Performance Information
Artistic Vision
Melody of China Musician Bios
A Brief History of Shaolin
Kung Fu and Ballet
Shaolin Martial Arts
Shaolin Philosophy and
Chan Buddhism
Seven Shaolin Temple Stories
The Temple in Modern Times
Early Buddhist Art in China
Sources
Shaolin Interview
Kung Fu Classes
Rehearsal Video

The Temple in Modern Times

The disintegration and destruction of the Shaolin temples began during the Boxer Rebellion in 1901. Among the Boxers (who were Nationalist soldiers encouraged by the Empress, fighting against the allied foreign countries with strong investments in China) were many Shaolin monks, who sustained huge losses fighting against superior military powers. After the Boxer Rebellion, the Chinese government outlawed martial arts and religious practices, weakening the Shaolin’s standing and authority. Following WWI, Chinese factions were warring internally as well as fighting the Japanese, and by the 1930s, the Shaolin temples were regularly ransacked by both Nationalists and Communists. A large number of monks who were not killed in these attacks fled into the countryside, or left China entirely.

The twentieth century was a tumultuous one for China generally, and for the Shaolin monks in particular; in 1927, the Henan temple was burned to the ground. For the next several decades, the temple languished, its traditions and teachings neglected. Roughly ten years ago, the Chinese government took the initiative to restore the Shaolin temple, and to raise awareness about its history—its important place in Chinese heritage, its interest for foreign tourists, etc.—and the Henan temple was given major structural renovations.

Today, the Shaolin temple on Songshan Mountain, in the Henan Province, is a destination for many tourists, as well as a training center for martial arts. Monks from the modern Shaolin temple, while preserving the spiritual and cultural traditions that have sustained the temple for centuries, are also more involved in the world that surrounds Songshan Mountain. New disciples and visitors from many countries come to the temple; at the same time, groups of monks affiliated with the temple have begun to establish centers outside of China, helping to share the Shaolin philosophies and practices with people all over the world.