Will Xi’s Visit to Luoyang's White Horse Temple Be Blessed? “The Sole Authority” No More

On March 19, while touring Lijiang, Xi Jinping hesitated over the pronunciation of "Bu Nong Ling" due to his low level of education and fear of misreading the characters. (Screenshot composite from video)

[People News] Though the top-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials publicly declare themselves as atheists, in private, they often believe, at least to some extent, in deities and spirits. From Mao to Deng, Jiang, Hu, and Xi, this has always been the case. They sometimes secretly visit temples to pray for good health and power retention, cloaking it under the pretext of “inspections.”

Amid mounting negative rumours, CCP leader Xi Jinping recently travelled to Henan province, where he visited Luoyang Bearing Group Co., the White Horse Temple, and the Longmen Grottoes. Judging from the itinerary, his primary objective was to visit the White Horse Temple. Local folklore in Henan holds that praying at the White Horse Temple brings blessings for health, official promotion, and wealth—perhaps this is precisely why Xi went there.

The White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple built after Buddhism entered China. It is therefore also called the “ancestral temple” and “source of Buddhism” in China.

A magical story lies behind its construction. According to historical records, one night during the Yongping reign of the Eastern Han dynasty, Emperor Ming of Han (Liu Zhuang) dreamt of a golden deity glowing with radiant light, flying into the palace courtyard, bringing joy and serenity. The next day, the emperor summoned ministers to interpret the dream. Minister Fu Yi replied: “In the 24th year of King Zhao of Zhou, on the eighth day of the fourth month, mountains quaked, rivers flooded, and the western skies glowed with five-colored lights. Court astrologer Su predicted that a great sage had been born in the West. This sage descended to relieve suffering, and his teachings would spread to our land in about a thousand years. The time is now right. I’ve heard of a deity from the Western Regions called ‘Buddha.’ Your Majesty likely dreamt of him.”

To learn more about this “Buddha,” Emperor Ming sent a delegation of 12 to the Western Regions in search of scriptures and teachings. They endured hardships and reached the Greater Yuezhi, where Buddhism flourished. The delegation collected sutras and statues, and invited two eminent Indian monks, She Moteng (Kāśyapa Mātaṅga) and Zhu Falan (Dharmaratna), to return and preach in the Central Plains.

In 67 AD, they arrived in Luoyang. The emperor, delighted, personally received the monks and housed them at the Honglu Temple, the diplomatic office, where they began translating scriptures. The next year, the emperor decreed the construction of a monastery outside Yongmen in Luoyang. The word “si” (寺), meaning temple, originally referred to a government office, which is why the newly built monastery retained this term, since the monks had initially stayed in a government facility and were treated as honoured guests. Thus, Buddhist temples in China have been called “si” ever since.

As the scriptures and statues had been carried back on a white horse, the temple was named “White Horse Temple” to honour its contribution. Today, two stone horse sculptures stand at the temple’s entrance. These blue-stone carvings originally stood before the tomb of Song Dynasty General Wei Xianxin and were later relocated to the temple.

Historically, White Horse Temple has seen miracles. During its heyday in the Northern Wei period, as monks worshipped the scriptures translated by She Moteng and Zhu Falan, the texts suddenly emitted multicoloured lights, illuminating the entire hall. Even more astounding, the figure of Buddha appeared within the radiant glow.

Tragically, during the Cultural Revolution in May 1966, as the “Four Olds” campaign unfolded, the White Horse Temple came under attack. The local Party secretary of the White Horse Temple Production Brigade led peasants in a “revolution” that destroyed the Liao Dynasty’s 18 Arhats clay sculptures, palm-leaf scriptures brought by ancient Indian monks, and precious jade horses, among other relics. The temple itself narrowly avoided being burned down.

In 1972, when Cambodia’s exiled Prince Sihanouk wanted to visit the temple, Premier Zhou Enlai, not wanting the prince to witness the ruin caused by the Cultural Revolution, ordered Buddhist relics from the Forbidden City and the Biyun Temple near Beijing—including Qing-era Arhats and statues—to be transferred to the White Horse Temple. These artefacts were allowed to remain permanently, which explains why today’s White Horse Temple is mainly filled with Ming and Qing relics.

So, after suffering such devastation under the CCP, is the White Horse Temple still blessed by divine beings? Will Xi Jinping’s prayers there be answered?

Ironically, during his visit to the temple, Xi gave a pompous statement: “Adhering to the sinicisation of religion is entirely correct. We must actively guide religions to integrate with China’s fine traditional culture and adapt to socialist society.” In other words, religions must obey the CCP. But how can a theistic faith take orders from an atheistic regime?

Notably, in photos released by state media, Xi’s once “supreme” status appears diminished. In one image, Xi stands among monks and officials in the courtyard, gazing up at the main hall. He blends into the crowd with no evident prominence. This contrasts sharply with two earlier publicised temple visits.

From June 18–19, 2024, during a visit to Qinghai, Xi toured schools and Hongjue Temple. There, as the most honoured guest, he was received with high rituals: monks offered khatas (ceremonial scarves), incense burners, and parasols.

State media released three photos: monks holding khatas in greeting, Xi walking with the abbot under a parasol, and Xi waving to monks who bowed with khatas—each emphasising his exalted status.

Xi’s choice to visit Hongjue Temple likely has to do with his father, Xi Zhongxun. Also known as “Hongjue Temple,” the monastery has a long and storied history. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Princess Wencheng was married off to Songtsen Gampo of Tibet. As she journeyed west, she brought with her a grand procession that included treasures, ornate bookcases filled with 360 Buddhist scriptures, various culinary ingredients, 60 construction and craftsmanship manuals, 100 medicinal recipes, 4 medical treatises, 5 diagnostic methods, 6 types of medical instruments, and numerous grain and turnip seeds.

Xining was a necessary stop on Princess Wencheng’s route into Tibet. Before formally entering Tibet, her group stayed in the Xining area for over a month to acclimate to the high-altitude environment and prepare essential supplies. During this time, the princess built an earthen altar to enshrine a life-sized statue of the 12-year-old Shakyamuni Buddha that she had brought with her.

Several centuries later, during the reign of Tibet’s last emperor, Langdarma, who banned and destroyed Buddhism, many monks fled. Three of them escaped to Qinghai and lived in seclusion for spiritual practice. In the year 941, a few monks founded Hongjue Temple on the very site where Princess Wencheng had once erected her altar and offered worship.

Over the following dynasties, Hongjue Temple grew in stature. By the Ming Dynasty, it had become the most prominent monastery in the Xining region. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, Hongjue Temple was officially established as the residence for successive Panchen Lamas while in Qinghai.

After the CCP’s 1949 seizure of power, it sent troops into Tibet in 1950. The 10th Panchen Lama, residing in Qinghai’s Hongjue and Kumbum Monasteries, telegraphed Mao and Zhu De, expressing support.

In April 1951, he set off from Hongjue for Beijing. In Xi’an, he was warmly received by then-Northwest Bureau leader Xi Zhongxun. When the Panchen Lama returned from Beijing, Xi Zhongxun saw him off again at Hongjue, forging a 40-year friendship. Local lore suggests Xi Zhongxun was a devout Buddhist.

Today, the very room where Xi Zhongxun met the Panchen Lama remains intact in the monastery, along with a statue depicting Xi offering a khata to the lama. Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Hongjue was likely not just a tribute to his father, but also a private act of prayer and supplication.

In July 2021, Xi visited Tibet and stopped by the Drepung Monastery (founded in 1416), where he was also greeted with the highest ceremonial honours: incense burners, parasols, and khatas. Official photos showed monks performing rituals, Xi conversing with lamas in the main hall, and dozens of monks listening to Xi's speech—he stood out prominently.

Xi had also visited Famen Temple in Xi’an, though it was never officially reported. However, his 2014 UNESCO speech in Paris revealed this visit.

Compared to the grand receptions at Hongjue and Drepung, Xi’s White Horse Temple visit appears low-profile and lacklustre—another sign that his status as the "supreme leader" is waning.

But the bigger question for Xi and other high-ranking officials is this: What kind of person does Heaven bless? Would gods protect those who defy heaven, earth, and divine beings; who reject karma; who persecute religion and the faithful as CCP members do? The answer is clearly no. Thus, for leaders who defy divine will, mistreat their people, and seek only to preserve the CCP’s power, what use is it to pray, no matter how often? 

(Original article from People News)