Does anyone know if there has been any good historical research done on the life of Su Kong Tai (or Ta'i) Djin (or Jin)?

I've found several short bios on the web, most of them being from Shaolin Do sites, and some of them containing colorful (though certainly exaggerated) tales of his prowess (such as sparring with bears & being able to hear 13 men breathing!).

http://www.ohioshaolin.com/great%20grandmaster%20su%20kong.htm

I'd also be interested in hearing from anyone who can confirm the alleged prowess of the other Shaolin Do "grandmasters," Ie Chang Ming & Sin Kwang The. My BS alarm was set off when I read this passage from http://www.chineseshao-lincenterflorida.com/grandmasters.html :

Grandmaster Ie tied Master Sin's wrists to his feet in an arched position similar to the I Chin Ching #35 posture. In this position, he learned to crawl by moving the muscles of his chest alone. Grandmaster Ie also threw Master Sin into the ocean with his hands and feet tied. Master Sin learned to swim by wriggling his body.

a dog-faced kung fu master? i hope this is a joke.

It's Shaolin-Do. Connect the dots.

true true.

chewbacca wasn't no chinese kung fu master, last time i checked!

and why do they have a photo of the older guy, but only a painting of the younger one??

look in the eyes of all the "masters" on a Shaolin Do website. with each rank comes another layer of perversion and sickness in their gazes.

Moving to General Discussion....not history related.

What we need is a place for noob topics.

i second that motion.

You know, I've seen this subject come up a couple of other times in the short time I've been on this board. Everyone automatically discounts the school/style because a grandmaster had a genetic defect causing him to be covered in hair. Does anyone have any real evidence that it's BS or is it just "hairy guys must be fake". Again, I have yet to read any evidence that the lineage is fake.

I have heard bizzare claims from Shaolin Do people. So bizzare that they are impossible. I have been told that Bob Green from one of the Kentucky shaolin Do schools did a block break without moving his hand. The claim was that he placed his hand on the block and it broke using his fajing or something like that. I have also been told that it is on video tape, yet they refuse to publish it.

I believe that the students may be being brainwashed to an extent of what abilities they can expect, but I am not certain.

There have been many threads on this subject over at KFO. I found two non-shaolindo sites that mention Tai Djin, but they may have gotten their info from shaolindo.

I also found a pic of a guy named Li Baoshu on a site about hypertrichosis in china. This Li Baoshu looks suspiciously similar to Tai Djin and he was displayed at the Beijing zoo in the 1920's. Also, there's a pic floating around of Tai Djin with his arm in a bear's mouth.

The problem with Tai Djin and his lineage is the fact that no one seems to be able to verify his existence in the southern (Fukien) shaolin temple. If a single man, particularly chewbacca, masters over 50 shaolin styles, you'd think he'd be well-known. Then again, there's controversy as to whether there was a Fukien temple at all, so...

no need for lineage disputes. the claims shaolindo makes are patently ridiculous. Sin Kwang The became "inheriting grandmaster" of Shaolin as a teenager after mastering 900+ forms?

Notice the curricula they post. Entire kungfu styles are listed among the literally hundreds of forms and routines students have to learn. Bullshido to the max.

XX is correct. Bullshido to the upmostest max!!!

Originally posted by Xuanlong Xian
no need for lineage disputes. the claims shaolindo makes are patently ridiculous. Sin Kwang The became "inheriting grandmaster" of Shaolin as a teenager after mastering 900+ forms?

Notice the curricula they post. Entire kungfu styles are listed among the literally hundreds of forms and routines students have to learn. Bullshido to the max.

Sadly, I must agree. Though I believe Sin The claims to have recieved GM status in his late 20's.

I have a peculiar perspective on this issue since I was a shaolindo student for a few years. During that time I learnt very little actually useful things, but I did learn lots of forms. I became fed up with unrealistic training, so I put a notice on the bulletin board at the school asking for people to spar and/or practice technique in a realistic manner. One black belt said he'd push hands with me, and that's it. 2 weeks later I quit and started judo.

I'm torn here because, while I agree the lineage is bogus and the training is less than adequate, I grew to enjoy the company of many in the system. The sifu at the school I attended is of the highest character and I consider him a friend. It makes me very sad to boldly say the system is bogus since he and others love & devote so much time to it.