8 little-known facts about Shaolin

The name "Shaolin temple" at the hearing, even those who have little interest in martial arts. However, we know about this legendary monastery is quite small.

1. In the year 495, the Shaolin monastery was founded is not Chinese.

2. In Shaolin for some time he lived the legendary Bodhidharma.

3. Monastery monastic troops initially had. In 620, the 13 Shaolin monks have helped Li Shimin (599-649) to stay on the throne, and the monastery received Royal permission to practice martial arts.

4. Contrary to popular belief, Shaolin — not only Chinese monastery, where he studied martial monks, and there were not martial arts. Other orders of monks began to diligently study martial arts and fighting with sticks earlier. Chunqiu records that have been made about 800-500 years BC, refer to "hard" and "soft" techniques of unarmed combat — these two techniques formed the basis of modern kung fu. During the reign of the moon dynasty (1368-1644 ad), when the Shaolin only started to be associated with perfect martial arts, kung fu was already known throughout China.

5. In 1928, the warlord Shi Yusan set fire to the Shaolin monastery. Were destroyed unique written sources: for example, the treatise of Zhang Santana, regarded as the source of tai Chi. In the ruins of the monastery lay half a century. At that time there were only seven monks, of which only three were familiar with kung fu.

6. According to the legend, except the Northern Shaolin temple, there was a southern Shaolin temple, which was located in Fujian province. There are no reliable sources of its existence has been found.

7. The interest in Chinese martial arts throughout the world began after the release of the film "Shaolin Temple" (1982). The film was shot in Hunan province. As the decorations used a real Buddhist temple. Later came the "Kids of Shaolin" (1983) and "Martial arts of Shaolin" (1986). The trilogy has been shown even within kinoprilozheniya to "Club kinoputeshestvennikov" in 1989.

8. According to George Lucas, the prototype of the Jedi "Star wars" became the Shaolin monks.