Songshan, located 85km southwest of Zhengzhou and 70km northwest of Luoyang, is one of the five sacred mountains (Shan) in China with Taishan to its east, Huashan to its west, Hengshan to its south and another Hengshan (a homonym with a different first character) to its north.


The Shaolin Monastery was built, in 495 AD, on the Shaoshi Peak (Shaoshi feng).
Many legends ascribe different stories to the founding of the ancient site, but the Chinese follow the story that it was built by Emperor Xiawen of the Northern Wei Dynasty to accommodate an eminent Indian monk, Bodhidharma, alleged founder of the Chan (Zen) sect of Buddhism. In later years, another accomplished monk, and a disciple of the 29th generation of Sakimonia, made a long trek, via the capital in Nanjing, to preach here, thus securing the monastery as a cradle of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, as well as Mecca for believers.


It is said that Kungfu was created because the monks of the monastery had little to do beyond long spells in contemplation of the meaning of life and the universe. To relieve themselves of the great monotony of daily life, the monks imitated the movements of various different animals, gradually developing this imitation into a unique martial art. Thus was formed the first ever Chinese monk army, that was to give the monastery both fame and misfortune for many years. Shaolin became well known as a righteous brotherhood, that often meddled with "earthly matters", normally uprisings, always siding with the just, weak or poor (and normally all three).