The story
Shaolin International Wushu Festival in Dengfeng/Zhengzhou
A biennial international martial arts festival held in Dengfeng, Henan, home to the Shaolin Temple, founded in 1991 to mark the temple's 1,500th anniversary. Organized jointly by the Henan provincial government and the Shaolin Temple, recent editions have drawn more than 2,500 athletes from over 70 countries for competitive wushu forms and sparring, alongside cultural demonstrations tied specifically to Shaolin's martial lineage.
Dengfeng's wushu festival was created in 1991 to mark the 1,500th anniversary of the founding of the Shaolin Temple, and its first edition, held that September, brought together just 317 athletes from 14 countries, a modest starting point for what has become one of the largest international martial arts gatherings staged in China.