ABSTRACT
Throughout the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Shaolin maintained a good relationship with the court and enjoyed a period of peace and stability. Despite the government’s supportive stance vis-á-vis Buddhism, the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw a decline in Buddhist faith. Shaolin was affected accordingly and failed to re-establish itself as a centre of Buddhist studies. Despite this, the monastery continued to expand its influence in Chinese society through kung fu. In the nineteenth century, when the country was dragged into political unrest and economic hardship as a result of Western incursions and domestic rebellions, due to its renowned martial arts tradition and well-known loyalty to the Ming regime, Shaolin came to be associated with the Heaven and Earth Society, an influential secret society which advocated anti-Qing ideologies. Legendary stories were created linking the foundation myth of the Society with Shaolin, turning Shaolin into a symbol of rebellion and a source of ethno-national consciousness.
