When My Luoyang Friends Ask, My Heart Is Like Ice in a Jade Vessel—A Family Road Trip to Henan During the May Day Holiday

Henan, a land deeply steeped in culture; Luoyang, the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, still shines as brightly as ever. Those accustomed to the hype of internet sensations should perhaps slow down and explore the timeless details that still move us.

I. Itinerary Overview

1. Route: Wuhan—Biyang—Luoyang—Dengfeng—Jiaxian—Zhumadian—Wuhan

2. Travel Dates: April 30, 2021 – May 5, 2021

3. Attractions: Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang Museum, White Horse Temple, Songyang Academy of Classical Learning, Shaolin Temple, Star Observation Platform, Three Su’s Garden

4. Cost: Three adults, two 8-year-old children, average ≈ 450 RMB/person/day

5. Keywords: Family trip, historical & cultural experience, high cost-effectiveness, holiday pitfall avoidance

II. Background

I’ve loved traveling since college, especially independent trips, so I always plan my own itineraries. Now that my child is older, I make sure to take her on every holiday. Reading ten thousand books, traveling ten thousand miles—she sees and experiences a vast world through travel.

Since I can’t take leave on weekdays, we have to join the crowds during holidays. So my planning principles are: first, avoid crowds as much as possible without missing the must-see spots; second, don’t be too exhausting—consider children’s stamina. Here are some tips:

1. Drive if possible. It gives flexibility to adjust the schedule, and it’s convenient with kids. During holidays, public transport is often crowded and inconvenient.

2. Don’t stay in the city center. Since we have a car, we can stay a bit farther out. City centers are often congested on holidays. I prefer new districts or development zones—hotels are newer and have better surroundings. Chain brand hotels offer more reliable hygiene and service.

3. Be selective. Don’t strive for perfection. When traveling with children, quality over quantity; don’t overschedule. It’s even better if the trip ties in with books they’re interested in or what they’ve just learned in school.

4. Book in advance! Important things said three times. Everywhere is crowded during holidays; plan ahead, reserve hotels, and buy tickets. Don’t be lazy, or you’ll end up with nothing but emptiness!

5. Hard first, easy later. People are excited at the start of the holiday, so schedule more strenuous activities like hiking or walking early on. Choose a comfortable hotel for the return trip so you won’t be too tired to work after the holiday.

6. Travel during off-peak hours. Visit popular spots around 4 p.m. to avoid peak crowds. Attractions typically stop admitting people after 6 p.m., but during holidays they often close later, so you can still enjoy three hours inside, which is usually enough.

III. Travel Journal

1. April 30: Wuhan—Biyang

Normally, driving from Wuhan to Luoyang takes 6.5 hours, but based on past experience, holiday traffic adds at least 2 hours. So we decided to leave at night and first sleep in Biyang after about 3.5 hours. This way, we wouldn’t waste the first day entirely on the road.

We set off at 8:30 p.m., but still it took 2 hours to get out of the traffic. The traffic was heavy, and we saw several accidents. We arrived in Biyang at 2 a.m. It’s a small county. We stayed at the Kyriad Hotel Biyang, 5 minutes from the highway exit. The room was clean, and included breakfast for two at 178 RMB. If you can leave earlier and stop halfway, it’s a good choice. But if you, like us, can only leave after 8 p.m., I would recommend staying in Suizhou instead.

The area around this hotel is very desolate, only suitable for a stopover. Remember to book a room with breakfast.

2. May 1: Biyang—Luoyang

After breakfast at the hotel, we set off for Luoyang at 10:30 a.m. The road was smooth; we could finally reach 100 km/h. But service areas were still crowded, so I suggest bringing food to eat in the car. If you need a restroom, choose a small service area without a restaurant, or you’ll get stuck in traffic entering and exiting.

We arrived at the Kyriad Hotel in the southwest development zone of Luoyang around 2 p.m. Yes, another Kyriad… But it proved to be a wise choice! It cost 395 RMB with breakfast for two, a great deal for Luoyang during the holiday.

The hotel breakfast was above average for business chain hotels, with a coffee machine and a book bar in the lobby, plus a small garden on the first floor. The only downside was the surrounding area—an unfinished industrial park with only KFC for delivery. But a 10-minute drive took us to Yuwen Kai Road with many restaurant options.

After a short rest, we drove to our first attraction—Longmen Grottoes.

I had originally planned a night tour, but the 900 RMB five-person group ticket on Ctrip was sold out by the time I remembered. So I bought individual tickets for the 3:30-6:30 p.m. session. Adult ticket 90 RMB, children under 12 free. I have to say, Henan tourism is very family-friendly; all attractions had free entry for children on this trip.

It took 30 minutes to drive from the hotel to Longmen. We were lucky to find a parking spot near the entrance. Many people were already leaving when we entered, but still quite a few chose this time slot—it was a popular holiday spot after all.

Inside the entrance, there was a small commercial street of Tang-dynasty-style architecture, with a nice atmosphere and holiday poetry quiz games.

Longmen Grottoes consist of the West Hill and East Hill. Typically, you enter from the West Hill and exit from the East Hill. The main caves are on West Hill; from East Hill you can see the panoramic view across the Yi River, and visit Xiangshan Temple and Bai Garden. But walking the whole way is tiring, and since we drove, exiting from East Hill would require returning to the car, so we skipped East Hill. We didn’t even finish West Hill; we stopped at the Lushena Buddha, waited for dark, and then turned back. But I think we got the essence. Pictures below.

Considering the holiday crowds, I was satisfied with the scene. After all, it was May Day (laugh-cry).

Since no one in the family is Buddhist, this trip was an important religious introduction for the child. On the way, I told her about Hinduism and Buddhism to help her understand abstract concepts like religion and faith.

But children have a natural sense for beauty. She could appreciate the carvings even without explanation.

Though the peony season was over, we still encountered peonies at the foot of the giant Buddha.

The Lushena Buddha, built during Emperor Gaozong’s reign of Tang, has gazed down for a thousand years.

By the time we reached the Lushena Buddha, it was about 7:30 p.m., getting dark. We sat and waited for nightfall. Thanks to the May Day holiday, the site didn’t close early, and we were lucky to see the beautiful Longmen night view.

The silent Buddha seemed to communicate with the children. They told me how beautiful it was.

We left at 8 p.m. and headed to Yuwen Kai Street for dinner. We chose the Xinlianxin Roast Duck restaurant, average 50 RMB/person. Recommended dishes: roast duck, potstickers, and flavored eggplant. We tried the Lian Tang Rou Pian (soup with meat slices) to experience water feast, but it wasn’t to our taste.

3. May 2: Luoyang, Luoyang Museum—White Horse Temple—Cross Street

We made a reservation on the Luoyang Museum official account a week in advance. We arrived at 10 a.m. to a long line, but entry was fast; we waited only about 20 minutes.

Luoyang Museum is well worth visiting. The first floor has four halls: three on the history and culture of the Heluo region, and one stone carving hall. The second floor has special exhibitions like calligraphy and painting. A thorough visit would take half a day. We only visited the first floor in order, and it gave the children a clear understanding of the historical context of the thirteen-dynasty ancient capital.

Since the 8-year-olds have already been introduced to history through books like "Teenage Reading of Records of the Grand Historian," "Five Thousand Years Up and Down," and Lin Handa’s historical stories, they were very engaged in the museum, connecting many things they had read.

The first floor also had a rich cultural and creative shop. The children happily bought two archaeological blind boxes and became little archaeologists.

For lunch, we went to Shiwei for Yellow River carp, choosing the Guanlin branch not in the city center. We arrived at 12:30 and waited about 15 minutes for a table. Recommended dishes: Shiwei Yellow River carp, Laomo Juan Sanzi (pancake rolls with fried dough), and Shiwei sour beef. The carp was very tender and delicious.

After lunch, we drove to White Horse Temple, a 40-minute drive, arriving around 3:30 p.m. The temple was relatively crowded, and online tickets weren’t available; we waited about 30 minutes in line at the entrance. We parked in a private lot across the street in the White Horse Temple Village.

White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple in China. The white horse carrying sutras to the East was like a seed that took root in Chinese soil. I have always believed that Confucianism and Buddhism together form the basic tone of Han culture and Han nationality.

Besides experiencing Buddhist origins, the temple also has Thai, Burmese, and Indian (temporarily closed) Buddhist zones for children to enjoy exotic atmospheres.

Inside the scenic area, there is a free tea house called Zhiyu Tea House, with a beautiful environment, located to the right of the entrance to the Thai Buddhist zone. But during the holiday, it was packed with people…

After visiting White Horse Temple, we found the long-awaited peony-shaped ice cream at the entrance. The kids were overjoyed.

We then returned to the city and headed straight to Cross Street for local snacks. Although I was mentally prepared for the holiday crowds in the city center, the traffic jams were maddening (awkward bee). Self-driving: park at the Dennis supermarket parking lot and walk to Cross Street.

Cross Street was extremely crowded. At the entrance, there were so many trendy snacks that we couldn’t move. We quickly ducked into a side alley and detoured around to West Avenue.

Highly recommend Shilixiang. The food is good, cheap, and generous, with no pitfalls and no long lines. Recommended: almond tea, lamb stewed pancake, boiled tripe, and beef braised pancakes—all worth trying. For the Bu Fan Tang (non-turning soup), we randomly chose a place called Laohuo Bu Fan Tang with no line. The soup was average, but the potstickers were amazing—full of leek and meat filling, bursting with juice when bitten. The kids ate two servings.

Because of the huge crowds and the children being tired after a day’s play, we gave up the plan to walk to Lijing Gate for the night view. We know that Luoyang has many more beautiful spots we couldn’t see, but we’ve already grasped its essence. I wish this blessed land a brighter future.

4. May 3: Dengfeng, Songyang Academy—Shaolin Temple—Music Grand Ceremony

We left Luoyang at 10 a.m. for Dengfeng, about a 1-hour drive. We stayed at a homestay called Heshansu at the foot of Songshan, 373 RMB including breakfast. The hotel was very clean, Chinese-style, and 5 minutes from Songyang Scenic Area.

After lunch, we drove to Songyang Academy. This is the second academy we’ve visited after White Deer Grotto Academy.

This is where the story of “Cheng Men Li Xue” (standing in the snow at Cheng Yi’s door) took place. Any place with books, ancient or modern, is especially delightful.

White Deer Grotto Academy has mountains and streams outside, elegant and serene. Songyang Academy, on the other hand, overlooks Songshan Mountain with a broad view.

A 4500-year-old cypress tree made us feel small and reverent. How many stories has the General Tree witnessed?

Inside Songyang Academy, there is a small local library where you can borrow books for free.

After leaving Songyang Academy, we headed to the legendary Shaolin Temple. The 30-minute drive turned into an hour due to traffic jams, and then it took another half hour to park. That shows how popular Shaolin Temple is.

We entered the scenic area at 4:30 p.m.; many people were already leaving, but at the temple entrance there were still this many people… (heartbroken bee)

Shaolin Temple is a Zen Buddhist temple. It’s not large, so we finished touring it quickly. We chose some less crowded corners for the children to experience.

Temple doves and passing children

The catalpa trees in the temple, full of blossoms.

After visiting Shaolin Temple, we had booked tickets for the Zen Shaolin Music Grand Ceremony, about a 30-minute drive away. Because the May Day holiday was so crowded, we missed the martial arts performance included with the Shaolin Temple ticket, so this show was a supplement for experiencing Shaolin martial arts.

Ticket price was 279 RMB; we chose Zone A. Apart from Zone C which has poor views, the differences aren’t huge. The show’s storyline follows the introduction of Buddhism to Songshan and its flourishing in Shaolin, interspersed with martial arts performances, with natural scenery and stage design. The children enjoyed it. But if it weren’t for the May Day holiday, I would recommend the Shaolin Temple martial arts performance instead—more substantive.

5. May 4: Star Observation Platform—Three Su’s Garden, Jiaxian

Today was the last day of our sightseeing trip. We chose to visit two off-the-beaten-path attractions on the way back, and we were pleasantly surprised.

At 10 a.m., we drove 30 minutes from Dengfeng to Gaocheng Town. Here stands the oldest existing star observation platform, where we could appreciate ancient wisdom. It’s a 4A scenic area with free admission, excellent value.

The platform was built by Guo Shoujing of the Yuan Dynasty. Impressive.

He even has a star named after him! (heart bee)

The platform also serves as an ancient astronomical museum, rich in content, making one marvel that there have never been a shortage of clever people throughout history. While we struggle to understand, the ancients figured it out on their own. (praise bee)

This place is also considered the Center of Heaven and Earth. Check-in!

We had a bowl of Hetao noodles in town for lunch—delicious broth. I commend our child; there are no fancy restaurants in a small town, but she adapts easily, never fussy.

After lunch, we drove to Jiaxian, about 1.5 hours. The Three Su’s Garden was a spontaneous idea. Since we planned to stay in Zhumadian for the night, we wanted to make the most of the holiday by visiting another place. I had just finished reading Yu Yunguo’s detailed account of Song history, and was reading “Ten Lectures on Su Shi,” while my child was reading Jiang Xun’s “Talking about Song Ci,” so we all became interested in Three Su’s Garden. It turned out to be a rewarding visit.

Song dynasty officials could not be buried in their hometowns after death; they had to be buried near the capital. So Su Shi and Su Zhe could not return to Meizhou in Sichuan but were laid to rest in Jiaxian, at the tail end of the Songshan Mountains. Later, a county magistrate brought relics of Su Xun from Meizhou and established a cenotaph here, hence the name Three Su’s Garden.

The garden is large and well-maintained—very impressive for a small county attraction. The memorial hall detailed the lives and achievements of the three Sus. When Su Shi was dying, he said to his companions, “I have done no evil in my life; after death, I will surely not fall into a lower realm.” It brought tears to my eyes. Learning can be deep, writing can be exquisite, but this innate goodness and calmness is even more admirable.

Su Shi’s poems, seeing through life, transcendent yet not detached, have a natural grace and love for the world. Standing before his tomb, I paid my deep respects.

“Listen not to the rain beating against the trees. Why not walk calmly and sing? With a bamboo staff and straw sandals, I’m lighter than a horse. Who’s afraid? A coir raincoat and a bamboo hat suffice for a lifetime of mist and rain.”

We left Three Su’s Garden around 5 p.m. and hit the highway to Zhumadian, arriving at 8 p.m. We stayed at Hampton by Hilton, 258 RMB with breakfast. Dinner was at the local restaurant Xiangcun Laomo Village on Zhidi Avenue.

On May 5, we left Zhumadian at noon and arrived home at 5 p.m., marking the end of the entire trip.