Spaghetti and kung fu

At the end of a path immersed in the forest, at the foot of the Songshan mountains in central China, stands the Shaolin Buddhist Temple, the cradle of the most acrobatic and choreographic kung fu style in the world. Shaolin monks wake up at 5 a.m. every day and train before breakfast, on an empty stomach. It is not easy to become a warrior monk; in addition to discipline and self-control, one must renounce all desires of the material life.

What to do, then, if it’s not blood that runs through your veins, but broth? Like the tasty, aromatic one in the legendary noodle soup that Mr. Ping prepares every day in his shop, a favorite of his son Po, a lazy and gluttonous panda who daydreams of one day becoming a kung fu master. The protagonist of *Kung Fu Panda*, the 2008 animation masterpiece, Po is chosen by the visionary Oogway as the future Dragon Warrior and entrusted to Master Shifu for training, so that he may defeat the evil Tai Lung, the infamous snow leopard. To transform the clumsy and cuddly Po into a fearsome fighter, Shifu uses as bait the steamed dumplings that the panda loves so much, thus turning the protagonist's weakness into strength, forced into a duel for the very last bite. Because, as Bruce Lee reminds us, the essence of martial art must be absorbed—in Po’s case, we might say "swallowed"—until it becomes second nature; only then can one achieve a personal, or rather, very personal style that allows one to push beyond every limit. No small feat for our flabby hero, supported on his tough training journey by the soundtrack composed by Hans Zimmer and John Powell. To Zimmer, in particular, we owe "Hero," with the beautiful Dragon Warrior theme—emotional, epic, and suddenly as overwhelming as a kung fu attack.

A majestic and lush soundscape, which the composer painted upon returning from a trip to China, undertaken with the precise intent of studying its culture and musical traditions. Hence the use of instruments such as the *erhu*, a sort of two-stringed fiddle; the *guzheng*, an ancient zither used at the imperial court; and Chinese bamboo flutes, perfect for creating sweet and serene sounds. John Powell’s music, on the other hand, clothed the more intimate aspects of the protagonist in notes, which develops throughout the film at the opposite extreme of the martial background. By coming to terms with his own individual frailties, Po gains awareness of the value of his own uniqueness. Powell highlights the many moments in which Po grows as an individual, much like the peach tree that, as the old sage Oogway reminds a perplexed Master Shifu, blossoms and bears fruit only when it is ready to do so. And it is right under the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom that Po learns an important lesson: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." And to enjoy the gift of the present moment ourselves, all that remains is to relive the extraordinary feat of our panda friend, savor its beautiful and engaging soundtrack, perhaps while ordering a noodle soup at Mr. Ping’s shop.


Mauro Tabasso
NP April 2026