Luoyang

Luoyang is located in the Northwestern part of Henan Province in Central China. It is known as one of “the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China”. Thanks to its long history, Luoyang is home to numerous historical relics and demonstrates strong influences of Buddhism on Chinese traditions. Rich cultural heritage distinguishes it from modern cities which flourish during the past decades and has a comparatively short history. If you are interested in Chinese history and Buddhism culture, it is advisable to include Luoyang in your plan of China travel. 

Luoyang has a reputation as the cultivation centre of the peony which is regarded as the national flower of China. Peony Festival is hosted in late April annually and attracts numerous visitors from China and abroad. 

History

Luoyang is regarded as “the cradles of Chinese civilization”. It used to be the capital of Easter Han Dynastry which could be dated back to 25 AD. During Tang Dynastry when ancient China was at the zenith of its power and prosperity, Luoyang was called “Dongdu” which literally means “the Eastern Capital” as compared with Chang’an as the Western Capital. Its population reached over one hundred million at that time. Luoyang was also the capital city of Later Liang, Later Tang, and Later Jin during the historica period of Five Dynasties. 

Longmen Grottoes

The Longmen Grottoes is also called “Longmen Caves”. Located at 12 kilometres South of the present Luoyang City, it stands for the superb art of construction in ancient China and and demonstrates the strong influences of Buddhism on Chinese culture. There are more than 100,000 statues spreaded in the 1,400 caves, nearly 2,500 stelae and inscriptions, and over sixty Buddhist pagodas. The highest Buddhist statue reaches 17 meters, while the smallest is only 25 millimeters high. Most of the statues are painted colourfully, but the colours fade gradually in the course of history.