Shaolin‎ > ‎   The Shaolin Temple (Chinese: 少林寺; pinyin: Shàolín
Sì) is the birthplace of the Martial Arts and Chan approach to
Buddhism. The original Shaolin temple is located in Mount Song
(Simplified Chinese: 嵩山; Pinyin: Sōng Shān) - the central
mountain of the "five sacred mountains" (simplified Chinese: 五岳;
traditional Chinese: 五嶽; pinyin: Wǔyuè) of China, near Dengfeng
(Chinese: 登封; pinyin: Dēngfēng), Henan (Chinese: 河南; pinyin:
Hénán; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan) Province. The name "Shaolin" was
inspired by the lush forest of the Shaoshi Mountain. Another
story suggests that the temple was built on a piece of land that
had recently been ravaged by fire, because the builders planted
many new trees. The temple was thus named Shaolin ("Shao"
meaning "young" or "new", and "Lin" meaning "forest").  This
monastery played a prominent role in Chinese history. For many
periods, it was considered to be an imperial temple where
emperors of the ruling dynasty would ascend to pray on behalf of
the people. However, its fame