7-Day Independent Trip to Luoyang During the Spring Festival of the Year of the Rabbit

This year is my zodiac year. Coinciding with the lifting of pandemic restrictions and the fact that 54 scenic spots in Luoyang offered free admission, I was lucky enough to snag free tickets for three attractions. So, on the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, I set off, setting foot in the Central Plains for the first time in my life.

1. Lijing Gate: Recommendation Index 1 (out of 5)

A replica ancient commercial street, crowded with people. It connects with Shizi Street, so you can visit both together. It’s no different from other replica ancient commercial streets across the country—just lively. What I don’t understand is that many food stalls sell stinky tofu and grilled sausages, and you can basically spot them every few steps (these two items are also the mainstays of the snack stalls inside other Luoyang attractions). Could it be that the people of Luoyang really love these two foods?

2. Shaolin Temple: Recommendation Index 2.5

You can take a bus from the Luoyang Passenger Terminal diagonally opposite Luoyang Station. There is a direct bus (it stops near the Shaolin Temple parking lot, and you need to walk a few hundred meters further to reach the entrance). The price is a bit high at 34 yuan (including insurance, which is mandatory). On the way back, you have to flag down a bus on the roadside. I really don’t understand why such a famous scenic spot doesn’t have direct shuttles from various places. That’s a negative point.

Coming to Shaolin Temple was purely to fulfill a wish. After all, I was heavily influenced by movies as a child, and I finally had time to see it.

Influenced by online reviews, I had already prepared myself mentally, but I was still disappointed. The scenes inside the temple have changed quite a bit from what I saw in the movies. You can only burn incense outside all the halls and cannot enter them. In the practice hall from the movies, a statue of a bodhisattva has been enshrined, and the floor is covered with meditation cushions. If you’re not paying attention, you can barely see the depressions in the floor. The murals on the walls are quite damaged. The longing I once had can only be relived in the movies. Sigh.

The Pagoda Forest is the most worth seeing part of Shaolin Temple—magnificent.

3. Luoyang Museum: Recommendation Index 5

After all, Luoyang was the capital of 13 dynasties, so it has a wealth of treasures. The museum has two floors, and it takes about three hours to explore slowly. You need to make a reservation to enter. There are some nice souvenirs in the museum shop. I immediately fell in love with a replica set of the white jade cup from the museum’s collection. It was love at first sight.

4. Luoyi Ancient City: Recommendation Index 2.5

Not far from Lijing Gate, this is still a replica ancient commercial street. It has no special features and is packed with people. The hanfu rental shops are extremely busy. Many beauties in hanfu are pleasing to the eye, but I wonder why their makeup is all so similar? Homogeneity is severe.

5. White Horse Temple: Recommendation Index 2.5

This was the first attraction I got a free ticket for. Actually, the regular ticket isn’t expensive either—35 yuan.

If you’re not here to burn incense, I personally think you can skip this attraction. The place is small, and there’s not much to see inside the temple itself; it’s just that its reputation is impressive. What’s really worth seeing is the foreign temple area, which has an exotic style.

The picture below shows the tomb of狄仁杰.

6. Tomb Museum: Recommendation Index 3.5

Reservation required, free admission. This is the only one of its kind in China. It mainly introduces ancient Chinese burial customs, with texts and pictures as the main focus, a few ancient artifacts, and many reconstructed ancient tomb chambers. Worth a visit.

7. Sui-Tang Grand Canal Culture Museum: Recommendation Index 3.5

The exhibition hall is not large, mainly introducing the past and present of the Grand Canal. Taking a slow stroll takes about two hours. Worth a visit.

8. Heaven Hall, Bright Hall, and Yingtian Gate: Recommendation Index 4.5

This was the second free ticket attraction I got. Although the current buildings were rebuilt on the original sites, they are grand and magnificent. Inside the buildings, there are detailed introductions, ruins, and free performances. The scenery is beautiful at night. At 6:30 PM, there is a laser show at the north square of Yingtian Gate (the square opposite Bright Hall; it was held every day during the Spring Festival, but I don’t know about other times).

9. Laojun Mountain: Recommendation Index 2.5

Since this attraction is relatively far from Luoyang, independent travel is a bit troublesome, so I signed up for a tour on Ctrip. The cost was 344 yuan, including two cable car round trips, admission, and round-trip bus. I felt it was a good deal.

This attraction is purely an internet-famous spot, with a lot of hype. Ten Mile Gallery is honestly just average. If there aren’t many people and you walk fast, you can finish it in an hour. I got off the second cable car at noon, and there were many tourists. I even rested and had a meal on the mountain, and when I came down, it was still before 3 PM. Of course, because there were too many people, I didn’t go to the Golden Hall and the Southern Heavenly Gate. All in all, the five-hour touring time given by the tour group was more than enough (this time is based on taking both cable cars round trip; it cannot be used as a reference if you start climbing from the foot of the mountain or from the second cable car).

10. Longmen Grottoes: Recommendation Index 5

This was the third free ticket. It’s a must-visit in Luoyang—magnificent. However, due to war, the passage of time, and natural weathering, the damage is very severe. A pity. Within the scenic area, there are also Xiangshan Temple (Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling’s villa) and Bai Garden (Bai Juyi’s tomb). I don’t know if they usually charge extra; this time, my single free ticket covered everything.

11. Eating in Luoyang:

I tried the following foods: Bufan Soup, Hu La Tang (pepper soup), beef soup, donkey meat soup, donkey intestine soup, wontons with donkey meat, donkey meat baked bun, grilled skewers, Nai Bao (milk bun), and roast chicken. For a person from Chengdu, the most recommended is the donkey meat series. After all, beef soup and lamb soup are common in Chengdu too, but donkey meat is hard to find.