When Buddhism came to China, Buddhist architecture came along with it.
There were many monasteries built, equaling about 45,000.
These monasteries were filled with examples of Buddhist architecture, and because of this, they hold a very prominent place in Chinese architecture.
Today the main Buddhist architectural items include temples, pagodas, and grottos.
One of the earliest surviving example is the brick pagoda at the Songyue Monastery in Dengfeng County.
Buddhist architecture is regarded as a .