Shaolin monks aren't just a made-up thing from, say, Mortal Kombat or kung-fu movies. They're an actual thing.

Shi Liliang, a Shaolin monk, made headlines in his native China the other day when he managed to run a whopping 125 metres on open water with just a tiny plywood bridge to keep him up.

If you're thinking that's easy, guess again. The plywood essentially drops underwater the minute you put weight on it, so how did Shi Liliang manage to do it?

By running on his tippy-toes, essentially. The monk explained that he had attempted the feat for over TEN years and only recently managed to make it up to 125 metres.

Shi Liliang, whose vows of poverty prevent him from earning money from these stunts, is instead raising money for a local school in his town of Quanzhou.

The Shaolin monk tried FIVE times in this one attempt before he got it. Think about that the next time you're struggling to go to the gym / quit smoking / not ordering a takeaway.

 

Via YouTube / New China TV