# Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟)

Luoyang, Henan Province · Central China, China · Guidebook rating: 5/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/longmen-grottoes
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Longmen Grottoes, Bai Garden and Xiangshan Temple share a single ticket covering all three sites, priced at ¥90
- **Time needed:** 3–5 hours
- **Getting there:** Near Bai Garden car park (bus stop), Longmen Grottoes (bus stop)
- **Good for:** History & Culture, Temples

## About Longmen Grottoes

Apart from peonies, the Longmen Grottoes are Luoyang’s second great calling card.
You may think Buddha statues are everywhere, but more than 100,000 of them gathered in one place is rare indeed, and these are genuine ancient relics carved between the Eastern Wei and the Northern Song dynasties, a treasure of world significance. Together with the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Longmen is counted among China’s three great grotto sites. Its highlight is the Vairocana Buddha in Fengxian Temple, said to have been funded by money Empress Wu Zetian set aside for her cosmetics, and the Buddha’s plump face is said to have been modelled on Wu Zetian’s own features. Climb the long flight of steps, and the Buddha’s serene, awe-inspiring majesty comes into view almost unexpectedly.

## Tips from the guidebook

- 1. Visiting order: All the Northern Wei caves are concentrated on the West Hill, while the Tang caves are scattered across the West and East Hills. It is best to enter through the front gate, tour the West Hill, leave by the back gate, cross the bridge to the East Hill, look across the river for a panoramic view of Fengxian Temple and the West Hill, and then continue to Bai Garden and Xiangshan Temple.
- 2. Smart guide: The site provides an electronic audio guide. For ¥5 you can rent a headset and a location map and walk around freely. At each site, simply enter the number shown on the map using the keypad on the headset to hear a detailed narration.
- 3. Souvenirs: A souvenir market by the riverside sells large quantities of replica Tang tri-colour glazed ware.
- 4. Guanghua Temple: Guanghua Temple sits on the cliff 500 metres north of the Longmen Grottoes. It is one of the eight Longmen temples dating from the Northern Wei period.
- 5. Meals: It is recommended to have lunch at Guanlin or along the Longmen Commercial Street. For dinner, head to the food street at the Old City Night Market to sample a variety of local snacks.
- 6. Bai Garden: Inside Bai Garden, a recumbent stele is inscribed with Bai Juyi’s “Biography of the Drunken Poet” (Zuiyin Xiansheng Zhuan). It is one of the largest stone-carved books in China.
- Vairocana Buddha

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 2091. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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