<P> The popularization of Buddhism in this period is evident in the many scripture - filled caves and structures surviving from this period . The Mogao Caves near Dunhuang in Gansu province, the Longmen Grottoes near Luoyang in Henan and the Yungang Grottoes near Datong in Shanxi are the most renowned examples from the Northern, Sui and Tang Dynasties . The Leshan Giant Buddha, carved out of a hillside in the 8th century during the Tang Dynasty and looking down on the confluence of three rivers, is still the largest stone Buddha statue in the world . </P> <P> Monks and pious laymen spread Buddhist concepts through story - telling and preaching from sutra texts . These oral presentations were written down as bianwen (transformation stories) which influenced the writing of fiction by their new ways of telling stories combining prose and poetry . Popular legends in this style included Mulian Rescues His Mother, in which a monk descends into hell in a show of filial piety . </P> <P> Making duplications of Buddhist texts was considered to bring meritorious karma . Printing from individually carved wooden blocks and from clay or metal movable type proved much more efficient than hand copying and eventually eclipsed it . The Diamond Sūtra (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) of 868 CE, a Buddhist scripture discovered in 1907 inside the Mogao Caves, is the first dated example of block printing . </P> <P> The Kaiyuan's Three Great Enlightened Masters, Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra, established Esoteric Buddhism in China from AD 716 to 720 during the reign of emperor Xuanzong . They came to Daxing Shansi (大兴 善 寺, Great Propagating Goodness Temple), which was the predecessor of Temple of the Great Enlightener Mahavairocana . Daxing Shansi was established in the ancient capital Chang'an, today's Xi'an, and became one of the four great centers of scripture translation supported by the imperial court . They had translated many Buddhist scriptures, sutra and tantra, from Sanskrit to Chinese . They had also assimilated the prevailing teachings of China: Daoism and Confucianism, with Buddhism, and had further evolved the practice of the Esoteric school . </P>

What role does buddhism play in china today