"The Master of Wudangshan"

Inner Martial Arts and Taoism in China, 52 min.

by Ulla Fels

The German version is available on DVD at:

KOLIBRI-VERSAND
Tel: 040-2276368
Mail: kontakt@kolibriversand.de
Best.-Nr. 18-174, VK: € 19,95
Title: Der Kampfkunst-Meister von Wudangshan

Synopsis:

In the fabled and inaccessible Chinese Wudang Mountains, the legendary origin of Taijiquan, the taoist Master Tian Li Yang teaches the Inner Martial Arts (Taijiquan, Bagua and Xingyi).

The Wudang Mountains have been one of the most important Taoist places of pilgrimage for centuries and were declared part of the world’s cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1994. As well as innumerable shrines, caves and hermitages, there are forty-six temples and monasteries on the Sacred Mountain. Enchanted stone paths running up and down the mountainside take pilgrims to the highest of the seventy-two summits, where the "Golden Temple" Monastery is situated. Here one of the most important deities of the Taoist faith is worshipped – the Lord the Night Firmament, known as Zhenwu, True Warrior and Emperor of the North.

The film follows our protagonist Tian Li Yang into the "Holiest Mountains under the Sky", along the legendary path on which Zhenwu, the True Warrior, gained enlightenment. As in a pilgrimage, the ascent to the summit is lined with monasteries, temples and hermitages.
During the journey we meet the myths and the stone-engraved history of Taoism, the background on which the art of Taijiquan has grown. Here we encounter people steeped in the culture and the tradition of the Wudang Mountains, the people who fill the mountainous landscape with life today.
The elements and inner principles of Taoist philosophy are visualised through the fighting stances and movements of Tian Li Yang, artistically portrayed throughout the film.