Siblings' Henan Tour (11) – Ancient City of Luoyang

Luoyang is one of the cradles of Chinese culture, with an extremely long history. Known as the capital of thirteen dynasties, historical records indicate that thirteen dynasties—the Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, Eastern Zhou, Eastern Han, Cao Wei, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, Wu Zhou, Later Liang, Later Tang, and Later Jin—established their capitals here. However, I recall that during my student days, Luoyang was only referred to as the capital of nine dynasties. This is because the Xia dynasty's capital is not recorded historically. The Shang dynasty moved its capital several times, but its capitals were around Shangqiu and Anyang. It is widely accepted that the Western Zhou capital was Haojing, not Luoyang. Wu Zhou was merely a phase of the Tang dynasty and is generally not counted as a separate dynasty. So, I remember that in my student days, Luoyang was only called the 'capital of nine dynasties.' But whether thirteen or nine dynasties, Luoyang is still one of the cities with the most capitals, thus rich in tourism resources, making it an excellent tourist city and garden city in China.

We have visited Luoyang several times before and have been to its main tourist attractions. However, visiting together as siblings naturally brings a special charm and significance.

Upon arriving in Luoyang and checking into the hotel, we took a bus to the ancient city of Luoyang in search of the popular restaurant for 'Luoyang Water Feast.'

Although we had been to Luoyang several times before, we had never tasted the Luoyang Water Feast. In the past, our focus during trips was solely on the attractions, often neglecting the cuisine. Now, with limited physical strength and less enjoyment of climbing mountains and wading through streams, we have shifted some attention to food.

Legend has it that the Luoyang Water Feast originated in the early Tang dynasty, designed by Yuan Tiangang. The 'water' in Water Feast was meant to foreshadow Wu Zetian's successful takeover, and the 24 dishes symbolized her 24-year reign. Of course, this is just a legend, and I don't quite believe it. 'When conditions are ripe, success will come naturally' can apply to any situation, so why specifically refer to Wu Zetian? In fact, any region's dietary habits and preferences are determined by its local products and geographical environment. The same goes for the Luoyang Water Feast.

As we walked through the streets of the ancient city, the evening lights began to shine. The ancient city was adorned with colorful lights. After walking for a long time, we finally found that popular restaurant. But to my disappointment, it was small and the sanitary conditions were rather ordinary. Following online reviews, we ordered a few popular dishes. Overall, the Water Feast was just so-so.

The first dish of the Water Feast, according to tradition, is 'Peony Yan Cai.' The name sounds nice, and it looked good, but the peony was actually made of shredded radish—pleasant to look at but not tasty. None of the other dishes left a deep impression; in fact, I now can't even recall their names. It's embarrassing—I can't remember what we ordered. The only dish I remember is this eight-treasure rice pudding. The characteristic of the Luoyang Water Feast is that every dish is soupy, and the eight-treasure rice pudding was no exception. But by Shanghai standards, it wasn't sweet enough.

After dinner, we continued strolling around the ancient city. The night market was bustling, with many stalls selling Luoyang snacks. At the end of this street stood the magnificent imitation ancient architecture—Lijing Gate.

Lijing Gate was originally the west gate of Luoyang city during the Jin dynasty, built in the first year of Jin Xingding. According to the 'Old City District Annals': 'The Jin and Ming Luoyang city had four gates: the east gate was Jianchun Gate, the west gate was Lijing Gate, the south gate was Changxia Gate, and the north gate was Anxi Gate.'

Historically, Lijing Gate tower was repeatedly repaired and destroyed. The Lijing Gate seen today was rebuilt on the original site of the Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Lijing Gate in 2002. The entire new scenic area includes the gate tower, barbican, arrow tower, city wall, moat, and Lijing Bridge, forming the Lijing Gate Scenic Area. This area has become one of the most distinctive historical and cultural landmarks of Luoyang's ancient city and is listed among the Eight Sights of Luoyang.

After a day of travel, we were quite tired. We took the bus back to the hotel, concluding the day's itinerary.