Seriously though, while I'm not dismissing the possibility of different Shaolin feats such as you describe, what's to say the Shaolin order isn't really an order of Magicians who have honed their tricks over millenia?

That's a simple one: SCIENCE

Specifically, the point of scientific proof is repeat-ability. They don't have to trick you - you can go home and do it yourself, or, alternatively, if they won't show you, you could attack them and feel it for yourself, though I beg you not to try it without clearing it with them first, for your own safety.

This is also why I get upset with people who call kung fu "ballet bullshit", they've clearly never met someone authentic if so, and there are a lot of charlatans out there.

Would be pretty hard to tell, assuming they were as good magicians as we would otherwise agree they are good martial artists. Not saying this is so, just that it would be very hard to tell.

Oh, no, it's a fair question. The simple fact is that anyone studying authentic Shaolin kung fu should be 'ready to go' at any time, anywhere (presuming they're not dying of cancer or something, and even then, that didn't stop my Sifu). Some few of the things we do might be considered "tricks", such as pushing down on the spear-to-the-throat thing rather than inward, but these still require extensive other training and conditioning to be able to do, it's just that after all that other training, you don't need to learn anything new to do these "tricks". It would be like being skeptical of the Harlem Globetrotters' ability to sink a basket because they're flashy with how they handle the ball on the floor.

Or, assuming that the Shaolin are the real deal, what if there were a temple of magicians next to the Shaolin temple, copying their feats but using tricks instead...would we be able to tell who is the martial artist and who is the magician?

Well, again, the proof is in the pudding - Shaolin is the product of more than a millennium of scientific study on the human body and its limits and capabilities. As such, they tested anything they could extensively, and have found ways to train the human body to do the most it possibly can. This is fairly well always just a matter of conditioning over time; as kung fu literally means "skill earned through time and hard work" - which also isn't specific to wushu (martial art), but can apply to anything in life.

The unfortunate fact is that there are lots of people copying them but using tricks instead. You have people who simply watched someone training, or read about the techniques, but never studied or learned under them, thus not knowing what they're doing, or even being sure it works. (Modified Wing Chun is an example of this) Some people took Karate lessons, then decided they wanted to be cool when Kung Fu became a fad in the west, thanks to Bruce Lee, and started "kung fu" schools of made-up styles. (Chi Lin is an example of this) Some people just literally made shit up, taking one or two techniques that they saw somewhere, and the rest is 100% bullshit all the way, with not even enough tangible benefit to stop a drunk child. (Pai Lum is an example of this)

Now, the key here is that the Shaolin Temple has a clear and concise list of that is directly descended from the Temple. If it's not on that list, it's not Shaolin Wushu Gung Fu. It may be interesting to note that Okinawan karate is so closely descended from the temple that it's simply considered to be kung fu as well.

So, the real question, how do you tell who is the martial artist and who is the magician?

Are they putting in reps to train all day long, or just talking about it?