About Shaolin

Shaolin — a Buddhist monastery in the central China (a province Henan, Denfen city) - the birthplace of Buddhist school Chan and the centre of Buddhist martial arts. It is located in the mountains Sunshan rich with legends and memorable places.
In this place in the beginning of V century was a Taoist monastery where Kou Tsianchzhi lived, however later after persecutions on daosism the monastery was occupied with Buddhists.
It is founded in 495 with support of emperor Siao Ven-di (dynes. Northern Vei) the Indian Buddhist monk by name of Bhadra (Bato Bátuó, Buddhabhadra). In 530 in the monastery the founder of the chan-Buddhism of Bodhidharma (Putidamo, Damo) has stopped.
Many schools of martial arts go back to a Shaolin. Among the schools declaring the spiritual relationship with a Shaolin, are known the Chinese school a Shaolin Quan and Japanese Syorinzi-kempo.
Popularity of a Shaolin in a mass culture has led to that the monastery has strongly expanded, the big money has been invested in an accomplishment of region and the tourism industry. In a monastery and round it there is a great number of commercial schools of martial arts for foreign tourists.

Nature

The hills of Sunshan share on two parts - "the Big mountain refuge" (Dashishan) and "the Small mountain refuge" (Shaoshishan) where at a foot of peak of Ukunshan the small monastery of Shaolins has settled down.

Infrastructure

Behind the monastery wall rises an impressing Wood of Pagodas (Ta Lin) where has remained over 260 gravestone mortars of priors of a monastery. The stone pagodas concerning to IX-XIX centuries, testify to style changes of different epoch.
In a half an hour of walking from the well-known monastery there is one of the greatest Taoist temples in China - "the Temple of the Median hill" (Zhunyuemyao).

Transport
•   √ Bus
•   √ Plane
Climate
•   √ Mountain
•   √ Language (official and spoken)
•   √ Religion
•   √ Time zone (+00:00 GMT)
Location type
•   √ Popular
•   √ Sightseeing
Target audience
•   √ Adults