It is a story about growing-up.
The eleven young men performing Shaolin Kung Fu in this original Kung Fu show, The Eleven Monks, have been through a lot and have had a tough time.
They belong to a small Shaolin Kung Fu troupe called Dragon Rhythm. Their show borrows elements from dance dramas, theater plays and high-tech variety shows, making it work both on stage and on the TV screen.
In 2006, the eleven teenage boys were handpicked by Kung Fu star Jackie Chan. They were sent to a deserted factory in suburban Beijing and that has been both their school and home.
The oldest member Hu Mingwu is also the art director of the troupe. He turned down several opportunities and decided to stay for the sake of his fellow members.
"After all these years, we are here not for ourselves, but for the others."
Troupe leader Hu Wei is like a mom to those young men. She has witnessed all the ups and downs of the troupe and also the changes of her young troupe members and the bonding between them.
Hu Wei is now in her 60s. As the mom of this big family, she says she never ignores teaching the young men what is really important in life.
"What does the starting point mean? I think it indicates how to be a good person. Knowing the techniques well is far from enough. Being a good person is the first and foremost thing."
The "big brother" Hu Mingwu says this approach has shaped what he is like and what the troupe is like today.
"I didn't quite get what seniors told us that being a good person is the precondition to achieving career success. But now I get it. How well a person lives his life is connected with his career. It is a delicate thing. I think if we can hold on to this bonding, this brotherhood, we will never lose the affection from the audience."
The troupe is currently in Israel and it is about to embark on its global tour to the U.S. and Europe with up to 100 shows later this year.
