Luoyang was the capital of thirteen dynasties, which is the kind of statistic that stops meaning anything. The version that matters to a visitor is narrower and much more useful.
In 493 the Northern Wei emperor Xiaowen moved his court from Pingcheng — modern Datong — to Luoyang, as part of a deliberate programme of adopting Chinese custom. The imperial cave-carving workshops moved with him. That is why the Yungang grottoes tail off and the Longmen grottoes start, and why the two sites, 700 km apart, read as one continuous project interrupted by a change of address.
Carving then continued at Longmen through the Eastern and Western Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and Song — over four hundred years of it.
Longmen#
The site runs for about a kilometre along both banks of the Yi River, south of the modern city, and holds something over 2,300 caves and niches, more than 100,000 statues and around 2,800 carved inscriptions. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 2000.
The centrepiece is the Fengxian Temple (奉先寺, Fèngxiān Sì), the largest and most accomplished group, completed in 675 under the Tang. Its seated Vairocana Buddha stands 17.14 m high with a four-metre head and ears nearly two metres long. It is open to the sky rather than enclosed in a cave, which means you see it from the far bank before you reach it, and it is the single image most people carry away from central China.
Two things about visiting. It is a linear site walked end to end, with a bridge crossing at the far end rather than a loop back the way you came, so allow for the return along the opposite bank. And it is a half-day, not a full one — the density is high and the concentration required goes before the site does.
The White Horse Temple#
白马寺 (Báimǎ Sì) sits about 12 km east of the old city and is traditionally held to be the first Buddhist temple built in China, founded in 68 CE under the Eastern Han. The tradition is a tradition rather than an excavation record, but the claim is the settled one — the Ministry of Culture and Tourism describes it as the temple built after Buddhism reached China and the place from which the first Chinese translation of a sutra came.
It is still an active monastery and it is quieter than Longmen. It also has an unusual modern feature: a group of halls built by other Buddhist countries in their own national architectural styles, which is either a curiosity or a distraction depending on your patience for it.
Getting there and around#
Luoyang is on the Zhengzhou–Xi'an high-speed line and most visitors arrive at Longmen station (龙门站, Lóngmén Zhàn), south of the centre and named for the grottoes.
The city has a metro, which is newer than most guidance reflects: Line 1 opened on 28 March 2021 and Line 2 on 26 December 2021, crossing at Jiefang Road. Line 2 is the useful one for a visitor because it runs south to Longmen station itself, so the high-speed arrival and the city are joined without a taxi. Check the current terminus for the grottoes themselves rather than assuming the metro reaches the site entrance.
How long you need#
One night. Longmen in the morning, the White Horse Temple in the afternoon, out the next day — that is the honest shape of it, and it is what the slow east route allows.
Two or three nights if you treat Henan as a block rather than a stop. Kaifeng makes the argument for this: the Song capital to the east, Luoyang to the west, Zhengzhou in the middle as the rail hub, and the Shaolin Temple at Dengfeng between them, on Songshan — one of the five sacred mountains, and UNESCO-listed in its own right.
Peonies, if the timing lands#
Luoyang has been associated with the peony since the Tang and calls itself the peony city. The flowering is in April, the city runs a festival around it, and hotels and trains fill accordingly. If you are travelling in April and can adjust, it is a genuine reason to be here; if you are not, nothing about the rest of the city depends on it.
Exact festival dates move year to year with the flowering, so confirm them locally rather than planning around a date from any guide.
Frequently asked questions#
Is Luoyang worth visiting?#
For the Longmen Grottoes, yes — one of the four great Buddhist cave sites in China, UNESCO-listed in 2000, with over 100,000 statues carved across four centuries. One night covers Longmen and the White Horse Temple comfortably. The modern city is ordinary; the sites are not.
How long do you need at the Longmen Grottoes?#
Half a day. The site runs about a kilometre along both banks of the Yi River and is walked end to end with a bridge crossing rather than as a loop, so allow for the return along the opposite side. Concentration fades before the carvings do.
What is the connection between Luoyang and Datong?#
The same imperial workshops. When the Northern Wei emperor Xiaowen moved his capital from Pingcheng — modern Datong — to Luoyang in 493, the cave-carving effort moved south with the court. Yungang winds down and Longmen begins, which is why the two sites read as one project in two places.
Is the White Horse Temple really the oldest in China?#
It is traditionally held to be the first Buddhist temple built in China, founded in 68 CE under the Eastern Han, and that claim is the settled one in Chinese accounts including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's. It rests on tradition rather than on an excavation record, but no rival claim displaces it.
Does Luoyang have a metro?#
Yes, and it is recent enough that older guides say otherwise. Line 1 opened on 28 March 2021 and Line 2 on 26 December 2021, crossing at Jiefang Road. Line 2 runs south to Longmen high-speed station, which is where most visitors arrive.
When is the Luoyang peony season?#
April. The city is strongly associated with the peony and runs a festival around the flowering, which pushes hotel and train demand up sharply. Dates shift year to year with the bloom, so confirm locally rather than booking around a published date.