Lingyan Temple

Shandong played a vital role in the spread of Buddhism in China. In the 4th century AD the Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian landed on the coast near present-day Qingdao to decode scriptures he’d gathered on travels to India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Ji'nan became the center of Buddhist culture for the whole province. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the Lingyan Temple was one of the most important Buddhist temples in China.