‘American Shaolin’: Interview with Matthew Polly

Gadling’s Justin Glow has posted a Q&A with Matthew Polly, whose book “American Shaolin” chronicles two years living and training with Shaolin Monks in China. “When I was a kid I saw the TV show Kung Fu with David Carradine. I idolized his character,” Polly tells Gadling. “He looked as awkward as I felt and yet he was a total bad-ass. When I was in college I started to study Chinese language, philosophy, Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism, and kung fu. The Shaolin Temple is the birthplace of kung fu and Zen Buddhism, so it was like going to the source.” ‘Shaolin’ has been getting good reviews, and the movie rights have been optioned by Fox2000. Polly has posted an excerpt on his Web site.

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