The Most Worth Visiting Internet-Famous Tourist Destination in Luoyang, Henan: Rich in History and Culture, Drawing Tourists in Droves

Carrying a backpack on the road for 8 years, my profession is travel. Please follow: Xiongying Wangjun, sharing stories from the journey every day.

If you ask about the rise and fall of dynasties, just look at the city of Luoyang. Coming back to my hometown Henan, Luoyang is a must-visit destination.

Among Luoyang's countless attractions, if I had to name the most representative one, I would say it is the Longmen Grottoes.

Longmen was carved out during Yu the Great's flood control efforts, and the legend of the carp leaping over the dragon gate also originated here. Its grotto culture began during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty and lasted until the end of the Qing Dynasty, spanning more than 1,400 years.

According to my knowledge, the Longmen Grottoes are the largest collection of stone carvings in the world, with the most numerous statues. They have been recognized by UNESCO as the "Highest Peak of Chinese Stone Carving Art" and rank first among the Four Great Grottoes of China.

Bai Garden, the cemetery of Bai Juyi, is located on Pipa Peak in the eastern mountain of the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, covering an area of 44 mu. It is a cultural and natural scenic area within the grottoes and the only theme park in China dedicated to commemorating Bai Juyi.

Bai Juyi is a poet I greatly admire. Although I graduated many years ago, I still remember his smooth and profound poems such as "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" and "The Lute Girl" from our Chinese textbooks.

The entire Bai Garden features over ten areas, including the Qinggu Valley, Letian Hall, Poetry Corridor, Tomb Area, Japanese Calligraphy Corridor, and Daoshi Study Room. What is particularly noteworthy is the Stele Corridor in Bai Garden—calligraphy enthusiasts should definitely check it out.

Walking through Bai Garden, enjoying the garden-style pavilions and towers, and feeling the cultural atmosphere left by Bai Juyi over a thousand years—such a trip is truly comfortable and pleasant.

On this late October day, come to Luoyang, come to the Longmen Grottoes, and relive the emotions and romance in the poetry of Bai Juyi, one of the three great poets of the Tang Dynasty.

After visiting Bai Garden, not far away is Xiangshan Temple. This historic temple, like Luoyang's famous ancient temple—the White Horse Temple—carries extremely rich historical stories through the river of time.

For example, there is the anecdote of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty "composing a poem at Xiangshan and winning a brocade robe"; Bai Juyi once donated 600,000 to 700,000 coins to renovate Xiangshan Temple and wrote the "Record of Restoring Xiangshan Temple"; Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited Xiangshan Temple and praised it saying, "Among the ten temples at Longmen, Xiangshan is the best," and built an imperial stele pavilion, which still stands in the temple today.

Throughout history, there are countless stories about Xiangshan Temple...

Entering the ancient temple, strolling through this historic site, listening to the tour guide tell its past stories while admiring the simple main buildings. Occasionally, when tired, stop on the temple terrace, feel the river breeze, and enjoy the picturesque scenery on both sides of the Yi River—my mood becomes more and more cheerful.

The grotto culture of Longmen is divided into two parts: the West Mountain and the East Mountain, with the West Mountain being the main area. There are over 50 large and medium-sized caves from the Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Representative caves from the Northern Wei Dynasty include Guyang Cave, Binyang Middle Cave, and Lotus Cave; from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there are the Great Vairocana Image Niche, Qianxi Temple, and Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave, among others.

The most representative is the Great Vairocana Image Niche. The central main Buddha is Vairocana, and it is said that its construction was funded by a donation of 20,000 strings of cash from Empress Wu Zetian (then empress consort). Therefore, the appearance and demeanor of this great Buddha are said to closely resemble Wu Zetian.

To the right of Vairocana is his great disciple Mahakasyapa, to the left is the young disciple Ananda, followed by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Heavenly Kings.

As I toured, night fell, and the lights around the grottoes gradually lit up one by one, marking the start of the "Night Tour of Longmen."

Unlike daytime, the grottoes at night seem infused with vivid vitality, and even the expressions of the Buddha statues become more captivating, with greatly enhanced detail. For me, having visited Longmen five or six times but never on a night tour, this was a completely new experience—absolutely wonderful.

After visiting the grottoes, why not take a stroll through Longmen Ancient Street? Honestly, it had been five or six years since my last visit to Longmen, so this imitation ancient street was my first time seeing it.

The ancient street is grand in scale, offering shopping, dining, accommodation, leisure, performances, vacation, and entertainment. It provides a one-stop shopping and experience—convenient and hassle-free, truly wonderful.

With this, the entire trip to the Longmen Grottoes comes to an end. Farewell to Luoyang, and see you on the road again.