The paradox of Shaolin Temple: 'Traitors' surpass their masters.

"When Shi Yongxin, the former abbot of Shaolin Temple, expelled Shi Yanlu from the monastery, he probably never imagined that one day his disciple would establish a martial arts school with outstanding professional skills," commented China's 163 newspaper.

Nhat Long, hailed as the number one Shaolin monk - Photo: CN

The martial arts prodigy of Shaolin

In the Chinese martial arts community, everyone knows Yi Long – the professional kickboxer hailed as the "number one Shaolin fighter." But the truth is, Yi Long is not a Shaolin disciple.

In an interview, Nhat Long admitted this fact, stating that he had never studied martial arts at the Shaolin Temple. Instead, Nhat Long shared that he learned Shaolin martial arts through a famous martial arts school in Dengfeng City ( Henan Province).

According to Chinese media, the place where Yi Long received his training was the renowned Yanlu Academy, founded by the expelled disciple of former abbot Shi Yongxin - Shi Yanlu.

The name Thich Dien Lo rose to prominence more than 10 years ago when he launched a campaign to denounce Abbot Thich Vinh Tin, who was also his master.

This accusation occurred one or two years after Abbot Yanlu was expelled from Shaolin Temple by Abbot Yongxin, on the grounds of "violating numerous precepts."

Chinese media outlets, such as 163.com and Sohu, reported that Shi Yanlu was expelled because he could not afford the exorbitant fees that Shi Yongxin demanded from the academy he founded – amounting to 2 million yuan (over 7 billion VND) annually at that time.

Thích Diên Lỗ is renowned as one of the most skilled martial artists in Shaolin - Photo: XN

That is the Dien Lu Martial Arts Academy, founded in 1997 by Thich Dien Lu, with the permission of Thich Vinh Tin.

This martial arts training facility is located in Dengfeng City, not far from Mount Songshan, where the Shaolin Temple is situated. It is also considered the first step in the Shaolin Temple's model of establishing martial arts academies outside the temple grounds, an idea conceived by Shi Yanlu himself.

After Shi Yanlu (whose real name was Lin Qinghua) was expelled, this martial arts school also separated from Shaolin and gradually grew into a powerful academy under the astute development strategy of this former disciple.

The accusation against his master caused Shi Yanlu to become the subject of much gossip in the martial arts community. Many called him a "traitor" to the Shaolin Temple.

But despite the controversies, the name of Thich Dien Lo - or Lam Thanh Hoa - continued to rise.

In 2006, he was elected as the executive director of the Dangfeng City Martial Arts Association, and also served as the general martial arts director for performing arts programs.

Prior to the 2008 Olympics, Shi Yanlu was invited to participate in the torch relay when the Olympic flame reached Zhengzhou, as the 13th torchbearer.

This was also the period when the Shaolin Temple increasingly engaged in commercial activities and large-scale martial arts training. Not far away, the Yanlu Academy also grew stronger.

Shaolin Temple has a total of six officially recognized academies, acknowledged as the temple's true training centers, generating billions of yuan (over $150 million USD) in revenue annually. However, the Yanlu Academy is equally impressive; according to 163 , its annual revenue could reach nearly 400 million yuan (over $50 million USD).

Despite its exorbitant tuition fees of around 20,000 yuan per year, the Yanlu Academy consistently maintains 20,000 students at any given time, more than any other academy of the Shaolin Temple.

Revenue is only part of the story; the reputation of Yanlu Academy comes from what it accomplishes, not from inheriting the prestige of Shaolin Temple.

There's a little-known detail: in 1998, the Chinese wushu team participating in the World Championships in Toronto was led by Shi Yanlu himself. At that time, he was only 28 years old, still a disciple of Shi Yongxin, and many members of the team were students of the Yanlu Academy.

Even while at Shaolin Temple, Shi Yanlu, hailing from Shandong, a region renowned for its valiant warriors in Chinese history, was considered a martial arts prodigy. He was ranked among the temple's "Four Great Diamond Guardians" in martial arts.

As dramatic as a Jin Yong novel.

After separating from Shaolin, Shi Yanlu truly established his own martial art. His martial arts were still based on Shaolin kung fu, but incorporated many modern fighting styles such as boxing, kickboxing, and Muay Thai.

According to Sohu , over the past 20 years, the Yanlu Academy has trained 5,900 martial arts athletes for the Chinese sports system, winning a total of 636 national-level gold medals.

Beyond martial arts, the academy also collaborates with local primary and secondary schools to build a comprehensive education system. This is why thousands of its students are accepted into prestigious universities in China each year, such as Beijing Sport University or Shanghai Sport University.

Overview of the scale of Dien Lo Academy - Photo: SOHU

Another detail that contributed to Thich Dien Lu's respected position was his connection with police and military training schools.

According to News QQ , the Snow Leopard Counter-Terrorism Task Force (SWCU) of the Chinese police frequently recruits here.

An estimated more than 5,000 of the school's martial arts students have joined the military, with around 1,000 of them becoming officers. The academy also provides thousands of bodyguards and security personnel to companies.

And the most famous is Yi Long, a professional kickboxer hailed as the "number one Shaolin fighter". Yi Long is considered a true disciple of Shi Yanlu.

Ironically, the person who brought great prominence to the Shaolin Temple's martial arts skills was not a true Shaolin disciple, but rather the successor of someone considered a "traitor."

Thích Diên Lỗ is a well-known figure in the Chinese martial arts community - Photo: QQ

An article on 163.com commented: "The character of Thích Diên Lỗ is reminiscent of Jin Yong's novels, specifically the character of Hỏa Công Đầu Đà mentioned in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber . A character considered outcast at Shaolin, yet able to establish his own sect and surpass his masters."

The name Thich Dien Lo has sparked much controversy within the martial arts community. However, the truth is that his academy still stands strong today, and he himself has demonstrated exceptional talent in martial arts.

Conversely, Thich Vinh Tin was arrested and is about to stand trial on a series of charges that Thich Dien Lo himself had relentlessly denounced for many years.

Ultimately, who is the real "traitor" in a story as captivating as any of Jin Yong's novels?

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nghich-ly-thieu-lam-tu-phan-do-vuot-troi-su-mon-20260203102129463.htm