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...The last terrible disaster
was in 1928, when the temple was burnt down by a warlord, called Shi
Yousan'. It forced the monks to flee, and destroyed most of the temple.
(Click here for
the pictures of Shaolin before 1928)
After the cultural
revolution, the Shaolin temple was rehabilitated by the Chinese
government which wanted to promote the practise of wushu, a sport
version of the traditional martial art. Nowadays the tradition is well
kept. More than a hundred monks live retired in the monastary. Some of
them study Buddhism, while others continue to study and practise
Shaolin kung fu, trying to return it in its brilliance. Generation
after generation, these martial monks remain devoted to the research
and development of the best techniques.
For years kung fu schools had been surrounding the temple, some of
them teaching traditional Shaolin kung fu, some of them modern wushu
techniques. More than 30 schools were teaching students from all over
the world. The biggest school could house more than 3000 students at
the same time.
Now Shaolin is on the UNESCO list, and has been returned into its
original state. To achieve this the Chinese government has forced
these schools to 'relocate', to bring back Shaolin's surroundings in
its original state.
In 2004 the
temple started a new project. After the completing of the relocation
of the village, it was now the turn to the temple it self. When in the
1980's tourists started visiting the temple, the temple had been
reconstructed quickly, to be able to welcome all of them. Now one has
started to reconstruct the temple, and bring it back to its original
state, of before the burning in 1928.
Since 1988 the Shaolin monks
have traveled all over the world, performing their martial art for
audiences worldwide, to promote one of the biggest treasures of this
world, the fighting art of the monks of the monastary of the small
forest : Shaolin
Kung Fu !
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