KEY POINTS:
Liu Zeyu was only 5 when his parents packed him off to the Shaolin Temple in Central Henan, China.
Since then, Liu has endured hardships of daily martial arts training, doing chores most New Zealand kids twice his age are excused from and missing his parents.
But Liu, now 9, consider these as worthy sacrifices because, he says, it led him to the greatest honour of becoming a Shaolin monk.
"I know I have to sacrifice some things to be good at kung fu, but I still miss my ma and pa," he said.
Liu may be the baby of the troupe of 25 monks here for a Chinese New Year performance, but his repertoire of martial arts skills masks his tender age.
It seems almost effortless on his part as he kicks, leaps, does flips and somersaults in the air, and head spins on the ground.
"This is the result of all the hard training students at Shaolin Temple have to go through," said his coach Zhang Hui.
The day starts at 5am for trainees and doesn't end until 9.30pm. Physical training and classes are broken only by meal times, when vegetarian dishes are served.
Besides training, students are also expected to do chores such as their own laundry and cooking.
"It's very tough but fun at the same time and I do it because I love the Shaolin Wushu art and want to be good at it," Liu said.
Mr Zhang says the training programme helps them appreciate better the life their parents and society have given them.
Shaolin Temple is an ancient Buddhist temple on Songshan Mountain, reportedly built in AD496 and considered one of the earliest birthplaces of Chinese martial arts.
Boys as young as 3 are sent there by parents who believe Shaolin training is able to instil a sense of discipline in them, and develop a healthy mind and body.
Mr Zhang insists choreographed martial arts displays, such as the ones the monks will perform at the SkyCity Theatre, are not commercialising the Shaolin art but sharing it with people overseas.
The Shaolin monks are in town for two nights of performances starting tomorrow.
