Here are 7 secrets of Shaolin you may never heard of. This article is also a submission for the curious facts contest by @river-island.

1. There are 2 shaolin temples

Apparently, there were two (2) Shaolin temples, in the North and South. The Northern Shaolin temple is the one currently exist in Henan. However, the Southern Shaolin temple is controversial. The current exact location is not clear and there is no written document stating the previous location. The only reference to this Southern Shaolin temple is because it is acknowledged by some kungfu practitioners in Asia as their originator.

2. Not all Shaolin monks are "religion" monks

There's a huge misconception that all the monks in Shaolin temple are very religious. In fact, the monks in Shaolin can be separated into two (2) categories: religious monks and warrior monks. Most of the warrior monks are not as religious as you may think. Some are not vegetarian and not following a celibacy life. Of course, vice versa, there are also some monks who focused on Buddhism and not learning kung fu at all.

3. Shaolin was once closed

During the China's cultural revolution, around 1960s to 1970s, all martial art practices were forbidden. That includes Shaolin kung fu. As a result, Shaolin temple was forcibly closed by the government.

4. Shaolin is currently a tourism focused organization

In order to maintain the livelihood of hundreds of people inside the Shaolin temple with also a mission to preserve all Shaolin kung fu and culture, the current Shaolin is focused as a tourism organization. You can openly visit the Shaolin temple at any time. There are tour packages, clean lodgings / hotels in the surrounding area, you can go there and study kung fu directly from the Shaolin warrior monks. All of a fee. Shaolin provides shows and involved in many international martial art competitions or conference. The current Shaolin is a modern organization with ancient culture feel.

5. Shaolin has almost 500 sets of KungFu

Ever wonder how many kung fu sets (equal to “Kata” for Japanese Karate) are available in Shaolin temple? It's in outstanding 500 sets! Comprised of around 300 empty handed sets and almost 200 weapon sets. Latest generation Shaolin abbots are selecting the best 100 of it to make it simpler.

Shaolin warrior monk, Shi De Jun, explaining that Shaolin has almost 500 sets of kung fu

6. Shaolin has special show sets

If you see and compare several Shaolin shows, you will notice there are a lot of variations of movements even from one (1) set of kung fu. This is because, originally, the movements of those kung fu are supposed to be practical and effective in fighting, disregarding the “beauty” of the movements. As such, they added jumps, kicks, and all other acrobatics movements to maximize the performance of it. In the end, it’s a show, Shaolin show.

7. The strongest Shaolin kung fu is said to be: Xin Yi Ba

From those 500 sets, the so called ultimate set (the most deadly) of Shaolin kung fu is: Xin Yi Ba. It is said that it’s so deadly that it can only taught to some selected warrior monks. What is it look like? If you browse youtube you will find several videos similar to this one below. Strange looking isn’t it? Apparently, there are some tricks that are not shown nor taught at those videos.

The most deadly Shaolin kung fu

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