management technique. It took an interest and was invited to participate. In 2010, several ancient sites around Dengfeng were united into a single UNESCO World Heritage Site, with eight distinct scenic spots. The Shaolin Scenic spot contained three of the WHS components, collectively called the "architectural complex". By this, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) of UNESCO designated three ancient sites: the Shaolin Temple compound, assigned the name "Kernel Compound"; its cemetery, the Pagoda Forest; and its subsidiary, the Chuzu Temple. Access to the site The Shaolin Temple Scenic Spot is located approximately in the middle of Mount Song, an E–W trending massif on the right bank of the Yellow River. The massif is terminated by Luoyang on the west side and Zhengzhou on the east. The straight-line distance from Luoyang to Shaolin is about ; from Zhengzhou, about . Either city is a popular starting point for a bus or automobile tour to the site. Mount Song is divided by an extensive valley on its south-central side, where much of Dengfeng is located. The mountains around the valley, forming an upside-down U, have been defined as the Songshan Scenic Area. The pass over the U is located directly north of the valley. On the western side is the Shaolin Scenic Spot, accessed by China National Highway 207 (G207), which winds over the pass from the direction of Luoyang and runs past the scenic spot, before descending into the valley and joining other roads leading to Zhengzou. The north entrance of the scenic spot adjoins G207. The North Gate is an entirely new complex built to facilitate the arrival and departure of visitors along the main point of entry, Highway G207. The local highway representing G207 in this case is East Ring Road, Dengfeng. The Shaolin bus stop is at the minimum of the southward-curving highway, at . Topography The temple's inside area is , or . The buildings are arranged in three lengthwise strips. It has seven main halls on the central axis and seven other halls around, with several yards around the halls. These halls are primarily museums containing Buddhist artifacts. Memorials and monuments are scattered freely around the place, as are ancient ginkgo trees. The architecture below follows the World Heritage Site (WHS) arrangement. Kernel compound Shanmen () (built in 1735; the entrance tablet, written in golden characters, reads "Shaolin Temple" () in black background