FOR the first time in the country’s history, a warrior monk from the legendary kung fu tradition of the Shaolin temple will visit Costa Rica to teach martial arts students about the Shaolin discipline, and to assist in building a bridge between several kung fu schools across the Americas.Shaolin warrior monk Carlos Alemán, who was given the name Shi Yan Bao by his mentors in China, will be offering classes, training and lectures today through Sunday at the School of the Path of the Warrior’s Spiritual Perseverance in the eastern San José suburb of San Pedro.“We have very few real kung fu teachers here in Costa Rica, and many false ones,” said Francisco Lee, codirector of the school. “So we wanted (Alemán) to come to share his knowledge of kung fu and Shaolin with us.”Representatives from kung fu schools from Mexico and the United States will also be present as Alemán, Lee and other kung fu masters attempt to build a union among schools throughout Latin and North America.“The most important thing is for all of the kung fu schools to unite,” Lee said, “so we can work together and continue our training.”Alemán begins his classes today at 7 a.m. He will host events, lectures and classes through Sunday. The events are open to the public and cost $25 a day or $35 a day with food included. For more information, contact the school at 351-5814 or visit the Martial Arts Foundation of Costa Rica Web site at www.fundacionmarcialcr.org.
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