Ciyun Temple in Gongyi, also named Shiyuan Ancestral Temple, is one of the oldest temples in China. It was established in Yongping seven years (64 AD). Emperor Hanming initiated the first Buddhist temple in the Central Plains to invite eminent monks Kāśyapamātanga (Chinese: 摄摩腾) and Dharmaraksa (Chinese: 竺法兰). The temple was approved open to the public as the Buddhist site in 2000. Assigned by Shaolin Temple’ s abbot Shi Yongxin, master Shi Yanchao holds its first abbot. Ciyun Temple becomes the national key cultural relics protection units since March in 2013.
