If you are planning a Luoyang Tour, it is highly recommended to include a side trip to Shaolin Temple from Luoyang. Shaolin Temple is the cradle of the Chinese Zen Buddhism and the Shaolin Martial Arts. Then how to visit Shaolin Temple during your Luoyang travel?
After visiting the major attractions in Luoyang including Longmen Grottoes, it is advisable to spare a whole day starting in the early morning from Luoyang to Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Temple is located about 80km southeast of Luoyang which is within the jurisdiction of Dengfeng City, 12km from Shaolin Temple.
Travel to Shaolin Temple overland is the only choice of transportation. You may prebook a taxi or rent a private car from local travel agency in Luoyang which costs you around RMB 600 for a round trip.
For money saving and more interactive contact with the locals as well, you may go to Shaolin Temple by taking the long-distance bus from Luoyang Long-distance Station which is located across Luoyang Railway Station in the city center. Plentiful buses pass by Shaolin Temple. Just get up early and buy your bus ticket on the spot from Luoyang to Shaolin Temple.
Most of the Shaolin Temple bound buses run on National Highway No.207 and Shaolin Temple is just located by the highway 80km from Luoyang. Actually many long-distance buses work as shuttle buses along the highway passing numerous villages. Don’t be surprised when your bus will stop when there are people waving hands by the roadside if your bus still have some vacancies which your bus driver definetely wants to fill in for maximizing the profit.
Chinese are “noisy” people. On your bus, the passengers around you will talk loudly, even shout and eat, making the bus like their homes and ignoring the existence of others on the bus. So just keep your patience, be tolerant and “enjoy” your travel experience on a long-distance bus in China!
On the way to Shaolin Temple from Luoyang
On the way to Shaolin Temple from Luoyang
Within 2 and half hours your ticket collector on the bus will remind you that you have arrived at the entrance to Shaolin Temple. Get off and you will see a huge statue of a Shaolin Temple Monk.
A huge statue of a Shaolin Temple Monk.
A huge statue of a Shaolin Temple Monk.
Shaolin Temple was established in 495AD by Emperor Xiaowen in Beiwei Dynasty for the purpose of housing the famous Indian monk, Batuo, who came to Luoyang, the ancient capital for spreading Buddhism at that period. Emperor Xiaowen was a dedicated believer of Buddhism so he decided to construct the temple at the foot of the Songshan Mountains to welcome Batuo, who translated many Buddhist documents and had several hundred followers there.
“Shao” refers to the Shaoshi Mountain, one of the two mountains in Songshan Mountain Range. “Lin” means “forest”. “Shaolin Temple” literally means a temple in the forest of Shaoshi Mountain in Songshan Mountain Range.
Now Shaolin Temple is reputed as the Number One Temple under Heaven which was listed as UNESCO’s World Cultural & Natural Heritage List in 2010 as part of the “Historic Monuments of Dengfeng.” The temple is the cradle of the Chinese Zen Buddhism and the Shaolin Martial Arts.
Shaolin Temple is rated as a 5-star government appointed attraction which is well organized in terms of its clear layout and signs, clean toilets and environment, and easy transportation. Basically your Shaolin Temple trip will take you around 3 hours covering three major sites including watching Shaolin Kung Fu Show for half hour, one hour visit to Shaolin Temple itself and half hour visit to the Pagoda Forest. The linear travel route is about 2-3km which takes much walking. If you don’t have strong legs, you may use the shuttle bus serivice at RMB 10 for one way trip within the compound.
The main gate to Shaolin Temple, the stone archway with a huge rock in its front carved with the words “Shaolin Culture, People’s Heritage” by former Chinese president Jiang Zeming.
The main gate to Shaolin Temple, the stone archway
The main gate to Shaolin Temple, the stone archway
On your left side by the gate is the ticket office with an ancient style of structure. Admission Fee: RMB 100 and Opening Hours: 08:10 to 17:30
The ticket office
The entry gate is divided into three sub-gates – Group Entry, No-smoking Entry and Individual Entry.
Once you enter the attraction compound, you will first walk by Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts School. The Ta Gou Kung Fu School, one of the largest kung fu schools in China, is the only one kung fu school which owns and practices on land below the Shaolin Temple. It has over 400 classes and has trained over 50,000 kung fu students.
The Ta Gou Kung Fu School
The Ta Gou Kung Fu School
Students are training on one of the playgrounds nearby of The Ta Gou Kung Fu School
Students are training on one of the playgrounds nearby of The Ta Gou Kung Fu School
Soon you will walk past the Shaolin Kung Fu Show Theatre which is located not far from the main entrance. There are 5 fixed daily performaces at the theatre. The kung fu show lasts half hour including a few minutes’interaction on the part of the visitors and the actors.
Kung Fu Show Time Table
Morning Kung Fu Show
9:30 – 10:00
11;30 – 12:00
Afternoon Kung Fu Show
14:00 – 14:30
15:00 – 15:30
16:00 – 17:30
So well schedule your visiting time in Shaolin Temple, avoiding losing the exciting kung fu show. The Kung Fu Show is performed by the professinal performance team from Shaolin Tagou Kung Fu School. Shaolin Kung fu is the most influential martial arts schools in China. In the less than half performance, you will see “Shaolin Boxing” and “Shaolin Stick” typical of Shaolin Kungfu.
The Shaolin Kung Fu Show Theatre
The Shaolin Kung Fu Show Theatre
The most impressing performace is Tongzigong. Tongzigong” literally means “children’s kung fu”, a form of qigong exercise needing flexibility, part of Shaolin Kung Fu classes. It is learned at very early age and must be practiced before the body becomes matured and grown up.
Tongzigong
Tongzigong
You may watching the show before or after visiting other major sites like Shaolin Temple and Pagoda Forest. Then you continue to walk on the main road approaching Shaolin Temple.
Shanmen Hall is the first hall serving as an entrance to the temple. Hung on its top is a placard inscribed with ”Shaolin Temple”. The hall enshrines the Maitreya Buddha with 18 Buddhist Arhats standing along the eastern and the southern walls of the hall.
Shanmen Hall
Shanmen Hall
Next, walking along the axis, you will come across the Hall of Heavenly Kings with magnificent structure, enshrining the four heavenly kings.
the Hall of Heavenly Kings
Then comes the Mahavira Hall, which houses the Buddha Shakyamuni.
the Mahavira Hall
Standing in Snow Pavilion, enshrining the second abbot of Shaolin Temple – Monk Huike who stood in the snow with his left arm cut in order to study the buddhism from Dharma.
Standing in Snow Pavilion
Standing in Snow Pavilion
Shaolin Temple is full of prominent Chinese architectures, stelae and tablets. If you are interested in Chinese traditional culture, you may find a lot to see and study inside Shaolin Temple.
Shaolin Temple is full of prominent Chinese architectures, stelae and tablets
Outside the temple and move on to the next big attraction – Pagoda Forest, a graveyard for the monks through the ages.
Pagoda Forest
Actually there are more to see in Shaolin Temple beside the major attractions mentioned above, like the Dharma Cave and so on. At the end of your trip, you may walk back to the entrance or pay RMB 10 to take a shuttle bus from Pagoda Forest to the entrance.
Shuttle Bus inside Shaolin Temple compound
Shuttle Bus inside Shaolin Temple compound
If you want to continue to visit Dengfeng where Zhongyue Tempple and Songyang Academy are located, you may take the bus no.08 across the road by Shaolin Temple to Dengfeng City.
take the bus no.08 across the road by Shaolin Temple to Dengfeng City.
