UNESCO World Heritage SiteNational 5A Scenic AreaCentral China
Shaolin Temple & Songshan
嵩山少林寺 · Henan, Dengfeng
The cradle of Chan (Zen) Buddhism and Shaolin kung fu, set on the sacred Mount Song.
Shaolin Temple is the famous birthplace of Shaolin martial arts and a principal monastery of Chan Buddhism, nestled in the forests of Mount Song, one of China's Five Sacred Mountains. The complex includes the temple, the spectacular Forest of Pagodas (a cemetery of brick stupas) and kung fu schools where thousands of students train.
Founded in 495 AD under the Northern Wei, the temple became the cradle of Chan after the monk Bodhidharma meditated there in the 6th century; its monks' martial arts became legendary. The Historic Monuments of Dengfeng, including Shaolin, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.
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