Destination Guide
Face the Longmen Buddha. That is Luoyang.
Welcome to Luoyang — a capital of thirteen dynasties on the Luo River, with a Buddha cut into the cliff at Longmen, peonies in April, and beef soup as the city's breakfast. It is the old capital between Xi'an and the east, the city that kept the Buddhas when the court moved on. What is Luoyang like? Plain. Stone. Unhurried. All old-capital temperament. The city sits where the Luo meets the Yi: grottoes face each other across the water south of town, the first Buddhist temple stands in the eastern fields, and a rebuilt Tang gate closes the avenue downtown. Same ground, three layers — the court, the cliff, and Luoyang now. It was a capital, on and off, for more than a thousand years. The Northern Wei and the Tang left the Longmen Grottoes; Wu Zetian's great Buddha still looks south from Fengxian Temple. East of the city, White Horse Temple marks the year Buddhism is said to have arrived. Out at Mount Song, Shaolin; back in the lanes, a bowl of beef soup before the peonies open. Eat first: the water banquet, course after course of soup, then that morning bowl with torn flatbread. Then walk the cliff, cross to the temple, and if April is yours, stop for the flowers. Luoyang is not a city you fold into a Xi'an day. It is a city you stop the train for.
Luoyang Cuisine & Broth
Luoyang cooks in soup. A 24-course water banquet for the table, and a bowl of beef soup before anything else.
Luoyang Water Banquet
A formal banquet in which the hot dishes arrive as soups, one cleared before the next. Zhen Bu Tong is the old house for the full setting. The famous plate is yan cai, a radish dish carved to look like something far richer.
Luoyang Beef Soup
Milky beef broth, thin slices of beef, cilantro, and chili, with a flatbread torn into the bowl. This is the bowl the city actually eats in the morning.
Jiangmian
Noodles in a fermented, sour broth. The smell is the point. It is a local bowl, not a milder version of the water banquet.
Bufan
A stuffed cake cooked on one side, which is how it got the name. Pork and vermicelli, off the stalls around the old gate.
Popular Attractions in Luoyang
The Buddha in the cliff, the first Buddhist temple, Shaolin at Mount Song, and the Tang gate rebuilt downtown.
Longmen Grottoes
Buddhist caves carved into both banks of the Yi River, from the Northern Wei into the Tang. The great Vairocana at Fengxian Temple faces south over the water. Walk the west bank first.
White Horse Temple
The temple tradition dates to 68 AD, when two Indian monks are said to have arrived with sutras on a white horse. Courtyards in the fields east of town, not another cliff.
Shaolin Temple & Pagoda Forest
In Dengfeng, about an hour and a half from Luoyang. Chan Buddhism, a forest of brick pagodas, and a kung fu hall. On a short stay it shares the day with Longmen.
Sui-Tang Luoyang City
Yingtian Gate, Mingtang, and Tiantang stand on the Tang palace ground, rebuilt above the old foundations. This is Wu Zetian's capital made walkable. Come back after dark, when the gate is lit.
Luoyang After Dark
Lanterns at the old gate, a light show on the Tang gate, and the cliff Buddha lit in season.
Lijing Gate & Luoyi Ancient City
The Ming gate and the lanes beside it, lit with lanterns and lined with snack stalls. The walk to keep on the evening you arrive.
Yingtian Gate at Night
The reconstructed palace gate carries a light show across its facade. Watching from the avenue is free. Going up into the gate is ticketed.
Longmen after Sunset
From spring into autumn the caves stay open after dark and the great Buddha is lit. A different hour from the morning walk along the west bank.
Arts & Live Performances
Kung fu at Shaolin, and a Tang night on the rebuilt palace gate.
Shaolin Kung Fu
Forms and weapons at the martial school, usually set beside the Pagoda Forest on the same visit. Ask what is scheduled on your date before you count on a seat.
A Tang Night at the Palace Gate
Music, dance, and the light show inside the Sui-Tang city, between the gate and Jiuzhou Pool. The program changes. Check the night you are there.
Unique Luoyang Experiences
Peonies if April is yours, the west bank of Longmen before the coaches, and Shaolin when the cliff has had its morning.
Peonies in April
Luoyang's peonies open from about mid-April into early May. Wangcheng Park is the old place to see them. Outside those weeks, come for the grottoes.
Longmen at Opening Hour
Start on the west bank and walk to the great Buddha before the path fills. The east bank is the return, if the morning is still cool.
Shaolin after the Grottoes
Shaolin sits at Mount Song, an hour and a half out. If Longmen took the morning, this is the afternoon, or the next morning before the train.
Tour Packages That Include Luoyang
Private China journeys with Luoyang on the route — every itinerary can be tailored to your dates.
