Admission Fee: 100 RMB

Opening Hours: 08:00 to 17:30

Recommended Time for a Visit: 2 hours

Bus Route: Tourist bus between Luoyang Rail Station and the Shaolin Temple (RMB 20 per person)

Tel: (0371) 62749305

The Temple, 12 km away from Luoyang was started to build in the Dong Han Dynasty (AD.68) and has a history of over 1900 years. As one of the oldest temples in China, it has enjoyed a reputation of "The First Temple of China".

It's said that Liu Zhuang, one of emperors in the Dong Han Dynasty, had dreamed of a God coming from the west flied around the temple in circles, so he dispatched 18 envoys to the Western Region to seek Buddha dharma. They met two India Buddhists at Da Yue Shi (a place closing to Afghan) and brought them to China. On the way to Louyang, some Buddhist Scriptures and Statues were carried by a white horse and a temple was put up in the second year. So, the Temple was named after the white horse.

In the Tang Dynasty, the Temple was very large in scale and attracted a great number of pilgrims. During the reign of the Jia Qing emperor of the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated to be almost the same scale and structure as today. Now, it coveres an area of amounting to 40000 square meters and its main buildings are set up on the north-south axis.

There is a big bell hung in the air in Bafodian, hence, the "Ma Si Zhong Sheng" (the sound from the big Bell in White Horse Temple) has been very popular which has been one of the eight famous scenic spots of Luoyang. It is said that the Buddhists would have struck it whenever a beautiful night with a bright moon and a gentle breeze appears. The sound would be heard all over an area in the circumference of 10 li and a long long time. Moreover, with same temperament, if only the bell of "Zhao Yao Zhuang Pian Dian", a folk temple sounded, the big Bell, 25 huali away from there would sounded right at the time. Here, on each New Year's Day, a celebrating activity would be held, and the Big Bell would be struck at 00:00 o'clock of the Day. This tradition has been passed on more than one thousand years.

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