2-day Tour to Zhengzhou, Dengfeng and Luoyang

Longmen Grottoes, one of the three greatest grottoes in China, has command of more than 2,000 niches, 100,000 stone sculptures and 3,600 inscriptions, which takes over 400 years to complete. The amount of the stone inscriptions ranks first at the Chinese four famous grottoes (apart from Longmen Grottoes, the others are Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi, Mogao Grottoes in Gansu and Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu), among which the works of calligraphy are the essence parts and the carvings concerning the Buddhist cultures reflect the greatest stone-carving period in Chinese history.

Spanning over 1,000 meters in length, the caves were chiseled on the cliffs of both banks of the Yi River. The scene of Longmen and its surroundings is very beautiful, because the "Longmen Mountain scene" ranks first place of the "Eight Scenic Spots of Luoyang". The caves were first sculptured and chiseled around the year when Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang in Northern Wei Dynasty.

As one of the three great Buddhist treasures, the Buddhist statues in Longmen Caves are exquisitely caved and beautifully shaped, all presenting a vivid appearance of a dignified manner and delicate look. The Buddhist statues in Longmen Caves are an embodiment of a peculiar and extraordinary style of sculpture of Buddhist. Statues of the Chinese people also occupied a very important place in the Chinese art of sculpture. What's more, with broad breadth of spirit, profound implication and beautiful workmanship, the Longmen Caves is a bright pearl in the artistic treasure house of sculpture of the world.

Scattered about the various caves are carved figures of Flying Apsaras, with some of them, light and graceful, riding clouds and mist dexterously, some dancing in the air, holding a plateful of fruits in the hand, some playing music and singing, and others casting flowers and fish about. Longmen is not only renowned for the caves, but also endowed with lush mountains and ridges, springs and waterfalls. The two mountains are covered with green pines and cypresses. Towers and pavilions set each other off. It's a unique scenery area.

Opening Hours:
07:30 -- 18:30 (in spring, summer and autumn)
07:30 -- 17:40 (in winter)

Ticket Price:
120 CNY
Half for students, teaches and the people between 60-69 years
Free for the kids below 1.4 meter, the disabled, the retired, the soldiers, the people over 70 years

Location: 12 km away from Luoyang City

Transportation: Bus No. 53, 60 and 81 will bring you here directly (1 CNY and 40 minutes).

As the first Buddhist temple built with the assistance of Government in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), White Horse Temple (Baima Si), the cradle of Chinese Buddhism, is of great significance in the development of the Buddhist in China. Having witnessed centuries’ changes, White Horse Temple has been reconstructed for several times, among which the one conducted at the order of the Emperor Wu in Tang Dynasty (618-907) was the most impressive one. 

In addition to the exquisite lifelike Buddha statuses in magnificent hall, the typical oriental architecture designs and the towering pines flourishing around the peaceful temple, there are some special scenic spots for you to experience how Emperor Ming in Han Dynasty practiced his study and how the eminent monk Tian Zhu practiced the translation of the Buddhist classics from India.

White Horse Temple is a rectangle courtyard facing south. The gate of the White Horse Temple was built in Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and it is three arches side by side. Covering a total area of 40, 000 square meters, the temple mainly consists of Tianwang Hall, Great Buddha Hall, Daxiong Hall, Jieyin Hall, Qingliang Terrace and Pilu Pavilion, which are all distributing along the north-south central axis.

Great Buddha Hall is the second hall of the temple. It is the place where the grand Buddhist ceremonies are held. The existent hall dates from the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). In its center sits erect a statue of Sakyamuni which is closely flanked by two Bodhisattvas Wenshu and Puxian, and his two disciples Ananda and Jiaye. Behind stand the statue of Avalokitesvara.

In the southeast of the hall, a huge bell is hung from the beam. It was said that when the bell is struck, the toll could be heard far away. More interesting is that once the bell is tolling, the one in Bell Tower in Luoyang Old Town will response it quickly due to the sympathetic vibration. 'Horse Temple Bell', one of the eight scenes in Luoyang city was named after it. The hall also house eighteen Arhats that are lifelike in modeling and unique in gesture and are treasures in Buddhist arts of the Yuan Dynasty.

Opening Hours: 7:30 -- 17:30

Ticket Price:
35 CNY
Half for students, teaches and the people between 60-69 years
Free for the kids below 1.4 meter, the disabled, the retired, the soldiers, the people over 70 years

Location: 12 km away from Luoyang City 

Transportation: Bus No. 56 will bring you here directly (I hour) 

Built in Han Dynasty (B.C. 202-220),Guanlin Temple, covering 120,000 m², was built in memory of Guan Yu, a general with a respectable loyalty in Han Dynasty. Around the tomb of Guan Yu inside the Guanlin Temple, there are hundreds of towering old pines, from which the name Guanlin that means a wood of pines is derived and owing to which numerous visitors have come here to pay respect to Guan Yu in the past 1700 years.

Guanlin Temple is located right in Guanlin Town, eight kilometers south of Luoyang city and is also called General Guan's Tomb, which is actually the memorial temple and the tomb for Guan Yu (160 - 219 AD), a famous general of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 277 AD). Guanyu originally came from Shanxi province and was also called Guan Yunchang. It was said that after Sun Quan, the king of Wu Kingdom, killed Guanyu, he put Guan's head in a box and sent it to Luoyang in an attempt to blame the murder on Cao Cao, the king of Wei Kingdom. Cao Cao saw through Sun's trap and was not fooled. He held a ceremonious burial for Guan and buried the head with a carved wooden body to the south of the city.

Guan Yu became a legendary hero in Chinese folktales because of his loyalty, bravery and faithfulness. He was also respected as 'Wu Sheng' by Chinese emperors. Temples were built for him throughout the country and he was honored as a god. Portraits or pictures of Guan Yu can be found on the doors of Chinese houses during the Lunar New Year because people believe he protects the home.

The construction work of this temple complex began in 1595, during the reign of Ming Emperor Wanli. The complex contains several halls, an octagonal pavilion and Guanyu's tomb. Inside the halls are pictures and statues mainly devoted to the Story of the Three Kingdoms. More than seventy stone-tablets with calligraphic inscriptions are also found here. A five-meter-high stone stele with inscriptions written by emperors from different dynasties is found in the octagonal pavilion.

Opening Hours: 08:00 -- 17:00
 
Ticket Price: 40 CNY

Location: Guanlin Town, Luolong Zone, Luoyang City 

Transportation: Bus No. 15, 39, 53, 55, 58, 60, 69 and 81 will bring you here directly. 

Covering 700,000 m², Wangcheng Park is the unique park that built based on the historic site and the largest comprehensive park in Henan Province. With an antique style tower gate, red walls and green tiles, Wangcheng Park is full of breath of culture.

Xiaolangdi Scenic Area is the most marvelous part of the yellow river, which covers more than 60 natural sceneries and cultural relics that are characterized by the gorge spectacles. The picturesque mountain groups with flourishing trees and blooming flowers form precipitous but harmonious landscapes, which is so charming that people name here the Three Gorges of Yellow River. In addition, in the waters as wide as 300 square kilometers, boats are crossing on the peaceful lakes and streams from one island to the other.

Lying in Mengjin County 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) north of Luoyang City, Henan Province, Xiaolangdi Scenic Area is located in the exit of the last gorge in the middle reaches of Yellow River. The Xiaolangdi Multipurpose Dam Project has become a dominating feature of this stretch of the mighty river and the three gorges to be found here are a major attraction.

The Dam Project is an eye-catching feature of the entire scenic area. In total, the cost of the project has been RMB 42 billion and it is not only a milestone in the history of the continuing effort to tame the Yellow River, but it is also a masterpiece in world hydroelectric engineering history. It creates three firsts in the world and six firsts in China. This vast construction is 1667 meters (about 1823 yards) long with a height of 154 meters (about 500 feet). The whole project consists of ten intake towers, nine flood and sediment tunnels, six power tunnels and an underground powerhouse. The Thousand Islands are more outstanding and amazing seen from the picturesque mountains.

Opening Hours:
8:00 -- 17:00 in winter
7:00 -- 19:00 in summer

Ticket Price:
40 CNY
20 CNY for the students, the retired and the people between 60-69 years old
Free for the soldiers, the tour guide, the journalists and the people more than 70 years old

Location: Jiyuan City, Henan Province 

Transportation: Bus from Luoyang Railway Station and Dongbian Bus Station will bring you here. 

Along the spectacular Yellow River, the marvelous gorges together with the picturesque landscapes around make a shinning fairyland where numerous tourists have come for wonderful memories after traveling around the amazing grottoes, peaceful temples, natural lakes, mysterious caves and the fabulous hydroelectric station. Three Gorges, covering 40 square kilometers, are the essence of this scenic area on the Yellow River. Each gorge has its own characteristics.

Based on the historic site, the Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum appeals to an increasing number of visitors by the abundant precious relics and the magnificent but plain architectures with the antique designs of Han Dynasty (B.C. 202-220) and North Wei Dynasty (386-534). The historic site mainly consists of tombs from Han Dynasty to North Song Dynasty (960-1127), the amount of which is 22.

The Studio of Thousand Tang Tablets is actually the unique museum in China that based on the epitaphs, where totally 1419 epitaphs are displayed. Among the precious exhibitions, 1911 epitaphs are the heritages of Tang Dynasty (618-907), which is the reason why the museum is called by the present name. Without any doubts, the epitaphs are one of the most convinced proofs of the history. Therefore, we can learn the society from the descriptions on the epitaphs about the royals, the officials, the celebrities, the common people and all the significant events of different times.

On arriving at the peaceful museum, you will amazingly have a strong feeling of being surrounded by a tense breath of culture and history--just like going back to the ancient time in a Time Machine.

Opening Hours: 8:00 -- 18:00 

Ticket Price: 30 CNY

Location: Xinan County, Luoyang City

Transportation: Long-distance bus from Luoyang will bring you to Xinan County.