Shaolin kung fu will be featured in a cultural event in Paris in May, the China News Service reported Monday.

Shaolin kung fu is a school of martial arts associated with the monks of the Shaolin Temple based in central China's Henan Province.

The event, held by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will celebrate cultural diversity.

The cultural bureau of Zhengzhou City said the event would raise its global fame and perhaps help promote its bid to have Shaolin kung fu included on UNESCO's list of world intangible cultural heritage items.

In 2006, China's State Council (cabinet) published the first list of state-level intangible heritage items, including Shaolin kung fu.

Four items from China are already on the UNESCO list. They are the 500-year-old Kunqu Opera, known for its graceful movements and poetic lyrics; the 3,000-year-old guqin seven-string zither; the Twelve Mukams, a 12-part suite of ancient Uygur music, and Mongolian Pastoral Songs.

(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2009)