Shahar, an accomplished scholar of Chinese religions, applies his erudition to the history, and the contemporary international sociocultural celebrity, of one of China's sacred mountains, Songshan, particularly one of its Buddhist temples—a traditional pilgrimage site now transformed into a magnet for millions of “martial arts” aficionados from around the world. To adult Americans, the Shaolin Temple is remembered from the 1970s TV series Kung Fu: that show's protagonist was a fictional Shaolin monk who came to the United States seeking his father, thereby introducing gongfu martial‐arts displays to the TV audience. As a source of revenue from fans of martial‐arts movies, the temple is now “advertised by the Chinese National Tourism Association the world over.” But more valuable from the perspective of local officials in “one of the poorest” provinces in China are the thousands of aspiring Chinese athletes who have flocked to the temple: “Only a fraction … are ordained as Shaolin monks. Most become … instructors of physical education, soldiers in elite military units, or freelance bodyguards for affluent businessmen.” But the temple's “intense commercialization perplexes sincere Buddhists and (other) committed (practitioners who) aspire to the serenity of self‐cultivation.” Shahar provides detailed analysis not only of the actual history of China's martial arts, but also of centuries of Ch'an (“Zen”) Buddhists and Taoists (such as the great Tang‐dynasty master Sima Chengzhen) for whom Mt. Song was a principal center for religious practice. Shahar's impeccable scholarship makes this publication the definitive background reading for everyone interested in the true story of the Shaolin Temple and its evolving roles in the religion and culture of China, and now the world.
