# Shaolin Temple on Mount Song (嵩山少林寺)

Zhengzhou, Henan Province · Central China, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/shaolin-temple-on-mount-song
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Shaolin Temple ¥80; Mount Song (Taishi Mountain) ¥50; Zhongyue Temple ¥30; Songyang Academy ¥30; Songyue Temple Pagoda ¥40
- **Opening hours:** 8：00—17：00
- **Time needed:** 1–3 hours
- **Getting there:** Tourist shuttle buses run to Shaolin Temple from both Luoyang and Zhengzhou, fare ¥20–35. At the entrance of the Dengfeng old bus station, bus No. 8 goes directly to Shaolin Temple, fare ¥3
- **Good for:** Architecture, Temples, Nature

## About Shaolin Temple on Mount Song

The "step-by-step lotus" marks worn smooth at the temple gate testify to its popularity. To ordinary visitors this may seem like just a small temple, and the image of crowds of monks is more imagination than reality. But with the imaginative space opened up by tales of the Iron Palm and the Yijin Jing (Sinew Transformation Classic), it is well worth finding out for yourself. If you have time, do not miss Lixue Pavilion (Standing in Snow Pavilion), and ask your guide about the moving legend that took place there.

## Tips from the guidebook

- 1. Standard route: take the Mount Song cable car (¥60 round trip) up Shaoshi Mountain. Visit the Second Patriarch's Hermitage (entry ¥2) and climb to Wangwo Peak. On the cable car back down, you can view the Pagoda Forest and the full panorama of Shaolin Temple.
- 2. Sanhuang Village: if time allows (about three to four hours round trip), be sure to visit Sanhuang Village below Wangwo Peak, the very essence of Mount Song's natural scenery. You can reach it by another cable car, ¥120 round trip.
- 3. Show: Shixian Valley, 7 km from Shaolin Temple, hosts the evening "Chan Buddhism Shaolin Music Grand Ceremony", co-created by famous artists including Tan Dun and Zhang Yimou.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 2080. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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