Monastery of Shaolin

The Monastery of Shaolin, which was built in 495 on the western slopes of Songshan, is the birthplace of Chan Buddhism, which was founded by the Indian monk Bodhidharma (Damo) at the beginning of the 6th C. Being very weakened bodily as a result of long phases of meditation, he thought up with his disciples a series of exercises which were designed to restore strength and mobility to the body. It was this which led to the famous boxing school of Shaolin (Shaolin Quan), which is still practiced today by countless Buddhists and non-Buddhists in its later form, Kungfu. Under both the Ming and Qing dynasties, from the 14th to the early 20th C, the monastery was almost completely rebuilt. The inscription ''Shaolin Si'' over the door of the main entrance dates from the time of Emperor Kangxi (1662-1723).