Chinese martial arts teacher seeks to aid students in finding peace

Five children in blue uniforms run around the room at the Shaolin Tai Chi Cultural Center, practicing their poses and punches before class.

At the instruction of Shifu Chang Yuan, they race to the center of the room and sit cross-legged to begin meditating.

“Because little kids don’t have life experience, Shifu Yuan must set a good example,” said instructor BeeLee Young. “He’s strict, but they know he cares about them so much.” Shifu is the Chinese title for teacher.

Yuan and his staff offer tai chi, kung fu, meditation and Chinese cultural classes at the center, 9310 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 123, which opened last June. His goal is to help the public find peace.

“Our body is sometimes controlled by our mind, so I want to help people use their mind to find peace even when they’re busy,” Yuan said while Young translated. “I wanted a place people could come to and relieve their stress.”

Born in China, Yuan was 12 when he was invited by his cousin to study tai chi at the Shaolin Temple, a monastery similar to a martial arts boarding school. After two days of thinking, he agreed and joined his cousin and eight other neighborhood children at the temple.

“The day before I left, my dad asked me if I thought the decision through because I had never been away from home before, and I would have to stay at the temple for at least a year,” Yuan said. “I didn’t answer him because I couldn’t imagine what my life was going to be like, but because of my decision, I lived at the temple for more than 15 years.”

Within six months, Yuan and his cousin were the only two from the original 10 who stayed at the temple. After nine months, it was just Yuan.

“In the Shaolin Temple, it is very strict,” he said. “You have to study kung fu eight hours a day, but kung fu is just a very small part of your daily life. The (teacher) will also teach you how to sit, how to speak to people properly, how to eat properly. It’s more like how to be a good human being.”

Yuan’s name was given to him by his teacher at the temple. Although there is no direct English translation, it’s similar to the “fate” of meeting someone who changes your life.

“It’s just like someone walking on a path, and one day meets someone that changes that path,” he said. “You start to live a very different life from before, and that’s what I did when I was 12.”

After becoming a 33rd-generation master Shaolin monk, Yuan performed around the world and played a role in the “Soul of Shaolin,” a Chinese production shown on Broadway. He returned to China in 2005 to teach tai chi and kung fu.

“I was invited by my kung fu brother to come teach at the Shaolin Kung Fu Chan school in Las Vegas in 2011,” Yuan said. “Then I opened this center in June 2014. The schools are connected because in the spirit of the Shaolin Temple, there is no ‘you’ or ‘me.’ Everything is together.”

Yuan is also offering free classes to Clark County School District teachers to help them be at peace and teach in the “best condition possible.”

“Our lives are given to us by our parents, but the intelligence and wisdom we learn in life is given by teachers,” Yuan said. “If the teachers learn how to find peace and how to calm down, it will benefit their students.

“I want to create a good foundation for children because, just like a plant, the roots start very young. If I give good guidance to a child, they will become a good person as they grow up.”

Instructor Zoe Lin teaches the Classical Chinese class using the book “Guide to True Happy Life: Di Zi Gui,” which follows the philosophies of Confucius.

“We recite the beginning of the contents in Chinese for the first 30 minutes, which is a good exercise for the tongue movement,” Lin said. “Because that’s harder Chinese content, when I start teaching them basic Chinese conversation, the tongue is already loose, and they reduce their accent. It’s a piece of cake for them.”

In addition to the language, the book also teaches students how to differentiate between right and wrong and how to respect others.

“The love parents have for their children is unconditional, so if you make a mistake, they will give you a second chance,” Lin said. “However, once you leave home, you don’t get second chance. If their mother doesn’t teach them, the world will. So the Chinese philosophy is to set the foundation of respect that children will carry for the rest of their lives.”

While some may learn martial arts for self-defense, the goal of Yuan’s classes is to promote peace and harmony within the body.

“My English is not very good, so I ask people to listen to my body language,” Yuan said without a translator. “If they can look into my eyes, they can see my heart and feel the peace.”

Young and Lin are set to participate in the Chinese New Year event Feb. 21 at the Galleria at Sunset, 1301 W. Sunset Road.

For more information, visit shaolintaichicenter.com or call 702-570-5120.

Contact Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher at cbelcher@viewnews.com or 702-383-0403.