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The city of Luoyang enjoys a pre-eminent reputation as a cradle of Chinese civilization. For over 4,000 years, it served as the capital city of thirteen different Chinese kingdoms including the first, the Xia Dynasty (21st-16th century B.C.). The city is thus endowed with countless historical sites and cultural treasures.
Longmen Grottoes is situated in the southern outskirts of the city. Having survived for about 1,400 years, the over 2,100 grottoes have tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and more than forty Buddhist pagodas as well as a large number of stone stables. These grottoes, together with the Yungang Grottoes in Datong and the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, are the three major cave clusters in China. In 2000, Longmen Grottoes was included into the UNESCO World Heritage List. If you are interested in Chinese history and culture, joining our Luoyang tours to learn more about the history of the area is a nice choice.
Baima Temple is nearby the grottes, separated by the Yi River in front of the grottoes. White Horse Temple is a Buddhist temple in the eastern portion of the city. From the outside, the Baima Temple looks as if it houses the common collection of ornaments, decorated with cartoon style colors and images that are so prevalent in many of China's cities. However, this is in fact one of the most impressive and truly holy temples in the entire province. This temple, which is over 2,000 years old, is honored as the 'Founder's Home' and the 'Cradle of Buddhism'.
Shaolin Temple , on the slopes of Mt. Songshan between Luoyang and Zhengzhou, is renowned for its Shaolin martial arts that are so popular in China and the rest of the world. Built in the year 495, the temple preserves its original palaces, mural paintings and stone inscriptions.
Located in a village in the northern part of the city, Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum is the only integrated historic museum in Luoyang City. It has an impressive collection of nearly four hundred thousand (400,000) pieces of local, historic, rare and cultural relics from the past dynasties. Here we find 23 restored ancient tombs of several dynasties ranging from the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-24 A.D.) to the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
There are elaborate murals in the tombs reflecting the daily life of the nobility in ancient times. Luoyang Museum is the only comprehensive museum in the city. It is located in the prosperous district in the downtown, neighboring the Wangcheng Park in the west. This reputed museum well exhibits the rich history of the city.