Strait Herald
October 23, 2009

In Quanzhou yesterday, a monk gave a demonstration of "floating on water" (水上漂), one of the seventy-two Shaolin arts. The monk, Shi Liliang, appeared on the front page of today's Strait Herald, which ran a feature on his remarkable skill.

Disappointingly, Shi did not actually walk on water: he first floated a length of thin plywood on which he then took quick, short steps on his toes until he lost his balance some 18 meters into the reservoir, a personal best.

Still, this was no mean feat. One of his disciples made an attempt but took just two steps before falling into the water: "It was as slippery as stepping on a watermelon rind, so I fell off right away!"

How does Shi do it?

Shi said in an interview that there are two major steps to mastering water-based qing gong. First, you have to train qi gong and qing gong, and then you have to follow a special training regimen. Shi said that his body was as light as a bird's due to more than a decade of training. Ordinarily, he trains by strapping sand bags and iron bars to his feet when he runs, and after he takes them off, he feels that his legs are light as a feather.

To work on his courage and to improve his balance, Shi often trains by running along cliffs, walls, or building railings no more than ten centimeters wide. However, he warned everyone that such activities are dangerous and no one without a grounding in martial arts should attempt them.

Bodhidharma is said to have crossed a river on a reed, but Shi Liliang says he will be satisfied if he can travel 50 meters over a length of board no wider than his shoulders.