Longmen Grottoes

The Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟) near Luoyang, China, are a UNESCO World Heritage site with over 2,300 caves and niches. Dating from the Northern Wei (386–534 AD) to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), they contain more than 100,000 Buddhist statues and 2,800 inscriptions. Notable for their intricate artistry, key sites include Fengxian Temple with its colossal Buddha and Guyang Cave, showcasing the evolution of Chinese Buddhist art and culture.

There are some grottoes in Xishan, but many small Buddha statues were stolen by locals and foreigners during the warlords' scuffle. It is a pity that there are only one stone caves left. Some big Buddha statues are shocking, but there is really a lack of Buddhist culture and history, and the tour guides don't explain too much. I can't believe how hard the ancient emperors were to pay tribute to the Buddha to build~~ feudal centralization really made the people suffer, and the people died. Luoyang in May is already very hot. It is recommended to start visiting again at 4:00 pm, otherwise the weather will really sunburn. Luoyang Cultural Tourism Bureau gave a taxi subsidy to Xueqi, and there were buses on the tourist line, which was great! Very careful. There are not many grottoes in Dongshan, but there are Baijuyi's behind the cemetery and Xiangshan Temple~ We are not physically able to rest. After visiting Xishan, we rested in place. Later, we waited for the lights to see the night view. The night view is still very beautiful, it is worth seeing~ Feel history and Buddhist culture, after all, it is a world historical and cultural heritage. I think the price/performance ratio is not high for this package. Although the ticket is included, the price of 316 people is high. The tour guide's explanation was not very enthusiastic, and the content she told was not very engaging. It feels very hasty to visit 1.5 for an hour, so let's go and watch the flowers. I hope everyone will pick a tour guide next time and listen to the explanation in detail, otherwise the level of learning will not be high.

The group is very suitable for one or two people to travel. The tour guide is Miss Sun Na. From the history of construction to the cause of destruction to protection, it is very detailed in combination with the story poems. It also introduces the best photo spots and return routes. It is great!

20240416 afternoon: 1. Longmen Grottoes are a world cultural heritage on both sides of the Luoyang Yi River. It was dug in Luoyang, the capital of the Northern Wei Taihe 17 years (493), and the filial emperor moved to Luoyang. After more than 500 years of continuous excavation, it formed a 1 km-long scale-like magnificent grotto belt. The existing caves were 2,345, More than 2,800 inscriptions, more than 70 pagodas, more than 110,000 statues (30% in Northern Wei, 60% in Tang Dynasty), is the world's largest statue group, the largest scale of stone statues, is the first of China's three grottoes, the only royal grottoes. The scenic spot is from Dongshan Grottoes, Xishan Grottoes, Dong'an Observation Deck, Xiangshan Temple, Baijuyi Cemetery is composed of 5 areas, which are a good place for viewing photography, humanistic learning, ancient costume photo, night scene shooting, worshipping Buddha and praying, fitness and health. There are Tang Taizong, Wu Zetian, Qing Qianlong Emperor, Bai Juyi, Zhou Enlai, Jiang Jieshi, Song Meiling, Zhang Xueliang in history. Mei Lanfang and other celebrities footprints. ① Address: No. 13 Longmen Middle Street, Luolong District, Luoyang City, Henan Province ② Transportation: direct bus, easy to drive ③ Heavy season: No ④ Time: 5 hours ⑤ Ticket price: 90 yuan 2. Xishan Grottoes are located in Longmen Mountain on the west bank of Yihe River, lights up at 19:00, From the north to the south, there are (there are countless small grottoes without introduction cards, and they are introduced one by one due to space restrictions): ① Ticket Gate: Lantern Avenue is behind the door of the 3-dong house. The night view of the avenue is very beautiful. ② Manshui Bridge: Sangongshi Highway Bridge, tourists walk through the bridge from the bottom of the bridge ③ Wangchi: Two water flows into the semi-circular pool on the wall, and the koi swims in the pool. The pool is named after the allusion of "Dragon Gate". There is a two-story stone house with a lock on the pool. Chen Yubei: Chen Yu, a famous hermit in the early Song Dynasty, wrote a book when she was reclusive in Huashan (5A). After being stolen, she went around several times. During the Qing Dynasty (1862-1875 years), Chen Zhaoxu, a Luoyang native, asked the monks to inscribe the water on the Longmen cliff wall after receiving the Linyi post.⑤ Qianxi Temple: chiselled in the Tang Gaozong period (649-683 years), the main Buddha Amitabha Buddha height 7.8 meters ⑥ Beiwei Binyang North Cave/Zhongdong/Nandong: chiselled in the first year of Jingming (500 years) to the four years of Zhengguang (523 years), It is the Gongde Grottoes opened by Xuanwu Emperor for his parents, plus Yongping Zhongxu Liu Teng for Xuanwu Emperor to open a total of 3, work 802366 people, because the court civil unrest only completed the Zhongdong (main Buddha III, there were 3 large reliefs in the front wall of the cave, of which "Xiaowen Emperor Li Buddha Map" and "Queen Li Buddha Map" The main body of the South Cave and the North Cave was completed in the Tang Dynasty. The main Buddha of the South Cave was8.6 meters high and equipped with more than 350 small Buddhas; the latter is the famous "scissors hand" Amitabha Buddha. This three-hole is the only royal grotto in China that clearly records the reasons, processes, and employment of the excavation. The monument of Ili Foqi: the original object of the famous monument of Northern Wei, high 2.88 meters, wide 1.9 meters, is the fourth son of Tang Taizong, and Li Tai, the fourth son of Wei Wang, the son of his mother, the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson of the grandson At the same time, the inscription was opened in Binyang South Cave, and the inscription was written by the Prime Minister/prosecutortext, one of the four calligraphers in the early Tang DynastySui Liang's handwriting... The number of words exceeded the limit, and continued in the last picture

Taking advantage of the relatively few people before May Day, the first stop to bring family to Henan for tourism, is not a loss for the world cultural heritage, the first of the four grottoes, the superb skills of the grotto carving is too great, standing in front of the Buddha statue can not help but feel the wisdom of the ancients. The grottoes are mainly concentrated on the west bank of the river. The route is based on the route of going north to south on the west bank ☞ crossing the river ☞ south to north on the east bank. Before coming, I recommend the northwest parking lot on the Internet. It is close to the entrance of the scenic spot. It is indeed a lot closer to walking, but if you want to take a battery car to return to the parking lot when you return to the east bank, I can only sit in the Northeast parking lot, but it is farther away from the Northwest parking lot. People who can't walk want to take the shortest road back to the Northwest parking lot. Either walk or take a boat 40/person (the battery car in the Northwest parking lot is out of service). I really don't know if this is a diversion measure for the scenic spot. When shopping, it is best to explain or rent a guide, 30 yuan / table, deposit 200 / table, not to go around the flower.

Night tour Longmen has always been one of the characteristics of the entire Longmen Grottoes, but for some reasons, it stopped for a while. Today, March 30, Longmen Grottoes finally ushered in the first shining night. If you come to Luoyang during the Peony Festival, you want to see the scenery of the Longmen Grottoes at night. There are the following precautions, you can mark! 1. Even if you buy a ticket for the day, you can also visit the Longmen Grottoes at night. So I suggest that friends who want to take pictures of Longmen Grottoes, come in early in the afternoon, first enjoy the Longmen Grottoes during the day, and wait until the sun is about to fall, and the photos taken when it is going to be dark will be particularly blue and beautiful. 2. If you only want to see friends who travel at night, you can enter the scenic spot after 6 o'clock, and the fare is 90 yuan. There is no discount, and there are many attractions that you can't see. It is better to choose the afternoon time to come in. 3. The Longmen Grottoes at night are naturally the most beautiful in the main scenic spot, but don't just punch in the main scenic spot and leave in a hurry, because the river and mountains are taken on the opposite bank of the river, and the overall outline of the Longmen Grottoes is a beautiful picture. 4. Poor friends must pay attention to the latest bus, the last bus of No. 81 is 20:55, so it is recommended that you come in in the afternoon and see more than 8 o'clock to leave, so that you can take pictures of the beauty of day and night and don't worry about not having a bus to take a taxi back to the city. After all, Longmen Grottoes are still some distance from the city.

Located in Luoyang City, Henan Province, Longmen Grottoes is the world's largest and largest stone art treasure house, UNESCO named "the highest peak of Chinese stone art", ranking first of China's major grottoes. It is now a world cultural heritage, a key cultural relics protection unit in the country, and a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction. Non-holidays are already crowded. In order to see the night view, we grabbed a profit position on the other side of the Yi River early, and we didn't leave until we saw the scenery on earth.

Be sure to go in the afternoon, first look at the grottoes, then go to the Xiangshan Temple on the other side of Yishui, and watch the night view of the grotto on the other side at night, super beautiful! On the other side of the river, you have to go to occupy a good location early, it is very popular! But don't go on holidays, there are a lot of people!