Did the Chings really burn down Shaolin Temple?
I know that many people will probably freak out when they read this but I just want to throw this out there hoping that there are some knowledgeable people on this subject out there who can shed some more light on this.
Anyway, I recently came across some information both in an old article and on a Chinese language video which state that the only time Shaolin Temple was ever burned down was during the early 1900's by a warlord. According to all existing Ching dynasty official records there is absolutely no mention of Shaolin Temple being burned down by the government.
Apparently what happened was that the revolutionaries of the time ( who later beacame the Triads, ie. Hung Moon secret society, one among many others ) decided to concoct a story that the government burned the temple down. The problem was that the temple was still standing so the people would not believe it. So they made up a story saying that there were in 'fact' 2 Shaolin Temples, one in Honan, northern China and one in Fukien, southern China. They then said the one which got burned down was the southern temple in Fukien. Since there was no temple to be seen in Fukien then the people would believe it.
There is no denying that there has been an ongoing debate as to whether or not a 2nd Shaolin Temple ever existed. Many scholars have said that the Fukien temple is a myth which was perpetuated by the secret societies of the time so this would seem to fit with this new information I have found.
So what do you think? Anyone else have any more info they would like to share on this topic? I really don't want to turn this into a debate. I just want to get as much info as possible , possibly from factual evidences not just opinions.
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