ZHENGZHOU, June 19 (Xinhua) -- China's kung fu shrine Shaolin Temple has embraced the 5G wireless network to satiate visitors' growing data demands, the local government said Wednesday.

The government of Dengfeng, a central Chinese city where the monastery is located, said the speedy network was switched on Saturday to cover the temple's tourist areas, including its "pagoda forest" and the cableway, after seven 5G base stations in the area went into service.

It said the 5G network, with a peak download speed of 800M per second, aims to meet the high demands for video and image transmission at the Buddhist temple, which receives more than 3 million visitors every year.

Local officials said it is part of the city's plan to boost economy and tourism with the help of the 5G network.

The 1,500-year-old temple is among the first religious institutions in China to go digital. It built its first website in 1996 and has a huge following on Chinese social networks such as Weibo and WeChat.