China's Shaolin Temple, home of the famous kung fu monks, is to get its own "hospital" to help promote the unique Shaolin medical culture, a Shaolin monk said Thursday.

The Land and Resources Administration of Dengfeng City, Henan Province, had approved the plan for a medical facility to be run by Shaolin's pharmaceutical bureau, said Shi Yanlin, director of the bureau.

The non-profit institution, covering more than 9 hectares, was planned for the foot of Mount Taishi, about 3 km from the temple.

Construction, which would be fully funded by the temple, was expected to be finished in two years.

Shaolin monks who had passed state examinations in pharmaceuticals and massage would treat patients at the facility, Shi said.

The "hospital" would offer free diagnosis, acupuncture, massage and some of the medicines would be free.

"The purpose of setting up the hospital is to promote the culture of Zen medicine," he said.

Zen, kung fu and medicine were three important elements of Shaolin culture, and the "hospital" was expected to help promote the little known Shaolin medicine, Shi said.

The bureau was established in 1217, diagnosing and treating diseases in monks and local residents. It has focused on medical education and prevention of diseases, through diet and other natural means.

The key construction of the planned institution would be a Zen training court rather than an outpatient building, said Shi.

The monk said Shaolin would seek cooperation with companies in producing some of its secret remedies and the facility would also welcome Western medical practices if they proved helpful.

But endoscopy would not be accepted because the method runs counter to Shaolin's theory of health cultivation, Shi said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2010)