SHANGHAI, CHINA: China's Shaolin Temple, famous as the birthplace of kung fu, is planning to roll out classes across the country to teach martial arts once reserved for just a few, state media said Friday. (September 5th)

Wang Shifa, director of Shaolin Huanxidi Company, told the Shanghai Daily that Shaolin Temple, located in central China's Henan province, is in talks with gyms in major cities to start training classes by the end of this year.

The classes will help popularise the temple's previously exclusive practice of "Yijinjing", a form of kung fu often known as Chinese yoga, which has been widely portrayed in martial arts novels and films, the report said.

Wang's company is a subsidiary of the temple's commercial arm, which also operates an eBay-style store selling Shaolin branded merchandise on China's Taobao auction site.

Cheng Tao, director of the temple's Yijinjing Research Center, told AFP that Yijinjing was a series of movements that help strengthen muscles and bones, and coordinate breathing.

"Actually it is not as mysterious as people think. It's just like yoga, good for everyday fitness. Even though the moves and respiratory control methods are very unique, ordinary people can still master it after practice," Cheng said.

Cheng said he believed in making the secret martial art form better known. The research centre he heads has already started to offer distance learning, relevant books and DVDs on Yijinjing.