In late 700 the Empress Wu invited Shenxiu to the capital at Luoyang to teach Chan Buddhism. His welcome in 701 was by all accounts quite spectacular. The "Annals of the Transmission of the Dharma-treasure" describe Shenxiu's path being bedecked with flowers and the master riding on a litter of the type reserved for the imperial family. In an unprecedented gesture, the Empress knelt before the Chan master, touching her forehead to the ground in reverence. The "Annals" go on to say that “From princes and nobles down, everyone the capital took refuge in him.”