A research institute on the famous Shaolin culture, which includes study of martial arts and religious painting, has been set up in the Shaolin Temple near Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan province.

The institute will conduct a series of research projects on Shaolin culture, said Wen Yucheng, a famous Chinese archaeologist and the head of the institute, adding that the studies will help Chinese and foreigners learn more about the history, culture, art and architecture of the Shaolin Temple, one of the best-known temples in China.

The temple's abbot, Shi Yongxin, said that the temple has printed various books on the development of Buddhism studies and hosted a number of painting exhibitions and exchange activities on martial arts and religious culture.

The temple was built in 495 in the city of Dengfeng in Songshan Mountain. In the sixth century, a master monk from India was said to have arrived at the temple and created the Chan sect of Buddhism and the Shaolin martial arts, which later spread to other parts of China.