The Shaolin Temple in Henan province will develop a new line of kung fu-themed video games to expand its influence among younger audiences, the temple's management company announced on Tuesday.

The Henan Shaolin Intangible Assets Management Co, which is owned by the temple, has signed a cooperation agreement with China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group allowing the latter to use the Shaolin brand to develop games for both mobile devices and television.

The cooperative project aims to encourage more young people to take interest in Shaolin's Buddhist culture and the ancient martial art of kung fu, said an official at the management company, which is responsible for the Shaolin brand.

The 1,500-year-old temple, in Dengfeng, Henan province, is regarded as the cradle of Chinese kung fu.

Shi Yongxin, abbot of the Shaolin Temple, said he believes that the temple needs to keep pace with technology to attract new audiences and expand its influence.

Shaolin was the first temple in China to digitize its business. It has nine subsidiary companies involved with martial arts studies, calligraphy, medicine, food and movies.

The temple applied for its own Internet domain name in 1996. In 2001, it launched its website, publishing Shaolin kung fu secrets for the first time.

It then started its e-commerce business on the popular online retail platform Taobao in 2008 to sell meditation robes, candles, T-shirts and the Shaolin Medical Book for 9,999 yuan ($1,600).

In 2012, it opened accounts on the social media website Sina Weibo, where it now has 70,000 followers.

(China Daily USA 08/06/2014 page6)