Ninja 'affront' To Shaolin Kung Fu Monks

BEIJING - China’s Shaolin Temple, the cradle of Chinese kung fu, is demanding an apology from an Internet user who said its monks had once been beaten in unarmed combat by a Japanese ninja, Chinese media reported on Friday.

Shaolin Temple, in the northern province of Henan, became famous in the West as the training ground for Kwai Chang ”Grasshopper” Caine in the 1970s “Kung Fu” TV series.

Ninjas -- professional assassins trained in martial arts -- date back to mediaeval Japan.