Things to Do in Luoyang

No.1: Longmen Grottoes

Type: Historic Sites; Caverns/ Caves; Geologic Formations

Recommended Length of Visit: 3 hours

Longmen Grottoes, or Longmen Caves, are located on both banks of Yihe River, 6 km south of Luoyang. Being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is known for the large numbers, massive scales, variety of subjects, delicate carving and profound meaning. No matter how little you know about Buddhism or sculpture, you will be impressed by the scale and complexity of the ancient work here.

The recommended sightseeing route is West Hill Grottoes – East Hill Grottoes – Xiangshan Temple - Baiyuan Garden. Here, you’ll not only experience the rich culture of grottoes, but also enjoy the beautiful landscape.

No.2: White Horse Temple

Type: Historic Religious Site

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

White Horse Temple, also called Baima Si in Chinese, is the oldest Buddhist Monastery in China that established in 68AD by the government. There is a replica of the stupa at Sanchi that was donated by India and they are currently building a Thai temple as well. Very interesting, which showcases an interesting blends of Chinese Buddhism, Thai Buddhism and Indian Buddhism. You can also track back the root of all Buddhist schools of the East Asian to this place.

No.3: Luoyang Museum

Type: History Museums

Recommended Length of Visit: 1.5 hour

Luoyang Museum is a local historical museum offering exhibits of the rich cultural heritage of Luoyang. The display of the museum mainly reflects Heluo Culture, together with Yangshao Culture, Longshan Culture, and the culture of the Xia, Shang and Zhou period.

This museum displays 1700 cultural relics in five exhibition rooms – a reflection of five different social development stages such as the Primitive Society, the Slavery Society and the Feudal Society. Among the relics, the bronze wares of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the pottery-made tomb figures and the Tang San Cai are considered to the be the first grade.

No.4: Luoyang Tianzi Jialiu Museum

Type: History Museums

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

Located in the center of Luoyang, the Museum of Emperors Chariot Drawn by Six Horses of Zhou Dynasty is worth a visit. The museum is built over the sacrificial pit area for the emperors in Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770BC – 256BC) with its capital at the site of present day Luoyang. The burial of the royal horse and chariots here is earlier than that of Terracotta Warriors in Xian.

Compared with other museum in China, this museum is a little small. It is divided into two main parts: the sacrificial pits and the exhibition building. The remains of horses and chariots that were sacrificed during Eastern Zhou Dynasty are in the sacrificial pits; while the exhibition building displays the history and culture of Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

No.5: Wangcheng Park

Type: Parks

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

Wangcheng Park is the largest park in Luoyang. Wangcheng, literally means “the City of the King”, as it was built in 1955 on the site of the capital city of the Zhou Dynasty. Each April, during the Luoyang Peony Festival, hundreds of thousands of peonies bloom together in a majestic display of natural beauty. Visitors could enjoy the peony flowers from April 1 to May 15 and the prime time is April 9 to 25. Also, the attractions in Historic Area and the Peony Culture Area will entertain you more.

No.6: Guanlin Temple (General Guan’s Tomb)

Type: Monuments/ Statues, Historic Sites

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

Guanlin Temple is a series of temples built in honor of Guan Yu, the famous general of the Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdom Period. Guanlin temple is the place where Guan Yu’s head was buried. General Guanyu is one of the few people in Chinese history who enjoy great respect by Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism alike. People have regarded him as a legendary and noble hero, worshiping him like a god. If you are interested in Three Kingdom’s history or would like to see the traditional style of Chinese architecture, Guanlin Temple is worth your exploration.

No.7: Luoyang Old Town

Type: Historic Sites

Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

Luoyang Old Town is the best place to find remaining ancient architecture and explore profound Heluo culture. Entering into Luoyang Old Town from Lijing Gate, you will be dazzled by the bustling local life. The area features a museum for folk art that contains local art such as paper cutting, local clothing and other local artwork. There are two kinds of streets in the old town: the shopping streets and the residential streets. The prosperous ancient shopping streets are full of small shopping standing terraced along both sides. If you are interested in peony paintings, Tang Dynasty three-colored glazed pottery, you can buy them here. The residential streets are old and narrow, filled with small shops and old apartments lining both sides. Besides, you could visit Muslim community, taste the local food (water banquet) in the old town.

No.8: Nearby Shaolin Temple

Type: Religious Site

Distance from Luoyang: 70 km

Shaolin Temple is a famous martial arts monastery, which praised as the birthplace of both Kung fu and Zen Buddhism. For Kung fu-lovers around the world, it will be a lifetime trip to Shaolin temple, discovering the depressions made by monks from years of training, seeing the current monks practicing the fighting forms. There are also scheduled Kung fu Show in a theatre that performed by the monks. Don’t forget to visit the Pagoda Forest, which is actually a cemetery made up of pagodas to commemorate those important monks and abotts in Shaolin Temple.Note: Early visit, about 9:30 am to the temple, you may have the chance to see the monks taking their practice in the outside field.