With the establishment of Shaolin Europe Association announced in Vienna on Wednesday, Chinese Kung Fu fans and Zen Buddhism culture enthusiasts across Europe will have a new platform to exchange ideas and promote Shaolin culture.

Photo taken on August 3, 2010 shows Shaolin monks perform at a show titled "The Wheel of Life" during the Jordan Festival at the Amman Citadel, an ancient Roman landmark, in Amman. [Xinhua photo]

"Since Shaolin culture was introduced into Europe 20 years ago, it has been deeply loved by European people and become part of their life," said Shi Yongxin, Abbot of Shaolin Temple, which has been announced part of humanity's cultural heritage by UNESCO.

Shi Yongxin, who is visiting Austria for an international meeting, also said at a press conference that although hundreds of thousands of European people have had access to Shaolin Kung Fu training programs, there is still room for improvement in terms of inadequate channels to spread Chaolin culture. That is where the new association comes in to better provide Shaolin culture for European people, he said.

Headquartered in the Shaolin Culture Center in the German capital of Berlin, the association has been joined by 10 Shaolin branch units in Europe, according to an organizer at the press conference held in Hilton Vienna Plaza Hotel.

Nestled in the Songshan Mountains of China's Henan Province, and with a history of more than 1,500 years, the Shaolin Temple has long been considered by many as the Cradle of Chinese Kung Fu and home of Zen Buddhism culture. In recent years, it has sent its Kungfu masters to perform Kungfu arts all over the world and established Shaolin culture centers to help promote cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2010)