Shaolin Kung Fu National Intangible Cultural Heritage Favored Globally
Shaolin Kung Fu, one of the first national intangible cultural heritages of China, is a treasure of traditional Chinese culture loved by people both at home and abroad. According to statistics, there are tens of millions of Shaolin Kung Fu practitioners around the world.
The Shaolin Kung Fu Duanpin System
To inherit and promote Shaolin Kung Fu and to raise its technical and theoretical standards, the Sangha of the Songshan Shaolin Temple in China, as the officially recognized inheritor of Shaolin Kung Fu as a national intangible cultural heritage, presided over the approval and promulgation of the Shaolin Kung Fu Duanpin System, and authorized the establishment of the Shaolin Kung Fu Duanpin System Committee as its unified management organization. The system is open to the world for organization and implementation.
Duan and Pin Ranks
Shaolin Kung Fu ranks are divided into Duan, Pin, and honorary Duan. Both Duan and Pin are divided into nine levels, from the first to the ninth, with strict theoretical and technical evaluation standards for promotion to each higher Duan or Pin.
- Duan ranks run from the 1st Duan to the 9th Duan
- Pin ranks run from the 1st Pin to the 9th Pin, where the 1st to 3rd Pin are the initial grade, the 4th to 6th Pin are the middle grade, and the 7th to 9th Pin are the high grade
- Each Pin is further divided into three levels, giving 9 Pins and 27 levels in total
Pin Titles
The initial grade is called Boxer, and the middle grade is called Fist Master. Within the high grade, the 7th, 8th and 9th Pins are respectively called Master, Grand Master and Grandmaster.
Honorary Duan Ranks
The Shaolin Kung Fu Duanpin System applies to everyone who studies and trains Shaolin Kung Fu and voluntarily applies for Duan or Pin promotion. Honorary ranks, running from Honorary 7th to Honorary 9th from low to high, are awarded only to those who have made significant contributions to the promotion and popularization of Shaolin Kung Fu.
Unified Evaluation Standard
The Shaolin Kung Fu Duanpin System Tutorial Series, approved by the Songshan Shaolin Temple and compiled by the Shaolin Kung Fu Duanpin System Committee, serves as the unified theoretical and technical evaluation standard for Duan and Pin promotion.
