Early in the 1980s, people around the world recognized Shaolin Kung Fu through the film "Shaolin Temple". Perhaps within 10 years, the birth place of Shaolin Kung Fu, Dengfeng City in Henan Province will earn the same global fame as Shaolin Kung Fu did.

Dengfeng is famous for martial arts, with an abundant accumulation of cultural and historic centers for Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. In 2004, Songshan Mountain, where Shaolin Temple is located, was crowned as a "World Geologic Park" by UNESCO.

At the moment, Dengfeng is drawing up a blueprint for its development over next ten years. It aims to gain international fame as a cultural tourist city by mainly promoting Shaolin Kung Fu to the world.

According to the plan, in 2010, Dengfeng will primarily turn into an international city of Kung Fu, receiving 7 million tourists every year. The total tourism revenue is expected to reach 4.3 billion yuan, amounting to 16.5% of local GDP.

In 2015, the international city of Kung Fu will be complete. It will receive 10 million tourists every year and create 13.1 billion yuan revenue which amounts to 23.5% of local GDP.

In 2020, the Kung Fu industry will become a leading economic driving force. The city will not only explore but also preserve the natural, cultural and historical heritage.

In the next 10 years, Dengfeng will establish a top-ranking martial arts performance company, build up the biggest Kung Fu training base, create newspapers and magazines of Kung Fu and set up Kung Fu filming base and an anime city of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Currently, "Shaolin" as a brand is gaining increasing popularity and value. 62 Kung Fu schools in Dengfeng in recent years have received over 800 million yuan investment.

By People's Daily Online