Source: CCTV.com

05-09-2008 09:49

Shaolin Temple, stands shrouded in perpetual mist atop Mount Songshan in central China's Henan Province. The temple is renowned the world over as the birth place of Shaolin Kung-fu - the art viewed by many as the crown of Chinese martial arts. This week, a group of kungfu masters from the ancient monastery staged a grand spectacle in the northwestern province of Qinghai.

Shaolin Temple, stands shrouded in perpetual mist atop Mount  Songshan in central China's Henan Province.(Photo: CCTV.com)

As part of the Qinghai Tulip Cultural Festival - the kungfu show proved a sensation. The performers average seventeen year old. All come from the Shaolin Temple. During the one hour show, they performed some of Shaolin Temple's classic kungfu feats. The audience of local people and visitors was enthralled by the performance.

Shaolin Temple, stands shrouded in perpetual mist atop Mount  Songshan in central China's Henan Province.(Photo: CCTV.com)

Shaolin Kungfu is believed to have been a major school in the earliest stages of China's martial arts tradition. The monastery is believed to have been built by Dharma, a Buddhist monk who came to China during the 6th century AD. Here he established the Chinese Buddhist tradition now known as Zen. During his lifetime, Dharma developed a set of breathing exercises and combat skills so that his disciples could protect themselves from wild animals and robbers while preaching their mission.

Over the centuries, the tradition carried further until it developed into the world renowned Shaolin kungfu. The martial arts style has grown even further in stature as a result of a series of kungfu movies produced in 1980s.

Editor:Liu Fang