Hualin Zen Temple is the first temple personally established by Bodhidharma, the patriarch of Zen Buddhism

Hualin Temple is located on Xilai Zheng Street, Xiajiu Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou City, and was founded in the eighth year of the Putong era of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty (527 AD). Hualin Temple is the site of Sino-Indian cultural exchange initiated by Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism in China, and is the foremost among the four great Buddhist monasteries in Guangzhou. The predecessor of Hualin Temple was 'Xilai Hermitage.' Following the teachings of his master, Bodhidharma came from the west to spread the profound principles of Zen Buddhism. During the Putong era of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, he arrived from the sea to the northern bank of the Pearl River outside Guangzhou City (present-day Xiajiu Road), where he 'built a hut from grass' and devoted himself to ascetic practices. In the twelfth year of the Shunzhi era (1655), the Great Buddha Hall was first constructed, followed by the building of pavilions, halls, and spacious chambers, and 'Xilai Hermitage' was renamed 'Hualin Temple.' Hualin Temple covers an area of 30,000 square meters and consists of a complex of buildings including the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, the Relic Pagoda, and the Bodhidharma Hall. Inside the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, in addition to the statues of the Three Jewels Buddhas, there are also clay sculptures of five hundred arhats with various expressions. Among them is a wooden statue of the Italian traveler Marco Polo.