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The Monastery, 80km west of Zhengzhou sits on Songshan, a mountain sacred to Taoists. It was started to build in the North Wei Dynasty (495). AD.527, a famous Indian Buddhist had preached here. According to the legend, Bedhidharma, the originator of the Chan sect had been sitting in meditation for 9 years. Shao Lin monks used to practice martial arts everyday and absorbed the strong from other sects of to form the Shao Lin Boxing and become one of the most influent sects of China boxing. As the result those Shao Lin monks had supported Li Shi Min, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty to found the state, the Monastery was highly respected and the monks also enjoyed a high reputation. Up till now, more than 300 tablets with carvings of the Tang Dynasty are still preserved, one of them is Li Shi Min's handwriting.
The Monastery was enlarged in the South Song and renovated in the reign of Yong Zheng of the Qing Dynasty. Most of buildings preserved are constructed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties; they covered an area of 30000 square km. In spite of the fires and destructions, many of the Monastery buildings, pavilions and towers are still standing, although most have had any original charm restored out of them.
Since the movie "Shao Lin Si" played by the famous star Li Lian Jie was shown and popular, the Monastery has been much more attractive than before, especially for teenagers. Each year, thousands of Chinese enroll at Shao Lin's martial art schools, as well as some foreigners.
Now, Shao Lin is a tourist place where the buses will drive you to anywhere you like to. There are a few hotels in different prices for people to spend nights.
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