Ashton Chen is a Mainland Chinese

Mainland Chinese

Mainland Chinese or Mainlanders are Chinese people who live in a region considered a "mainland". It is frequently used in the context of areas ruled by the People's Republic of China, referring to people from Mainland China as opposed to other areas controlled by the state such as Hong Kong or...

 actor and martial artist. He has been a disciple of Shi Yongxin, the current abbot of the Shaolin Temple, since he was two years old. Originally known as "Chen Xiao-long" (陈小龙), Ashton was given a Dharma name

Dharma name

A Dharma name is a new name acquired during a Buddhist initiation ritual in Mahayana Buddhism and monk ordination in Theravada Buddhism. The name is traditionally given by a Buddhist monastic, but is also given to newly ordained monks, nuns and laity....

-- "Shi Xiao-long" (释小龙) by the abbot. He was taught with martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....

 by his father and Shi Yongxin at a young age. He got attention from the Entertainment Industry after his performance in the International Shaolin Kung Fu

Shaolin kung fu

Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...

 Festival in Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...

, China at the age of four. He had became a Kung Fu child actor

Child actor

The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...

 in China and achieved great success in films such as the martial arts comedy "Shaolin Popey II: Messy Temple" (新乌龙院) in 1994. In 2003, he stopped filming and went to study in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. In 2005, he went back to China to star as Zhan Zhao

Zhan Zhao

Zhan Zhao was a man who lived during the period of Northern Song in the era of Emperor Renzong. He was the royal guard of the palace. He was assigned to work together with Bao Zheng who was a governor of Kaifeng city, the capital city of Northern Song. He was a very honest person who was good at...

, a legendary body guard in Northern Song Dynasty in the TV series Young Justice Bao III. In 2007, he continues his study in the United States and has graduated at high school in 2008. He continued his acting career in China since then. He starred as a Ip Man's student in the martial arts film Ip Man 2

Ip Man 2

Ip Man 2 is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man, the film was directed by Wilson Yip, and stars Donnie Yen, who reprises the leading role...

 released in April 2010.

External links

• Official Website
• http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/1257831543/
• http://t.sina.com.cn/ashtonchen/
• http://www.xiaolongedu.com.cn/
• http://www.sxlclub.com/bbs/
• http://www.sxlong.cn/