We've been twice in China, in 2006 and 2007, and both times we've visited many temples. We've never ever had to make an appointment, all are publicly accessible. As long as you pay respect to the monks and other visitors, you're free to enter, some times at a fee.

For the Shaolin Temple near Dengfeng you have to buy an entry ticket. But don't go there for the martial arts, go there to find the origin of zen buddism..

There is a quite complete description to be found of a visit at this link:
http://gochina.about.com/od/zhengzhou/a/ShaolinTemple.htm

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