First Look: Life as a Student at [School Name]

“I have been accepted by the Shaolin monks and I will live with them in China. Its history goes back about 1,500 years. They are all masters of kung-fu, the mother of martial arts, and I want to learn from them“, Prince Simeon of Bulgaria told us in his first interview, upon turning 18. And said and done. In November, he headed to Mount Song, in the province of Henan, described as “the center of heaven and earth”, to delve deeper into this ancient discipline, and now You are a Shaolin Kung Fu disciple.

“Simeon successfully passed all evaluations and put an end to the first phase with an exam witnessed by teachers and students. He is the only Western student and it was exciting when he received his first diploma and also his Chinese Shaolin Kung Fu name: Si Miao Tian—which translates into English as ‘great disciple of Buddha of magnificent heaven’—”, they tell us from the legendary school.

Accepted as a disciple

“The young prince,” they add, “has demonstrated the virtuosity of Shaolin Kun Fu and Shaoshi Shan martial arts and we will have him back in the spring for a much superior training. After passing the exam, what filled him most with joy was being accepted as a disciple by Grandmaster Wang Hengying in an official ceremony. This meant a lot to Simeon. Wang Hengying, who is dedicated to spreading and promoting traditional culture of Chinese martial arts, has been the one who has guided and trained him. This admission is not only a testament to his hard work, but an honor that will always be with him; a valuable spiritual treasure that will help you boost the culture of Chinese martial arts. That is his idea, his wish: In the future, he wants to promote and develop the spirit of Shaolin Kun Fu martial arts.”

new friends

Throughout these two months, Simeon participated in the daily study sessions y competition class training, that brings together the best students. They are students who fight in martial arts events at the national and world level and have won gold and silver medals. They don’t speak English, but they have welcomed him with open arms, they have accompanied him in everything and, in the end, some of them have also become good friends.

The son of Princess Kalina and the explorer Kitín Muñoz, who is made for anything —”adventure and challenges are a school of life”— and began practicing kung-fu, in Morocco, when he was a child, he gladly took on the very tough program, which involves giving up ordinary life and embrace austerity in a path of daily effort.

The language barrier

He has lived near pueblo de Dengfengin Henan province, in the impressive complex of 58,000 square meters, and slept in the building Quanshi, with the coaches. Initially, he was expected to share a dormitory with his classmates, but, taking into account the language barrier, he was allowed to stay in the same building as the teachers, being able to enjoy a single room. This was the only difference, otherwise, Simeon embraced all the rules, the vegetarian menu and the established schedules and he was just another student.

Your day It started at five in the morning with a run through nature —which he repeated several times throughout the day—and, After breakfast, training began until 8:30 p.m. ten minutes before the lights went out. This translates into eight hours of training, and on some days up to ten, when exams were approaching or I wanted to improve on a technique.

martial arts weapons

He young prince learned martial arts routinesattack techniques and defensive strategies developed exclusively by the school and completed the practical combat evaluation, achieving a rapid initiation in Shaolin Kung Fu. The courses he took cover internal skills: Yi Jin Jing —classic of muscle-tendon change—, fundamental in martial heritage, and basic skills with the 24 Shaolin movements, which he complemented with other professional exercises to improve his physical capacity.

Furthermore, according to what they tell us from school Shaolin Kun FuSimeon trained with martial arts weapons and now masters the “pudao” (a type of broad sword); the “guandao”, emblematic weapon of Guan Yu (general of the Three Kingdoms period), which is like a scythe and is known as the “green dragon blade”; the “jiujie bian” (nine-section whip), which he chose for the final exam, and the changqiang (spear), “the queen of weapons”. The curriculum also included Sanda (free combat), Shaolin Quan (boxing) and Chunqiu Da Dao (spring and autumn great saber), weapon in which he was instructed by Wang Guanxiong, director of the Shaoshi Mountain Martial Arts School, national champion of Chunqiu Da Dao martial arts and a great athlete who participates in national and international competitions.

Ancestral immersion

During this time of intensive program, Simeon” also conducted an in-depth study of the historical origins of Shaolin martial arts.the spirit of martial ethics and the cultural essence of self-training.” The prince toured emblematic places that allowed him to learn about traditional Chinese culture and acquire a multidimensional understanding of this ancient country. And he made numerous visits to institutions such as the Museum of Ancient Weapons, the Museum of Agricultural Culture and the Art Museum, owned by the Shaoshi Mountain School of Martial Arts. In the first, delved into the evolution of ancient Chinese weaponsand in the second, in the country’s ancient agricultural heritage. Together with his classmates, he harvested vegetables in the garden and collected fresh products that were later included in the school menus. And at the Art Museum, he discovered the vast collection of calligraphy and paintings from different dynasties, as well as the palm leaf writing, a priceless treasure of Buddhist culture.

another mission

Got the diploma, Simeon has temporarily returned to his home in Vitosha, in the Boyana neighborhood of Sofia, to fulfill another mission. On November 1, 2025, he participated for the first time in the Day of the National Heroes together with the squads of the Bulgarian Youth Guard. Festival established by King Boris, great-grandfather of the prince. And next March 3, days before his 19th birthday, he will participate in the Liberation Day parade. It will be symbolic—a grandson of King Simeon parading with the Youth Guard—but also historic, and he must receive instruction.

It won’t be this the only thing you do during your stay in Sofia. The youngest grandson of King Simeon will continue studying classical Arabic, he will take the opportunity to obtain the title of instructor of snowboard and that of yacht master – he has been preparing for some time – and will continue training with the Nine Section Whip, which was brought to Bulgaria, before returning to China. Shaolin is one more step for this young adventurer before joining the his father’s next expedition on a reed raft. It will be a transoceanic journey with the family.