Vladimir Putin is visiting Shaolin Temple

Over the past three years, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Russian president Vladimir Putin all visited C. Henan Province during their official visits to China. What made the countryside a must-see for these important officials?

The allure is the world-famous Shaolin Temple, a 1,500-year-old shrine known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism .

 Shaolin Temple

The name Shaolin is a combination of shao, a reference to the nearby Shaoshi Hill, part of Mt. Songshan, and lin, meaning forest.

Located 15 km NW of Dengfeng, Shaolin Temple is one of the most famous temples in China, not only because of its long history and role in the development of Chinese Buddhism, but also because of Kung Fu . Kung Fu is used as an umbrella term covering the entirety of the Shaolin Temple philosophy. It reconciles the apparent incompatibility of Buddhism and marital arts. This unlikely fusion of a quiet spirituality with daring physical feats of strength has earned the monks worldwide fame.

The temple was built in 495 AD for Indian monk Batuo, who came to China to spread Buddhism. Thirty years after the physical structure was built, the temple was given its spiritual foundation by Bodhidharma (Damo), another Indian monk who introduced Zen Buddhism, which emphasizes enlightenment by through meditation, to China. Legend has it that Damo meditated in a cave near the temple uninterrupted for nine years. The cave is now called Damo Cave.