China - Henan - Shaolin
5th Century Buddhist temple associated with kung fu
(photos of December 2008)
To view in full-screen mode: press F11 (press again for normal mode).
To return from a link in Internet Explorer:
point at top edge and close window or tab.
To return from a link in Mozilla Firefox, etc:
point at top edge and press back-arrow.
Return to Table of Contents
Shaolin Temple
The Shaolin Temple or Monastery
(map) in China's Henan Province
lies near the town of Dengfeng
(map), which has many large kung fu schools,
and is located about an hour by new 4-lane motorway
west of the modern provincial capital of Zhengzhou
(map).
The Shaolin Temple is described in
Wikipedia
and here, and in Chinese
here.
Its connection with martial arts, in particular kung fu, is described
here.
Quoting: "The Shaolin Monastery has experienced a 1,500 year history since its
establishment in 495 A.D, during the reign of the North Wei Dynasty.
It is the Biggest school of Buddhism in China since the Tang Dynasty.
During this long period, a unique kung fu art was developed combining Zen
doctrine and martial arts, the most impressive symbol of Chinese nationality."
The visit starts at a tourist center with brand-new gate, which is followed by
a much older gate, near where a kung fu show is regularly offered.
The temple itself comprises many buildings with exquisite archtecture.
The roof structures are particularly refined.
Chinese medicine is prepared and sold.
Each major monk is immortalized with an elaborate monument.
Return to Table of Contents
© Copyright 2009 Michel Van Hove
