Snow Dance in Luoyang: A Journey Through the Divine Capital
Luoyang lies at the center of the realm, named for its location north of the Luo River. It has a civilization history of over 5,000 years, an urban history of over 4,000 years, and a capital history of over 1,500 years, making it one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization, the eastern starting point of the Silk Road, and the center of the Sui-Tang Grand Canal. Historically, 13 dynasties established their capitals here, making Luoyang the city with the earliest, longest, and most dynastic capital in China. Luoyang boasts five major capital ruins: Erlitou Site, Yanshi Shang City Site, Eastern Zhou Royal City Site, Han-Wei Luoyang City Site, and Sui-Tang Luoyang City Site. It is also home to three World Cultural Heritage sites (six locations): Longmen Grottoes, the Grand Canal of China (Huiluo Granary and Hanjiacang Granary sites), and the Silk Road (Han-Wei Ancient City, Sui-Tang Luoyang City Dingding Gate, and Xin'an Han Hangu Pass Site).
Tickets: Purchase the 99-yuan combo ticket, which includes: Longmen Grottoes (90), Heavenly Hall and Bright Hall (90), Yingtianmen (60), Jiuzhou Pool (30), Peony Pavilion (30), Longtan Grand Canyon (80), and Jingzi Fairy Mountain (40). It also offers an 88-yuan discount for "Tracing the Goddess of Luo" performance and a 99-yuan discount for the Shaolin Music Grand Ceremony (currently suspended). Be sure to keep the purchase confirmation SMS, which contains the QR code for entry.
D1: From Wenzhou to Luoyang
Flew from Wenzhou to Xinzheng Airport and immediately felt the warmth of Henan tourism—Zhongmu tourism staff were promoting at the exit. Kudos to Zhengzhou's transportation: our plane landed at 14:55, we collected luggage, went down to B2 in the arrival hall, and there was Xinzheng Airport Railway Station, which has direct high-speed trains to Luoyang. However, the timing wasn't right, so I chose to transfer at Zhengzhou East. From landing to the waiting room ticket gate, it took only 35 minutes.
At Zhengzhou East, clear signs indicated convenient transfers; the elevator took us directly up. We arrived at Luoyang Longmen Station just before the legendary welcome team finished their shift, and were greeted with a blissful three-burst welcome: Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) welcomed the princess back to the city, the Fuma (prince consort) greeted us with a live wedding ceremony, and Jinwuwei (ceremonial guards) welcomed us with roses.
So happy...
This time I planned a slow tour of Luoyang, so I chose a three-bedroom, two-living-room homestay. The landlord, Brother San, drove to the station to pick us up and patiently waited for us to finish all the welcome interactions. After settling in, we immediately headed to Shizi Street (Cross Street). We had the Luoyang Water Banquet, drank Haibi soda and Luoyang Palace beer, strolled through Shizi Street (which leads to Lijingmen), and returned home fully satisfied.
(We navigated to the famous Guanji Water Banquet, but on the way, passed a place called Yaoyao Water Banquet, where many locals were eating. I grabbed an auntie to ask, and she said it was affordable and authentic. We tried it later, and indeed it was good.)
Since I was a princess in Luoyang, I had to get a princess-style costume and makeup. I chose a Tang Dynasty look, and wore the full outfit all day—it was tiring. The makeup and costume took about 1.5 hours.
In the morning, we visited Luoyi Ancient City. It was quite beautiful and very photogenic. We ate at the Yantianxia Restaurant inside (state-owned; beer was only Tsingtao, drinks only large bottles of Sprite). However, the dishes were exquisitely made and delicious. The server explained in detail the origin and preparation of Luoyang Peony Swallow Dish (the yellow peony on top is made from egg skin). Then we went to Lijingmen and Yingtianmen (actually the two are not close; I suggest visiting Lijingmen together with Shizi Street). We bought the 99-yuan combo ticket, which includes unlimited access to Yingtianmen, Heavenly Hall and Bright Hall, Jiuzhou Pool, Longmen Grottoes, etc., and also gave an 88-yuan discount for the "Tracing the Goddess of Luo" performance—very cost-effective.
At Yingtianmen, we hired a guide for 220 yuan for a 60-minute tour. This allowed us to hear explanations and also go up to the sixth floor (worth it; the regular ticket doesn't allow you up). The two short films shown at 15 and 45 minutes past each hour are also worth watching.
For dinner, we had a famous Luoyang dish at Fengshengzhai near Yingtianmen, then watched "Tracing the Goddess of Luo." I thought it was excellent—well worth the ticket price.
Yingtianmen and its surroundings are beautiful at night. I'll come back to see them tomorrow evening.
This morning, we visited Heavenly Hall and Bright Hall (included in the 99-yuan combo ticket). We saw peonies in winter and learned about the architectural history of the two halls (the guide was good). Student study tour groups are everywhere in Luoyang; several leaders I saw were competent. Photo 5 is from inside the Bright Hall. In the afternoon, we went to Longmen Grottoes. I had pre-booked a guide with excellent online reviews, and he lived up to expectations. Although the grottoes were packed with people, making me shiver a bit, his whole afternoon explanation left us very satisfied—we enjoyed it immensely and learned a lot about history and Buddhist stories. For dinner, we went to a restaurant called Huajie Laomo Village. They brought out a whole braised pig head with a drum-and-gong procession and blessings—so adorable. In the evening, we went to Yingtianmen for night photography.
Last night, the weather forecast said heavy snow might fall tomorrow, so I immediately revised the itinerary and went to Shaolin Temple today.
It took a little over an hour to drive from Luoyang to Shaolin Temple (parking fee is 15 yuan, not expensive). The snow on Shaoshi Mountain hadn't melted yet, giving the temple a unique post-snow scenery. Shaolin Temple is definitely worth visiting; it has many treasures. For lunch, we had vegetarian food at the Temple's Happy Land. Visiting the Shaolin Temple scenic area takes a full day. We didn't go to Sanhuang Village (steep and time-consuming) but made time to visit Songyang Academy.
From Shaolin Temple to Songyang Academy, it's a short drive of about ten minutes. We all loved Songyang Academy. I felt the feng shui here was perfect for studying; breathing in the fragrance of winter sweet flowers could increase wisdom. With the thousand-year-old trees, General One and General Two, everyone must come see this place. On a local's recommendation, we ate the famous Dengfeng braised noodles and Dengfeng baked cakes. Believe it or not, two big bowls of beef braised noodles were too much for the five of us; we ate about one and a half bowls, whereas a local Henan person would eat a whole bowl by themselves.
Today we are going to White Horse Temple.
In the morning, we first visited Jiuzhou Pool. Though it's a royal garden, it can't compare with Suzhou's gardens. After a brief stroll, we quickly drove to White Horse Temple before the snow started. I made a point to see the Forty-Two Chapter Sutra, the tomb of Di Renjie, and the Sakyamuni Relic Pagoda (Yun Pagoda). We played at White Horse Temple until after 2:00 p.m., but kept thinking about the Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum, so we reluctantly left to go there.
Luoyang's museums are truly worth a visit. We saw so many treasures; I sometimes wondered if ancient crafts involved time travelers. The museum's outer walls are made from rammed earth from Longmen—four centimeters of rammed earth compressed to one centimeter.
Halfway through the museum, it started snowing heavily, making the drive back a bit nerve-wracking. Still, we decided to go to Jiuzhou Pool to photograph the snow scenery. (Jiuzhou Pool is also included in the 99-yuan combo ticket, allowing unlimited entries during the validity period.)
I originally felt that a seven-day trip to Luoyang would be slow-paced, but I've discovered that every attraction here can take a whole day to explore—I underestimated them. Now I'm visiting two sites per day and already feel like I'm on a military-style tour. I'm worried I won't be able to finish the museums. What to do? Since I checked the weather forecast, I tried to schedule outdoor activities first. Tomorrow is museum day, and I hope we can manage.
Today's Luoyang Museum trip: we again booked the same guide from Longmen Grottoes and spent four hours at the Luoyang Museum. She explained patiently and in detail, and we learned a lot and saw many treasures. However, I suddenly received a call from the Han-Wei Luoyang Ancient City asking us to visit earlier. Reluctantly, I quickly grabbed some cultural creative products, and immediately drove to the Han-Wei Luoyang Ancient City Site.
This place has few guides. I had contacted a staff member in advance, and that teacher was very dedicated—he personally showed us around and explained thoroughly. Standing on the ruins, one could deeply feel the grandeur, majesty, and symmetry of the imperial city. Stepping on roads from 2,000 years ago felt like traveling through time. Touching the rammed earth from 2,000 years ago stirred inexplicable excitement in me.
Because we went late today, we couldn't make it to the Yongning Temple Site and the Eastern Wall Site in time. I'll see if I can find time tomorrow.
If you ask about the rise and fall of past dynasties, just look at Luoyang City. After seeing this site, we were all moved. The two little ones and the elder were also satisfied. Now we had to go to Xiaojie Tianfu for some delicious food.
A little southerner's love for snow never lasts more than a day. I'm glad we wisely did outdoor activities early. This heavy, swirling snow made everything cold and slippery, and driving was nerve-wracking.
In the morning, my elder and I went to the Sui-Tang Grand Canal Museum, while Dad and the two little ones drove to Shouyang Mountain to pay respects to Cao Pi. In the afternoon, the whole group went to the Ancient Tombs Museum. This museum is quite incredible—you can see the interior of ancient tombs. Definitely a must-see. The snow was too heavy, so we went home first for tea and rest, and then decided whether to go out for food. Also, touring museums is too hard on the legs; I plan to bring a wheelchair next time.
In the morning, we explored the city center, especially some alleys near Lijingmen. In the afternoon, we headed back home. Luoyang is worth visiting—go for it, everyone!
