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The Shaolin Temple sits at the western foot of Songshan Mountain about 13 km northwest of urban Dengfeng. It is not only the origin of Chinese Zen Buddhism, and also the birthplace of the largest school of Chinese martial arts, which is the Shaolin School.
The Shaolin Temple covers an area of over 36,000 square meters and currently has numerous stone inscriptions, plaques, colorful murals, Shaolin boxing pits created by Kungfu monks when doing practices, and ancient and famous trees. The Shaolin Temple Pagoda Forest, knownas the "Museum of Chinese Ancient Pagoda Art", preserves 241 ancient pagodas and 2 modern pagodas dating from 689 to 1803. The Ancestral Temple of Shaolin Temple, built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), is a valuable evidence of China's first architectural classic, "The Way to Create," which was compiled by Li Jie of the Song Dynasty. These precious cultural relics and buildings combine to bea historical witness to the development of the Shaolin Temple, hence possessing high historical, artistic, and scientific value. (Video: Zhao Hanqing & Yang Jiaxin)
