Buddhism, founded in northern India in the 6th century BC, reached China in the 1st century AD, during the Eastern Han dynasty. It was probably brought by merchants from Central Asia who travelled the Silk Route between India and China. Towards the end of the Han dynasty, Buddhism also arrived in southern China by sea routes.

Buddhists believed in giving up worldly things and concentrating on a spiritual search for personal salvation, or enlightenment. These ideas conflicted with the worldly philosophy of Confucius and with the supernatural aspects of Daoism, the two main religions of ancient China. It was in the turbulent period of the Six Dynasties (386-589), when new ideas flourished, that the peaceful ideas of Buddhism took hold. The pilgrim monks Fa Xian (flourished 399-414) and Xuan Zang (602-664) travelled to India and brought back Buddhist scriptures, which were translated into Chinese.

The new religion was adopted by the Northern Wei dynasty: in 460, caves were hollowed out at Yungang near the Wei capital at Datong in Shanxi province, and filled with carvings of the Buddha. When the capital moved to Luoyang in 493, many Buddhist temples and monasteries were built in the city while outside, at Longmen, another cave complex was created. By the 6th century, Buddhism was firmly established in China, influencing art and architecture, and taking root in popular culture.