Kanjing Temple, China

This item appears on page 13 of the June 2016 issue.

Visitors to the Longmen Grottoes near the city of Luoyang in Henan Province, eastern-central China, now can enter Kanjing Temple, which opened to the public on March 10. 

Kanjing Temple, carved into a limestone cliff more than 1,000 years ago, contains 29 life-sized sculptures of Buddhist monks, now protected behind glass. Since 1953, the public has rarely been allowed into the temple for fear of damage to the artifacts.

The Longmen Grottoes, situated along the Yi River, contain more than 2,300 niches, 2,800 stelae and 100,000 statues carved by Buddhist monks between AD 493 and about 1127. Other important sites in the grottoes include Fengxian Temple, Wanfor Cave and Lotus Cave.

Reachable by bus from the Luo­yang or Longmen rail stations, the grottoes are open daily 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Feb. 1-Oct. 31, and 8-4, Nov. 1-Jan. 31. Entry, CNY120 (near $19).