The Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, a journey through a thousand years of art

The Longmen Grottoes are located on the Longmen and Xiangshan mountains along the banks of the Yi River in the southern suburbs of Luoyang City, Henan Province. They are one of the treasures of Chinese stone carving art, a World Cultural Heritage site, a key national cultural relics protection unit, and a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction. As of April 2023, according to the official website, the Longmen Grottoes stretch over 1 kilometer from north to south, with 2,345 niches, more than 100,000 statues, and over 2,800 inscribed steles and records. The Longmen Grottoes, along with the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang and the Yungang Grottoes, are known as the three major grottoes in China. The excavation of the Longmen Grottoes began during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty and continued on a large scale through the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, and Song dynasties for over 400 years. In 1961, the State Council announced the Longmen Grottoes as one of the first batch of key national cultural relics protection units. In 1982, it was declared as one of the first batch of national scenic spots by the State Council. In 2000, it was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO. Although the Longmen Grottoes were carved slightly later than the Mogao and Yungang Grottoes, they contain more than 110,000 statues, surpassing the previous two major grottoes and ranking first in the nation. The Longmen Grottoes are also hailed as 'the pinnacle of Chinese stone carving art.'