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Shaolin Kung Fu

The temple on Mount Song.

The martial arts of the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in Henan, China: animal styles, staff, flexibility and conditioning, linked to Chan (Zen) Buddhism for more than a thousand years.

Fact file

Country
China
Founder / origin
Shaolin Monastery
Year / period
founded 495
Type
Striking
Style of
Kung Fu
Sources: UNESCO — Historic Monuments of Dengfeng · Encyclopaedia Britannica

History

The Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song, in Henan, was founded in 495. It is the cradle of Chan (Zen) Buddhism — tradition links it to the Indian monk Bodhidharma — and its monks became famous for kung fu, which they practised as discipline and protection.

In 621 thirteen staff-wielding monks helped Li Shimin, future emperor of the Tang dynasty. The temple was burned several times, notably in 1928 by a warlord. Today it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site (2010), and Shaolin monk troupes tour the world.