China to expand oldest Buddhist temple

A site-cleansing ceremony was recently held in Baima Temple in central China's Henan Province, kicking off the expansion of the country's oldest Buddhist temple, the local religious affairs authority said.

A new Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas, designed in Han Dynasty style and with a floor space of 13,891 square meters, will be added to the ancient temple in Luoyang city.

The 1,943-year-old Baima Temple, also known as the White Horse Temple, was the first Buddhist temple in China and is considered "the cradle of Chinese Buddhism" by most believers.

The municipal government of Luoyang approved a plan to build a cultural park around the temple within eight years at 2012.

The temple went through two major expansions in history, by Empress Wu in 685 AD and by Emperor Shizong of Ming Dynasty in 1555 AD. Endi