN¥15,000. This price covers the complete ten-day programme: accommodation on the grounds of Dragon Spring Temple, three meals a day, all training sessions with Master Shi Yanchen, cultural classes, multilingual guidance, return transfer from the airport or train station, the initiation ceremony and your Disciple Certificate.
This is a one-time opportunity: the price for all programs this year is 15,000 CNY, and in 2027 it will increase to 21,000 CNY.
Registration fee: $150 online. Course fee: CN¥ 15,000 — upon arrivalPay the non-refundable $150 registration fee online to secure your place. CN¥15,000 tuition is paid separately on arrival.
Arrive Temple
Meet our team at Zhengzhou airport or train station. Transfer to the temple, check in, pay CN¥15,000 in cash and receive your training uniform.
The retreat begins the next day: ten days of Shaolin training with Master Shi Yanchen, Qigong and cultural practice.
Registration
By paying the registration fee, you confirm your participation. The payment for the entire course will be made on-site.
Pay the US$150 registration fee online to reserve your place. This payment is non-refundable and does not form part of the CN¥15,000 retreat tuition. The course fee is paid separately on arrival.
Once your registration is received, we will contact you with the next practical steps, including arrival planning, what to bring and transfer arrangements.
testimonials
Over the years, students from more than 30 countries have joined us — some for a week, others for months. What they share in common is the honesty of these words — no scripts, no edits, just real voices from the training hall and daily life here.
