Luoyang - Luoyang

Luoyang (Chinese 洛陽 市 / 洛阳 市, Pinyin Luòyáng Shì) is a city in the Chinese province Henan.

background

Luoyang is one of the four great ancient capitals of China, which exercised the capital function under several dynasties. Today it has developed into an important industrial city. It is located about 110 kilometers west of the provincial capital Zhengzhou on the southern Luo He. The administrative area of ​​the city has an area of ​​15,492 km² and approx. 6.55 million inhabitants (2010). 1.6 million people live in the actual urban settlement area of ​​Luoyang (2010 census).

getting there

By plane

Luoyang Airport, Luoyang Beijiao Airport (IATA: LYA, ICAO: ZHLY) is an important passenger airport in China, which is mainly used for tourism. There are direct flights to all major cities in China, as well as selected international airports. From the airport, taxis go into the city for ¥ 30.

• National connections are for example: Beijing several times a day,Kunming, Chongqing, Harbin, Shenzhen,Guiling, Xi'an, Shanghai.
• And international: Bangkok (Thailand) and Osaka (Japan).

By train

Since Luoyang lies on the east-west route as well as on the north-south route, practically all cities in China can be reached. Luoyang has two important train stations. Louyang Longmen Stationwhich is only approached by high-speed trains. This train station is located far south of the city, and is suitable for visitors to the Longmen Grottoes. Buses run directly between the caves and the train station. Luoyang "Old" station. This station is located a little north of the city center, and is also served by normal trains.

By bus

The large bus station of Luoyang is just opposite the city train station. All larger and smaller cities in the region are served directly e.g.Xi'an, Zhengzhou, JinchengoderNanjang.

mobility

As in all cities in China, there are plenty of taxis available. English-speaking drivers are found for free. The best thing to do is to write your destination in Chinese on a slip of paper and give it to the driver when you get in. The hotel card is used for the return journey. You should always make sure that the taximeter is used. Fixed prices are actually not allowed in normal taxis.

Tourist Attractions

Due to its excellent location in the middle of the Yellow River Valley and the central location in China, the city can look back on a rich past. Once one of the capitals of China, the city has been inhabited almost continuously since the Neolithic. In 68 AD, Buddhism was officially introduced here in China for the first time. And Confucius is said to have studied here for a while. Some traces of history can be marveled at here, the most important sight being undoubtedly the Longmen Grottoes ...

Longmen Grottoes

The Longmen Grottoes [[1]] (also Dragon Gate Grottoes, Chinese 龙门 石窟, Pinyin lóngmén shíkū) on the Yi River 13 kilometers south of the old capital Luoyang are among the four most famous Buddhist grottoes in China, the other three are the Mogao grottoes in Dunhuangwho have favourited Yungang Grottoes in Datong and the caves in Chongqing. Entry 100 yuan.

The grottoes can be easily reached by bus with the lines 60, 67, 71 or 81 from Luoyang station, or with direct buses (written to) from Louyang Longmen station. Of course, you can also take a taxi to get here.

The grottos are located in the Yihe River Valley between the Scent Mountain and the Longmen Mountain. The construction of the grottoes began in the Northern Wei Dynasty and lasted about 400 years until the Tang Dynasty. A total of 2345 niches, over 100,000 statues of Buddha and more than 2,800 inscriptions were created here. The largest statue is the 17.14 meter high Buddha Vairocana and the smallest micro-engraved Buddha figure measures just 2 centimeters.

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  Overview

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  Fengxian grotto

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  Bodhisatvas

temple

The two historical temples Baima Si and Guanlin Miao deserve special mention.

Baima Si [[2]] (Temple of the White Horse) (Chinese 白馬 寺, Pinyin Báimǎ Sì) is about 12 km east of the city center, and is officially the oldest Buddhist temple in China. Accessible by bus line 56 from Luoyang Railway Station. Entry 35 yuan.

Legend has it that Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han dreamed of a golden figure. He then sent two monks to India to explain the origin of his dream. They returned with two Buddhist monks and two white horses. Also includes a sutra from India. The temple was built in their honor. The tombs of the Indian monks inside and the two stone horses flanking at the entrance of the temple still stand for this historical event. The temple is very spacious. The stupa, which is a bit out of the way, should also be emphasized.

More recently, after the turn of the millennium, replicas of famous Buddhist shrines from India and Thailand have also been added to the temple complex.

Guanlin Miao [[3]] (Forest of the Guanlin) (Chinese 關 林 / 关 林, Pinyin Guānlín) is about 10 km south of the city center on the road to the Longmen Grottoes, admission 40 yuan.

The visit can be ideally combined with an excursion to the grottoes. The temple is Guan Yu [[4]] dedicated to a hero who lived at the end of the Han Dynasty and during the Three Kingdoms. He had been defeated and executed by General Lü Meng of the Wu Dynasty (during the Three Kingdoms Period). His severed head was sent to Cao Cao the Wei, but Cao Cao had the head buried in full honor at the (later) temple.

The temple was built in the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty and expanded during the Qing Dynasty.

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  Baima si entrance hall

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  Entrance hall guanlin miao

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  Shrine of Guan Yu, behind it the huge burial mound

Old town

What is left of Luoyang's old town is about 5 km east of today's city center, at the Xiguan roundabout. Through the heavily fortified City gate you enter the main axis, which invites you to stroll. If you continue to follow the street, you will cross Xinghua Street, which is a wonderful place every evening Night market takes place. This is the perfect place to try the delicacies of the region. From fried scorpions to meat skewers to jiaozi you can feast to your heart's content here. The Drum tower follows further east.

To the south of it, part of the old town is currently being rebuilt, which should also attract tourists in the future.

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  City gate

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  Night market

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  Drum tower

Parks

Sui-Tang Site Botanical Garden (Chinese 隋唐 城 遗址 植物园) Beautiful gardens with lakes and rivers. Here you can relax and get away from the hectic city. A main focus is on the peonies known for Luoyang. Over 200 different varieties can be admired here.

Museums

The Luoyang Museum (Chinese 洛阳 博物馆) is right next to the Botanical Garden. The history of the region is brought closer to you in five chronologically separated sections.

shop

In the urban city center around the Zhouwangcheng Square, there are several large shopping malls. You can find everything here.

kitchen

Cheap

A visit to the Luoyang night market is highly recommended! Here you can try a wide variety of inexpensive dishes with just a tip of your finger.

medium

In and around the downtown shopping malls (Zhouwangcheng Square) you will find countless restaurants for every taste, from international fast food and coffee house chains to upscale restaurants with Chinese cuisine and small cookshops.

Upscale

nightlife

accommodation

Cheap

medium

Upscale

The Christian's Hotel (Chinese 洛阳 克丽 司 汀 酒店) is highly recommended. It is a high-class star hotel in the center of the urban city center. The staff speaks a little English.

56 Jiefang Rd, Xigong Qu, Luoyang Shi, Henan Sheng, China, 471000 (Chinese 河南省 洛阳 市 西 工区 解放路 56 号 邮政编码: 471000)

Tel. 86 379 6326 6666

Homepage [[5]]

trips

Luoyang is a good starting point for various excursions in the region e.g.;

There are daily direct buses from the bus station to Song Shan Mountains with the world famous Shaolin Si monastery [[6]] or the Zhongyue Miao a well-known active Dao monastery. Driving time approx. 2 hours each

House of the Huangcheng Chancellor[[7]] in Shanxi is best done with a hired driver. Driving time approx. 2 hours. The place itself offers an ideally preserved residence of a very high imperial servant. The fortress-like construction impresses with its walls up to 10 meters high.

The town Jiyuan about 30 km north of Luoyang offers a number of interesting temples. Including the Jidu Miao [[8]], one of the best preserved river god temples in China.

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  Shaolin Monastery Pagoda Forest

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  Zhongyue Miao

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  House of the Huangcheng Chancellor

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  Jidu Miao Jiyuan

literature

Official homepage for the House of the Huangcheng Chancellor you can find it here [[9]].

Web links

• http://www.ly.gov.cn/ - Luoyang official website