Episode Information

For six young Buddhist monks it’s the journey of a lifetime. They travelled halfway around the world, from their holy mountain in China to the heart of Germany. Sent west by their abbot, the 34th generation leader of the temple, they had a mission: to bring Shaolin’s unique blend of kung fu and Zen Buddhism to Europe. The monk’s task was formidable and there were many misunderstandings along the way. The monks arrived in Germany with hardly a word of German between them. They confronted a population whose knowledge of Shaolin was limited by what they saw in Bruce Lee movies. Shaolin: Journey to the West follows the monks at work and at play. Germany has changed them. They are called the Nutella Monks by their students because of their fondness for the chocolate spread. Chocolate is not part of the diet on Mount Song. In an entertaining yet informative way, this moving film cycles between their lives in Germany and at the strict monastic life they left behind on the holy mountain.