The Shaolin temples are a group of Chinese Buddhist monasteries in Henan Province famed for their long association with Chán (Zen) Buddhism and martial arts. Thanks to Kung Fu movies, they are probably the most familiar Buddhist monasteries in the West. Shaolin is situated on China's central Taoist sacred mountain, Song Shan. The name "Shaolin" means "Young Forest".

The present Shaolin temple complex dates mostly from after the 1928 fire. It has been gaudily repainted and filled mainly with souvenir shops, but there are still several sights of interest.

The first temple courtyard contains steles, one of which celebrates the visit of American kung-fu masters. Two of the halls in the back have delightful murals, one of the few things that haven't been repeatedly restored. The monks depicted in the murals look more comic than threatening.

The Qing murals in the White Robe Hall depict the Rescue of Emperor Tai Zong by Thirteen Monks, showing typical kung-fu moves. The Thousand Buddha Hall contains a Ming-dynasty mural of 500 arhats. In the Hall of Wen Shu are deep depressions in the stone floor caused by monks standing in the same place and practising their stance kicks over and over again.

About 200m up the hill from the temple is the impressive Forest of Dagobas (or Pagoda Forest), with hundreds of stone pagoda memorials erected in honor of Shaolin monks from the 9th to 19th centuries. Each one is inscribed with the names of the monk and his disciples. Here the students of the temple practice martial arts in their orange robes: one exercise involves fighting while balanced halfway up the sides of the dagobas.

You can continue the ascent up the mountain by cable car or stone steps from here. The main attraction is the cave where Bodhidarma is said to have spent nine years motionless facing a wall in a state of Zen enlightenment. For a few ¥ you can look at it from the road through a high-powered telescope.