Brief information on Longmen Grottoes  

Listed in the World Cultural Heritages and Relics by UNESCO, the Longmen Grottoes is a treasure house of ancient China Buddhism Sculpture Art. The grottoes are located 12 km south of Luoyang City, Henan Province, and are among the three most well-known grottoes in China. There are many wonderful scenic places in Longmen with mountains, forests and rivers, especially two green mountains on both sides of the river, which is much like a great natural gate when seen from afar. Longmen means Dragon Gate in Chinese, displaying magnificence and severity.

The grottoes were carved during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) when the king moved to Luoyang and set his capital there at the end of the fifth century. Later on, it was built and extended for more than 400 years through Eastern and Western Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang and Song Dynasties, which stretches 1 km from south to north. There are 2,345 grottoes, 2,680 stone tablets and inscriptions, over 70 stupas and 100,000 Buddhist statues. Among them, the biggest one is 17.14 meters high, while the smallest one is only 2 centimeters. These works of art show the level of achievement Chinese artists reached in those days.

As the largest grotto, Fengxian Temple is over 30 meters in both width and length respectively. According to the inscriptions, the grotto was carved during Tang Gaozong and Wu Zetian’s reign, and was completed in 675 AD. Buddhist statues there embody the artistic features of Tang Dynasty, which are depicted with fat faces and droopy ears. They are all plump with serenity, attentiveness and hospitality.

*You can download the bilingual note to show it to a taxi driver or someone else to find your way to Longmen Grottoes if you plan to visit Longmen Grottoes and have language problems.

Hours: 07:00 - 19:50 (March 1st to October 31st ); 07:30 - 18:50 (November 1st to February 28th )
Address: Luoyang City, Henan Province
Phone: 0379-65980216
Transportation: Buses: 81, 53