WudangsWords

The goal of this project is to film, produce, and distribute a short movie through the perspectives of 13 people from around the world about Wudang Chinese Martial Arts, Daoism and the philosophy, training, and experience of them firsthand. Through the Program started in Wudangshan, China, we want to show the daily life of a group of people as they develop under the teachings of Master Yuan Xiu Gang in both internal and external martial arts.

Background

During the Cultural Revolution, and the massive growth of eastern martial arts, many of the traditional ways and knowledge were lost, giving birth to confusion and ill placed ideas regarding Chinese Martial Arts. Master Yuan Xiu Gang, a 15th disciple of Wudang San Fen Sect, observed this and decided to create a program to train proficient practitioners in Wushu with a deeper knowledge of Daoist culture to help remedy and maintain a healthy worldwide community understanding of Traditional teachings of Wudang Internal and External Kungfu. In response to this, a class was formed in 2009 made of foreigners from all around the world, for the first time, to learn under Master Yuan for the next five years and reach a coaching level before they return to their respective homes and start schools to help accomplish the goal of the program. 

For two and a half years, except for their Christmas break, they have lived in China, training six days a week, all year round in both internal and external martial arts from basic empty hand styles, internal qi gong and tai ji, to Wudang's well known Jian (straight sword) and Ba Gua Zhang styles.

Now in 2012, after two and a half years the class was accepted as disciples of part of the 16th generation  of Wudang San Feng Sect. The next three years will train them in the more advanced martial arts, and bring them to levels capable of teaching and carrying on the teachings to the next generation in the lineage.

The Project

WudangsWords is a project meant to capture the moments in the next three years as the programs' 13 individuals develop, learn, train, and live at the Wudang Daoist Traditional Kungfu Academy. It will share their perspectives they have attained here and continue to develop and the experiences they endure to gain a deeper understanding of Daoist beliefs and Chinese Kungfu: Punch, Kick, Eat, Sleep, and Everything In Between.

First we are going to capture the rest of this year. All of the performances the trainings, the class trips, the birthdays, the 5 day meditations, the Chinese and Western holidays and their celebrations, the daily life, the fireworks, the thoughts, the lifestyle, and anything else we can get a camera lens to while we train and live here in Wudangshan China.

From there we need help to get equipment to help to film, edit and produce the film that we plan to distribute at as many levels as possible. That is where KickStarter comes in.