ABSTRACT
Following the collapse of the Qing dynasty in 1911, China was carved up by warlords and suffered political chaos and instability. Shaolin was dragged into the conflicts between the Beiyang government, the warlords and revolutionary forces. In 1928, the monastery was torched by the warlord Shi Yousan. Discouraged by the Nationalist government’s anti-Buddhist religious policy, Shaolin never recovered from this destruction. During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), Chinese Buddhists fulfilled their national responsibilities and provided substantial support to the state. Shaolin was not an exception. Like in the battles against the rebels and pirates in the Ming dynasty, the Shaolin monks’ military involvement in the Anti-Japanese War helped to establish Shaolin’s reputation as a symbol of patriotism. Also during the Republic of China era (1912–1949), spurred on by a modern Chinese nationalism and aided by militarism, Chinese martial arts was widely recognised as a basic approach to improving individual fitness and to aid national defence. Shaolin kung fu continued to strengthen its influence in Chinese society.
