There have been quite a few changes in Yongxinland. We've already discussed how the entire Shaolin village area has been, well, renovated. Now that things are just about done, new security type measures have been installed.
Historically, there had been a gate, if you want to call it that, between the actual Shaolin village (which is no more) and the area that comprised of the wushu guan, temple, Pagoda forest, etc. But, essentially, anyone that wanted to, could just walk right by. A ticket area, along with a bunch of Chinese women tour guides, resided there. The purpose of the ticket area was to sell tickets to the Chinese tourists that visited there. Foreigners who trained in the village, generally just walked right through. It was a porous gate at best.
Now, getting into the newly renovated Shaolin area is kind of like getting into Disneyland (You might want to read my latest Shaolin Journals, in the forum sub section of the same name). You have to buy a ticket, a ticket which costs 100 Yuan (currently, 8 Yuan to the USD). That ticket allows you to see a performance at the wushu guan, visit the temple (video cameras now, strictly regulated), the Pagoda forest, and, just walk the area. In fact, if you approach the Shaolin village area now, from the Dengfeng side, by walking through the Chinese Stairmaster, you still have to pay 100 Yuan, when you get to the top of the new tram car ride.
They have really tightened the whole thing up. If you don't pay, you don't go in. Period.
How Yongxin is splitting the fee with the government owned wushu guan is currently beyond me. But at 100 Yuan a head, just to enter the old village area (new Shaolin area), you're talking about one hell of a lot of money entering the coffers.
Students of the wushu guan do not have to pay the fee, for obvious reasons.
Now, getting into the newly renovated Shaolin area is kind of like getting into Disneyland (You might want to read my latest Shaolin Journals, in the forum sub section of the same name). You have to buy a ticket, a ticket which costs 100 Yuan (currently, 8 Yuan to the USD). That ticket allows you to see a performance at the wushu guan, visit the temple (video cameras now, strictly regulated), the Pagoda forest, and, just walk the area. In fact, if you approach the Shaolin village area now, from the Dengfeng side, by walking through the Chinese Stairmaster, you still have to pay 100 Yuan, when you get to the top of the new tram car ride.
They have really tightened the whole thing up. If you don't pay, you don't go in. Period.
How Yongxin is splitting the fee with the government owned wushu guan is currently beyond me. But at 100 Yuan a head, just to enter the old village area (new Shaolin area), you're talking about one hell of a lot of money entering the coffers.
Students of the wushu guan do not have to pay the fee, for obvious reasons.
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