Luoyang

Travel Toolkit

     Luoyang Map    Climate    Transportation in Luoyang

    Must-see Attractions:

     Longmen Grottoes              Shaolin Temple                       

Luoyang is a small city, 25 kilometers to the south of the Yellow River, and is well known in China as "The Capital of Nine Dynasties", having been capital on and off from the Eastern Zhou (770 BC) to the later Tang Dynasty (923-936 AD). The city as you see it today is not quite what it was in the heady days of its youth and the  majority of the best sights now are those that the past has left behind. It is, however, at the moment, not overly plagued by tourists, so that the many sights here can still be enjoyed in relative peace and quiet.

The reason for Luoyang's popularity in ancient times is mostly linked to the geographical and climatic factors of Henan. Many times the imperial entourage had to move from the chosen favorite, Xi'an, due to the frequent droughts that plagued this part of China. Strategically as well, Luoyang is a very useful city, with hills on three sides making it close to impregnable. The area is also fairly central in Henan and so the city became a very favorable location to control. It was all of these factors that were the causes of the many wars that have raged in or around the Luoyang locale and nowadays frequent reports surface of the discovery of ancient weapons, unearthed in various parts of the city.

The history of Luoyang as a town and later as a city run much longer than that of it as a capital. Documents and cultural relics are continually being found here, allowing archaeologists the chance to slowly piece together the past and allowing the Luoyangese the comfort of swelled pride. But the interpretation of history is never the easiest thing and the ancient discoveries are always somewhat tinted by this pride. Recent evidence, discovered in the Neolithic site found in the west of the city, has dated a population here as far back a 7,000 years ago. Buddhism was apparently introduced here as early as 68 AD from Nepal. The revered Chinese scholar, Confucius, is also said to have spent some time here, perfecting his philosophical thought.  The biggest claim, however, that the people of Luoyang make is that contrary to common belief the Silk Road's true starting point was, in fact, Luoyang.

Luoyang is a famous historical and cultural city and key tourist destination. The rise of the city can trace back to over 4,000 years ago, beginning from the establishment of the Xia Dynasty (21^st-17^th century BC). After that altogether 13 dynasties built their capitals here. Luoyang got the fame of "capital of poems", for it has been the gathering place for poets and literators; it is also known as "capital of flowers", for peonies prosper here.

Luoyang abounds in human culture sites. The Longmen Grottoes is one of China's big-three grottoes; the Baima Temple is China's first Buddhist temple set up by government; and the Luoyang Museum of Ancient Tombs is the largest group of ancient tombs in the world. In addition, there are a number of historical relics such as the Ercheng Tomb, the Baiyuan Garden and the Guanlin Forest. Natural scenery of Luoyang is equally attractive: the eight spots of Luoyang including the Tianjin Morning's Moon, the scenery of Longmen Mountain and the bell ring of the Masi Temple, differentiating in styles and geting visitors on the scoop.