Shaolin Monastery

The birthplace of Zen Buddhism and Chinese martial arts, 80 km from Luoyang

The Shaolin Monastery on Mount Song, about 80 kilometres east of Luoyang, is the birthplace of Chan (Zen) Buddhism and the origin of Shaolin kung fu. Founded in 495 AD and rebuilt several times since, the present complex is large and somewhat commercialised, with martial arts performances staged several times daily for tour groups. This should not put you off: the monastery itself, the forest of memorial pagodas (the largest pagoda forest in China), and the cave where Bodhidharma reputedly meditated are genuinely significant places.

Kung fu schools cluster around the entrance to the monastery road, training students from across China and from abroad. If you visit on a weekday, you can watch training sessions in the courtyards of these schools. The combination of religious history, martial arts tradition, and mountain scenery makes Shaolin worth the half-day excursion from Luoyang. Regular buses run from Luoyang bus station to Dengfeng, from where local transport continues to Shaolin.

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A story
Bodhidharma, the Indian monk credited with bringing Zen Buddhism to China, is said to have arrived at Shaolin in the early 6th century and spent nine years meditating in a cave on the mountain above, staring at the rock wall. When he emerged, the outline of his shadow had been burned permanently into the stone — or so the story goes. A cave is still shown to visitors as the site of this vigil. More concretely, the physical training techniques he reportedly taught the monks to combat physical deterioration from long sitting became the foundation of Shaolin kung fu.