China: Entrance gate of the Temple of Bright Filial Piety (Guangxiao Si), Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

This Zen, or Chan, Buddhist temple, is the oldest in Guangzhou, dating back to the Eastern Jin dynasty (265 -420 CE). It was originally built around 400 CE by an Indian monk. Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, served as a novice monk here in the 600s. Most of the present structures date back to 1832, the time of the last big renovation. The Great Hall, with its impressive pillars, is still architecturally interesting. There are two pagodas behind the hall: the stone Jingfa Pagoda built in 676 on top of a hair of Hui Neng, and the Song-dynasty Eastern Iron Pagoda, made of gilt iron.