On August 3, the ‘Shaolin Zen Archery’ competition was launched at Shaolin Temple in Henan Province. 16 teams, including 90 participants from all over China, gathered to show off their archery skills and share their personal understanding about Zen philosophy. / Chinanews.com Photo

It is the first time the temple has hosted an archery competition in over 1,500 years. / Chinanews.com Photo

Shi Yongxin, the temple’s current abbot, supervised the competition and also shared his own archery experiences with participants. He said that Zen archery was used as a way for monks to achieve physical and mental unity. / Chinanews.com Photo

Henan’s Shaolin Temple is reputed to be “The Number One Temple under Heaven.” It is widely known to people in the West after it was used as a filming location in the movie “Shaolin Temple” starring Jet Li. / Chinanews.com Photo