Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang

Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang

(洛阳龙门石窟 luò yáng lóng mén shí kū)

Located 13 kilometers south of Luoyang, Henan province, the Longmen Grottoes are concentrated on the east and west cliffs of the Yishui River, and stretch for 1 km. Work started on the grottoes around the year 493, during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), and continued for the next 400 years.

Longmen Grottoes is one of the four famous treasure troves of Chinese grotto art, with the other three being the Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi, Dunhuang Mogao Caves and Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu province. Longmen Grottoes consists of more than 2,300 grottoes with 110,000 Buddhist figures and images, more than 80 dagobas and 2,800 inscribed tablets, all created between the Northern Wei  and Song (960-1279) dynasties. Longmen Grottoes represent the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art.

Large numbers of memorial texts and inscribed stone tablets at the Longmen Grottoes, like the Twenty Gems of Longmen Calligraphy and Zhu Suiliang's stone tablets, are considered rare treasures of Chinese calligraphy.

Scenic Spot Level: AAAAA

Ideal Sightseeing Season: April to early November

Opening Hours: 8:00 -- 18:00 (Feb 1 to March 31, Oct 8 to Jan 31)

8:00 -- 18:30 (April 1 to Oct 7)

Ticket Price: 90 yuan ($13.05)

Free Tickets:

① Six-year-old children or younger and children below 1.2 meters in height;

② Active servicemen, disabled revolutionary servicemen, disabled persons, retired army officers, retirees, journalists with press cards, and those aged 70 or above with a valid certificate.

Half Price :

① Minors between the ages of 6 and 18;

② The elderly between the ages of 60 and 70;

③ Full-time university bachelor or junior degrees with a registered student ID card.

Address: Longmen town, Longmen district, Luoyang city, Henan province

Website: http://www.lmsk.cn/index.asp(Chinese)

Note:

1. English tour guide services are available at the scenic area. More details avaiable at the official website.

2. The scenic area stops distributing tickets at 17:30.

3. The annual Luoyang Peony Culture Festival is held every year from mid-April to mid-May.