Longmen Grottoes

introduce

The Longmen Grottoes are listed on the World Cultural Heritage List and are a must-see attraction in Luoyang, Henan. With the Yi River as the boundary, the grottoes are divided into two parts, Xishan and Dongshan. Dongshan Grottoes are mostly works of the Tang Dynasty, while Xishan Grottoes were excavated in the Northern Dynasties and Sui and Tang Dynasties. They are the essence of Longmen, including the Lushena Buddha statue and ancient The "Twenty Grades of Longmen" in Yangdong.

N reasons to go to Longmen Grottoes

1. Punch in the world cultural heritage

As a world cultural heritage, Longmen Grottoes has a long history and profound cultural heritage. Since Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved his capital to Luoyang and dug the Guyang Cave in the West Mountain of Longmen, it took more than 400 years and seven dynasties of continuous construction to form the epic cliff sculptures we see today - Longmen Grottoes.

There are 2,345 niches in the Longmen Grottoes, more than 2,800 inscriptions, more than 70 pagodas, and more than 100,000 statues. Stepping into Longmen, you will be in a thousand-year-old art treasure house. The magnificent carving art will shock your soul and give you a visual feast.

2. See the power of faith from Buddhist grotto sculptures

Grotto sculptures are precious relics of Buddhist art. In the Longmen Grottoes, there are statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who are compassionate, kind, and graceful. In the pious worship of the believers and the ingenious workmanship of the craftsmen, the cold grottoes are rendered as solemn and solemn. The warm and quiet temple brings believers the hope of leading to the pure land of Buddhism

3. Pray for the safety of family and friends

Longmen Grottoes has been a sacred place for blessings since ancient times. Whether it is the royal family or the common people, they all pray for great wishes in Longmen Grottoes. In the face of the 100,000 spiritual Buddhas in these two mountains, calm your mind and pray for blessings devoutly. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, your beautiful wishes will come true.

4. Indulge in the beauty of mountains and rivers

"Longmen mountain scenery" has been the first of the eight scenic spots in Luoyang since ancient times. Bai Juyi once said: "The victory of Luoyang's four mountains and rivers is the first of Longmen". Here the mountains and rivers are beautiful, the pines and cypresses are green. Between the two mountains, the Yihe River is rippling with blue waves, and the satin-like water surface has layers of ripples, which is too beautiful to behold.

dry goods for travel

• tour route

The entire scenic spot of Longmen Grottoes has a fixed tour route planned. From Xishan Grottoes-Dongshan Grottoes-Xiangshan Temple-Baiyuan, along one direction, it takes about half a day to complete the tour. You don't have to turn back and forth to go wrong, and you won't get lost.

• Xishan Grottoes: The thick and colorful part of Longmen Grottoes

The Xishan Grottoes were excavated in the Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and are the essence and complete part of the Longmen Grottoes. Among them, the famous ones are the Lushena Buddha statue in Fengxian Temple and the "Twenty Items of Longmen" in Guyang Cave. The Buddha statue of Lushena is said to be shaped according to the image of Wu Zetian, and it is more than 17 meters high. There are 15,000 small Buddhas neatly arranged on the north and south sides of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave. Each of the densely packed Buddha statues is about the size of a fist and has a lifelike shape.

• Rafting on the Yihe River: Looking at the beautiful scenery on the east and west banks

From the Xishan Grottoes, after passing a bridge across the Yihe River, you can reach the Dongshan Grottoes in the east. Standing on the bridge, looking at the Longmen Bridge in the distance, it is a good idea to appreciate the grottoes on both sides of the East and West. In addition, you can take a cruise ship at the Fengxian Temple Wharf and Lifotai Wharf in the scenic spot, and go boating on the blue waves, with a panoramic view of the scenery on both sides of the strait.

• Dongshan Grottoes: across the Yihe River, look at the West Mountain.

Compared with the Xishan Grottoes, the scale of the Dongshan Grottoes is slightly inferior, and there are fewer tourists. If you feel a little tired after walking through the Xishan Grottoes, just take a quick look here. From the Dongshan Grottoes, you can watch the West Mountain on the opposite bank from different angles, especially the panorama of the Lushena Buddha.

• Free WIFI coverage: scan the QR code to listen to the audio explanation

Longmen Grottoes is the first cashless scenic spot in the country. Everything you can think of from purchasing scenic spot tickets and battery tickets, taking a cruise, booking scenic spot explanations, buying souvenirs, parking fees, etc., Longmen Grottoes has completely realized cashless payment. Direct WeChat Just scan the code.

There is also free WiFi coverage in the scenic area. Almost every scenic spot can scan the QR code to listen to the audio explanation, which is very convenient.

The scenic spot also marked the photo spots, for the reference of donkey friends who like to take pictures.

Buddha decoding

• Lushana Buddha: Millennium Smile

Fengxian Temple is a representative cliff statue niche in Longmen Grottoes, and the Lushena Buddha in Fengxian Temple is the essence of the essence. Anyone who has been to the Longmen Grottoes will be shocked by the majesty and grandeur of the Lushena Buddha . This big Buddha has a plump shape and a dignified and serene expression. If you look carefully, you will find that the Buddha is smiling and kind and modest, so it is also known as the "Mona Lisa of the East". There is a legend that the Lushena Buddha was carved according to the appearance of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty.

Nowadays, many people have a question when looking at the Great Buddha. Most of the Buddha statues are well preserved. I don’t know why the bergamot is missing. In fact, in 1934, Alan Pu, a director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States, came to China to search for literary treasures. This is a so-called "cultural relic scientist" who collects and steals ancient Chinese cultural relics as his profession. He has stolen a large number of Buddha heads and grotto treasures in Longmen and Yungang along the way. When he saw the Lushena Buddha, he was intoxicated by the exquisite and superb artistic level of the Buddha, but also suffered from the fact that the Buddha statue was too big to be stolen, so he even robbed the palm of the Buddha statue. Now if you want to visit the bergamot, you can only go to the Metropolitan Museum in the United States.

• "Scissorhands" Bodhisattva: The most adorable Buddha statue in history

In 2014, there was a report of "a super cute Buddha statue in history" that went viral on the Internet. It was about a thousand-year-old Buddha statue in the Binyang North Cave of the Longmen Grottoes. The hands are exactly the same, so it is also called the "scissorhands" Bodhisattva. Some netizens joked that the art masters more than a thousand years ago were so far-sighted, knowing that the scissorhands would be popular all over the world after a thousand years.

In fact, this posture is actually a kind of Buddhist mudra. Buddhist practitioners will use their hands to make various postures when practicing, and cooperate with chanting Buddhist scriptures, so as to achieve the goal of practicing success faster. The hand gesture of the Buddha statue called "scissor hands" by netizens is a rare Buddhist handprint. This kind of handprint may be related to the practice of Tantric Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty, symbolizing the strong will to practice and seek the Dharma.

opening hours

February 1st-March 31st 08:00-18:00 (ticket sales end 17:30); April 1st-October 7th 08:00-18:30 (ticket sales end 17:30); October 8th - November 14th 08:00-18:00 (stop ticket sales 17:30); November 15th - next January 31st 08:00-17:00 (stop ticket sales 16:30)

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