Luoyang洛阳

Overview

Luoyang has 5000+ years of civilization and was capital of 13 dynasties. Longmen Grottoes is World Heritage — the Vairocana Buddha is called 'the Oriental Mona Lisa'. White Horse Temple is China's first Buddhist temple. Every April, the Peony Festival transforms the city into a sea of flowers.

Key Facts

Top Attractions

Longmen Grottoes

World Heritage, started in Northern Wei, 2345 caves with 100,000+ statues. Vairocana Buddha 17.14m tall.

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White Horse Temple

China's first Buddhist temple, built 68 AD. Has Thai, Myanmar and Indian style halls.

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Luoyang Museum

National museum with 400,000+ artifacts showcasing Luoyang's history as 13-dynasty capital.

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Tiantang and Mingtang

Reconstructed palace halls of Empress Wu Zetian's era, climb Tiantang for city view.

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Food & Snacks

Luoyang Water Banquet

24 courses served like flowing water, representative of Henan cuisine. Peony swallow dish is the first course.

Beef Soup

Locals start the day with beef soup, rich broth with tender beef. Best with pancake strips.

Bufan Soup

Luoyang specialty, mung bean pancake in sour-spicy broth, appetizing.

Festivals & Events

World & Intangible Heritage

• Longmen Grottoes (2000) — UNESCO listed 2000, one of China's three great grottoes.
• Tang Tri-color Pottery (2008) — Luoyang Tang tri-color pottery is a gem of Chinese ceramic art, national intangible heritage since 2008.

Practical Tips