Site map

How to find us

The Shaolin Temple, Song Shan, Peoples Republic of China

The Shaolin Temple

The roots of kung fu come from the 1500 year-old Shaolin Temple in Henan Province in China. The temple is the source of an ancient Chinese cultural heritage. It is a valuable centre of learning for Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism, Shaolin kung fu, traditional herbal medicines, and many arts such as painting and calligraphy. The benefits of this cultural diversity is one for bringing the Shaolin knowledge out of China. There is a great fascination about Chinese culture in the West and many students go to the Shaolin Temple to learn but find that this is not enough. This situation has prompted the Abbot Shi Yong Xin to send a monk to Europe to make accessible the Shaolin culture to a much broader audience. Shifu Shi Yanzi was sent to England by the Abbot to build a cultural centre and a new branch of the Temple. A centre in Europe will make it much easier for western people to learn and benefit from Shaolin culture.

Shaolin kung fu

In the practice of Shaolin kung fu there is one central idea to enable the students to be successful and that is the need to understand that Ch'an Buddhism is at its heart. Other schools of martial arts do not have this spiritual centre, Ch'an Buddhism is the propelling force behind Shaolin kung fu. The Shaolin Temple has a rich culture to offer, the Abbot aims to encourage the growth and spread of the Shaolin culture to bring peaceful contact and help to people in the western world.