Unauthorized Shaolin performances banned
By Winny Wang 2007-5-25
INDIVIDUALS and companies are not allowed to perform Shaolin martial arts overseas unless they have the approval of government authorities, the Dengfeng City government has announced.
The temple, the birthplace of Chinese kung fu, lies in Dengfeng in Central China's Henan Province.
Anyone who wants to join in activities overseas involving Shaolin martial arts and using the name of Shaolin, such as "Shaolin Kung Fu" or "Shaolin Monks," must get approvals from the local government, the Foreign Affairs department, the sports bureau and the religion bureau.
The Shaolin Temple has long been famous for its martial arts. The temple was built in 495 AD and abounds in legendary stories about the martial-arts monks.
But some unauthorized overseas performances have affected the temple's international reputation in recent years, the report said.