In the Song Dynasty, Shaolin Temple was prosperous and large-scale, with more than 2,000 monks, and the abbot blessed it as a great monk. In order to develop Shaolin Wushu, 18 Wushu experts from all over the country were invited to join Shaolin Temple to exchange Wushu skills. Widely absorb the strengths of various families, and finally collect them into a book for monks to learn and practice. According to the Book of Boxing in the Qing Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, was also good at Shaolin Boxing and had a set of Shaolin Taizu Changquan. Since there were monk soldiers in the Song Dynasty, it is certain that the monks in the Song Dynasty practiced martial arts.
In the Yuan Dynasty, Shaolin monks practiced martial arts unabated. According to the records of Shaolin Temple, during the Yuan Dynasty, a Japanese monk Yuan Shao lived in Shaolin Temple for a long time. He is proficient in Chinese and good at calligraphy. He became the first secretary and later the first monk, and was taught by Shaolin monks. Later, after returning to China, he brought Shaolin Wushu to Japan, which was widely circulated and deeply respected and loved by the Japanese people. He was called "the soul of China" by Japanese people.
Ming Dynasty is an important historical period for the all-round development of Wushu in China, and folk Wushu also shines brilliantly. Shaolin Wushu reached its peak in this period and enjoyed a world reputation. Qi Jiguang, a famous anti-Japanese warrior, said in his new book "Ji Xiao and the Summary of Boxing Classics": "Shaolin sticks ... are all famous today." Mao, a famous martial artist in the Ming Dynasty, said in the History of Military Preparation: "All martial arts belong to the stick, and the stick belongs to Shaolin." According to historical records, the number of monks practicing martial arts in Shaolin Temple in Ming Dynasty was the largest. Monks such as Yuekong and Xiaoshan have won many battles, which shows the patriotic spirit of Shaolin Temple monks who are good at martial arts and dare to kill the enemy. During the more than 260 years from Hongwu to Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, there were more than 10,000 monks, hundreds of whom were supposed to be generals and martial arts experts. In a word, the Ming Dynasty was the heyday of Shaolin Wushu development.