Temple is inspiration for martial artists

The Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng city, about 70km from Zhengzhou city centre, is the best-known tourist attraction in the region, attracting 1.5 million visitors a year.

Located at the base of the Songshan Mountains, the Shaolin Temple is one of the world's most famous, more for the martial arts taught there for centuries than the Zen Buddhism, which arose out of it 1,500 years ago.

Thousands of people have studied under the martial arts masters who live and teach there year round.

The temple first gained prominence in the late 6th century with the arrival of Bodhidarma, the legendary Indian monk who stayed there and meditated in a cave for nine years, whereupon he arose and taught the Shaolin monks Zen Buddhism and martial arts.

The story of his meditation, and the dedication of his first Chinese follower, Huike, have inspired martial artists and Zen practitioners for centuries, leading to a cult-like following of the monk.

The temple complex is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Several halls commemorate Buddhist deities and the many monks that have lived and practised in the temple since its establishment.

One of the more fascinating halls in the complex is the Pagoda Garden, which is a graveyard for monks who have lived and died there.

The Songshan Mountains and the climb up to the temple prepare one for the beauty and power of the temple complex, which has been rebuilt and renovated several times over the centuries.

The halls, paths, and courtyards, when not full of tourists, are perfect renditions of classic Chinese temple and garden architecture and should be appreciated in full.

The martial arts school towards the back of the complex is what makes Shaolin most famous.

Dozens of movies and books depict the life of a martial arts student and the various legends that swirl around the peaks of the temple.

The monks are still intense and skilled martial arts practitioners and treat each performance, and each student, with the utmost seriousness.