The exotic modern internet-famous spot built within the White Horse Temple - the World Buddha Hall Expo Area

The birthplace of Chinese Buddhism - White Horse Temple is located in the suburbs of Luoyang City. It was first built in the 11th year of Yongping in the Eastern Han Dynasty (68 AD) to enshrine the Buddhist scriptures and statues brought back from the Western Heaven. At that time, Emperor Ming of Han ordered the construction of a monastery outside the Xiyong Gate in Luoyang to commemorate the white horse that carried the scriptures, hence the name 'White Horse Temple.' The current White Horse Temple scenic area is divided into five parts: the Chinese Ancient Architecture Area, Qiyun Pagoda Courtyard, Indian Buddha Hall Garden, Thai Buddha Hall Garden, and Burmese Pagoda Garden, covering an area of about 34,000 square meters with over a hundred buildings of various sizes. The main buildings in the temple are distributed along the central axis, from south to north in the following order: the Mountain Gate, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of the Six Patriarchs, the Great Buddha Hall, the Mahavira Hall, the Reception Hall, the Vairocana Pavilion, and the Cool Terrace. On both sides, there are auxiliary buildings such as the Bell and Drum Towers, the Gate Hall, the Cloud and Water Hall, the Guest Hall, the Dining Hall, the Ancestral Hall, the Meditation Hall, and the Abbot's Courtyard. Due to revisiting the old place and the renovation of the main halls, the exotic modern internet-famous spot built within the White Horse Temple - the World Buddha Hall Expo Area has instead become the main itinerary of this trip. Revered by Buddhist disciples as the 'Ancestral Court,' White Horse Temple has a significant influence abroad and is a holy place for Buddhists worldwide to worship. In addition to the donation of a statue of Japanese Master Kukai by friendly people from the Japanese Buddhist community in 1997, the governments of Thailand, India, and Myanmar have successively funded the construction of Buddha halls in White Horse Temple, making it the only international temple in the world with Buddha halls in the styles of China, India, Myanmar, and Thailand (two relics of the Buddha's bones donated by Thailand and Sri Lanka are enshrined here). The Southeast Asian-style Buddhist architecture, with its splendid colors and exotic charm, stands out in Luoyang on the Central Plains, making it a very photogenic and flavorful spot. No wonder many young people come here for travel photography, turning the thousand-year-old ancient temple into a bustling internet-famous check-in spot. The best travel route: Temple Gate - Hall of Heavenly Kings - Great Buddha Hall - Mahavira Hall - Reception Hall - Cool Terrace - Thai Buddha Hall - Burmese Buddha Hall - Indian Buddha Hall - Di Renjie Tomb - Qiyun Pagoda Courtyard; the ticket price is relatively cheap at 35 yuan per person, and the opening hours are from 07:40 to 18:00, with an average tour time of about 2-3 hours; White Horse Temple is relatively far from the city center, and taking a taxi from Luoyi Ancient City costs about 30 yuan (approximately 15 kilometers).