Putian is not just known for its Shaolin Temple, it also has its own Southern Shaolin Temple.

Compared to Quanzhou, Putian is really low-key. Does Putian have fewer tourist resources? Not really! It has Mazu culture, Minnan ancient houses and many temples, and the famous Putian braised noodles. But I really don't understand why Putian is so niche. Speaking of Putian's temples, in addition to Nanshan Guanghua Temple and Meifeng Guangxiao Temple, Putian also has a Southern Shaolin Temple. Today I also want to recommend this niche temple to everyone. The Southern Shaolin Temple is a cultural heritage of Chinese Buddhism and the birthplace of Southern Shaolin Boxing. Its predecessor was "Linquan Temple", located in Linshan Village, Xitianwei Town, Licheng District. There are nine peaks around it, forming a circle like a nine-petal lotus. The Southern Shaolin Temple is located in the heart of the flower, so it is named Jiulian Mountain Shaolin Temple, commonly known as Southern Shaolin Temple. The Southern Shaolin Temple was built in the first year of Yongding in the Southern Dynasty Chen (557). By the Jiaoyou period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1056~1063), this temple had formed a very prosperous martial arts style and became the center of martial arts activities in the southeast coast of China. It is said that after the 13 martial monks of Shaolin Temple in Songshan, Henan helped Emperor Taizong of Tang unify China, Emperor Taizong of Tang gave them "monk soldiers" and allowed them to build ten branch temples across the country. According to research, Linquan Temple in Jiulian Mountain, Licheng District, is one of the earliest branch temples established among the ten branch temples of Shaolin Temple. Because of its large scale (covering an area of about 30,000 square meters), its martial arts style is prosperous, and it has an impact on southern China, so it is called the Southern Shaolin Temple. According to research, the temple was burned down by the Qing army in the early Qing Dynasty. From 1986 to 1988, the original Putian County discovered this temple site that had been obliterated for hundreds of years during the cultural relics census. After careful excavation, five Northern Song Dynasty stone troughs engraved with the words "Monk Soldier" and "Zhu Luohan Bathing Tea Powder" were found. Historical records show that only Shaolin Temple can be crowned with the word "Monk Soldier". Based on this, with the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, in December 1990, the Fujian Provincial Archaeological Team conducted archaeological excavations on the Jiulian Mountain Temple site, and unearthed "Master Zhenjue Gezhu Dizhi Pagoda, Linquan Temple, Tianyou" Tang Dynasty stone carvings and "Changxing Four Years Old Guisi January" and other words of the Southern Tang Dynasty pottery ridge and other precious historical relics. On August 8, 1992, the Fujian Provincial Government officially approved the reconstruction of the Southern Shaolin Temple on the site.