Long Men Grottoes is one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and his disciples, It is located 12 kilometres south of present Luoyang. There are as many as 100,000 statues within the 1,400 caves, ranging from 1 inch to 57 feet in height. The area also contains nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, as well as over sixty Buddhist pagodas. In 2000, the site was inscribed upon the UNESCO World Heritage List as “an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity” for its perfection of an art form, and for its encapsulation of the cultural sophistication.

White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple in China, established in 68 AD under the patronage of Emperor Ming in Eastern Han Dynasty. The temple is considered by most believers as the cradle of Chinese Buddhism. It has numerous halls divided by several courtyards and manicured gardens, covering an area extending to about 13 hectares. Significant statues include Sakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya-the laughing Buddha, the Jade Buddha, and figures of saints such as Guru Avalokitesvara, Amitabha and arhats. Stone statues of the two white horses, which brought the Indian monks to China, and of two mythical lions are seen at the entrance.