▲ Songshan Shaolin Scenic was founded in 495 AD and is the birthplace of Zen Buddhism as well as the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. Its main structure is the Shaolin Monastery's permanent residence. Afterwards, visit the Shaolin Pagoda Forest, which preserves over 240 Buddhist pagodas dating from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty.
▲ Longmen Grottoes is one of China's three major grotto art treasures and an important World Cultural Heritage site. Its construction began during the Northern Wei Dynasty (around 493 AD) and continued for over 400 years through multiple dynasties. Today, it preserves more than 2,300 caves and niches with over 100,000 Buddhist statues, making it the world's largest stone carving art treasure in terms of quantity and scale. Recognized by UNESCO as "the pinnacle of Chinese stone carving art," its main caves include Qianxi Temple, Binyang Cave, Ten Thousand Buddha Cave, and Fengxian Temple.
