A 4,000-year-old carved Buddha statue in Luoyang

Longmen Grottoes 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬 This morning, we stretched and rushed across the city by high-speed train to Luoyang, one of the ancient capitals. It used to be the city of 13 ancient Chinese dynasties with a history spanning more than 4,000 years. It is located on the Silk Road route and is packed with 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites along with 9,000 immovable artifacts. It can be called a treasure trove of history and culture. The hero of this city is the Longmen Grottoes (龍門石窟), or as we call them, the Dragon Gate Stone Grottoes, a grand World Heritage Site on the level of the universe. It is called the Dragon Gate because of the two sides of the cliff. The Yishui River flows through the center. From a distance, it looks like a gate with a dragon running through it. Along the 1-kilometer-long length of the cave, there are stone carvings that are more than 1,530 years old. It was built during the Wei Dynasty and has been expanded over many dynasties for 400 years. At present, there are 2,300 carved caves and cavities, 110,000 Buddha statues, 60 pagodas, and 2,800 stone tablets, all of which are about Buddhism. Each piece is carved with great care. It is no wonder that UNESCO has registered it as a world heritage site. The most outstanding highlight of the carvings is the principal Buddha statue, the Bodhisattva Vairocana, standing tall in the Fengxian Cave. The Buddha is 17.14 meters high. The carvings are exquisite and express emotions with a full and complete face. The eyes look down as if looking down at people who are worshipping. It is believed that this face is modeled after the famous female emperor, Empress Wu Zetian. Because he was the one who ordered the construction and believed that he was the reincarnation of Maitreya. For the most convenient way to travel across the city from Xi'an, aside from chartering a car, we recommend starting at Xian North Station every time. We got off at Luoyang Longmen Station in this city and then took a taxi to get there. #TravelChina