Luoyang Travel | Longmen Grottoes, a must-see with your own eyes!

The Longmen Grottoes are the most abundant and largest scale stone carving art in the world. Even after seeing it countless times on TV, witnessing it in person this time still left me deeply shocked! 😲 🐟 Leaping Carp at Longmen It is said that Longmen was carved out during Yu the Great's efforts to control the waters, and the legend of the carp leaping over the dragon's gate took place here. The grottoes began to be carved during the Northern Wei Dynasty under Emperor Xiaowen, flourished during the Tang Dynasty, and ended in the late Qing Dynasty, spanning over 1400 years. 🗞️ A 'Milestone' in Grotto Art The world's unique royal grottoes 👉🏻 The Lu She Na Buddha carved in the image of Empress Wu Zetian, the Guyang Cave excavated for Empress Dowager Feng by Emperor Xiaowen, the Binyang South Cave built by Li Tai for Empress Zhangsun, and so on. The scale is immense 👉🏻 There are currently 2,345 grotto niches and over 110,000 statues. A lot of color painting was used during construction, but most of it has faded now. 🪨 Scenic Area Tour The Longmen Grottoes mainly consist of the West Hill Grottoes, East Hill Grottoes, Xiangshan Temple, and Bai Garden. ✔️ Among them, the central spot is the Grand Lu She Na niche, which is not only the largest in scale at Longmen Grottoes but also the most exquisite group of cliff sculptures. The Lu She Na Buddha statue in Nara's Todai-ji is modeled after this one. ✔️ For photography enthusiasts, the lit-up grottoes at night are truly beautiful! Since the lights are solar-powered, they light up one by one, and if the weather is bad, some lights may not turn on. So the night view captured each day will be different～ 🪘 Touring Tips Many guides suggest entering the park at 4 PM, then after touring the grottoes, taking photos of the night view of the grottoes from the opposite bank of the river. But based on our actual visit, entering at this time doesn't leave time to visit Xiangshan Temple 🥹. So for those who want a thorough tour, consider entering the park a bit earlier. Be prepared to climb stone stairs, so wear sports shoes. Take sun protection and mosquito repellent in the summer. After enjoying the night view, you can take a sightseeing bus back to the exit, 1️⃣0️⃣/person.