Luoyang Travel Guide

Luoyang lies in the west of Henan province, an ancient capital that situated on land between the Luo and Yi rivers. Many dynasties placed their capitals here, and it flourished for ages as a center of Central Plains civilization, from the rituals of the Eastern Zhou to the scholarship of the Han and Wei and the poetry of the Tang. In the city, streets of long-established shops and historic sites overlap, a land with deep layers of history.

The Longmen Grottoes, spreading south of the city, are a complex of grottoes carved over about 400 years, from the Northern Wei to the Tang dynasty, into the rock walls along the Yi River. They are inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, and many caves, Buddhist statues and stone inscriptions remain. The great Buddha of Fengxian Temple is a representative work of Tang-dynasty stone sculpture, standing out for its scale and the fineness of its modeling.

White Horse Temple in the east of the city is said to be the first official temple built in China after Buddhism arrived, and is called the ancestral temple of Chinese Buddhism. Museums and old quarters also remain in the city, where the footsteps of the ancient capital can be traced through artifacts of the Xia dynasty, the Northern Wei and the Tang. Many royal tombs and ruins are scattered through the outskirts.

Luoyang is also known as a famous place for peonies, and in spring the flowers come into full bloom across the city. Air, rail and road links are well developed, making it easy to visit from around the country. It is a city with a deep sense of history, where both flowers and historic sites can be savored.