White Garden at the Longmen Grottoes

White Garden at the Longmen Grottoes

Located on Pipa Peak of the East Hill within the Longmen Grottoes scenic area, it is the burial site of Bai Juyi, a renowned poet of the Tang Dynasty. Built against the mountain, the garden is elegant and picturesque, featuring over ten smaller attractions including Tingyi Pavilion, Letiantang (Hall of Joyful Heaven), Poetry Corridor, Tomb Area, Japanese Calligraphy Gallery, and Daoshishuwu (Dao and Poetry Study). Upon entering the main gate of White Garden, you’ll climb the stone steps to reach “Tingyi” Pavilion halfway up the hill—a place where Bai Juyi spent his later years playing chess, drinking wine, and discussing poetry with his friends such as Yuan Zhen and Liu Yuxi. Beyond that lies “Letiantang,” where a statue of Bai Juyi stands inside. Standing in front of the hall, you can deeply appreciate the meaning behind one of his original poems: “A stream flows forever by my gate, tall trees grow thick along the wall, a bamboo path winds round the lotus pool, making a winding course of a hundred steps.” After paying respects to the statue of this great poet, you can proceed up the right-side stone stairway to the top of Pipa Peak, where Bai Juyi’s tomb is located. In front of the tomb stand three tall stone stelae, one of which bears the inscription “Tomb of Lord Bai, Former Tutor to the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.” The tomb is surrounded by lush cypress trees, creating an atmosphere of solemnity. Within the garden, the Poetry Corridor houses 38 stone tablets inscribed with calligraphy by both Chinese and foreign masters, featuring a variety of scripts including running, cursive, seal, and clerical styles. Here, you can admire Bai Juyi’s famous works while also appreciating the artistry of calligraphy. The Japanese Calligraphy Gallery was established to promote calligraphy exchanges between China and Japan, and features mostly works by contemporary Japanese calligraphy masters.

White Garden is located at the northern foot of the East Hill of Longmen, covering an area of more than 40 mu. It is the burial site of Bai Juyi, a realist poet of the Tang Dynasty. Bai Juyi, courtesy name Letian, was born in the seventh year of the Dali era (772) during the reign of Emperor Daizong of Tang. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 28 and began his official career. In the second year of the Yuanhe era (807) under Emperor Xianzong, he was appointed as Hanlin Academician, and the following year became a Left Remonstrance Official. In the tenth year of Yuanhe (815), he was demoted to the post of Sima (military governor) of Jiangzhou. Later, he served as Prefect of Hangzhou, Prefect of Suzhou, Censorate of Henan, and Tutor to the Crown Prince. In his later years, he lived in seclusion in Lüdao Li, Luoyang, where he funded the dredging of Bashitan and the restoration of Xiangshan Temple. He referred to himself as “Hermit of Xiangshan.” He passed away in the 6th year of the Huichang era (846) at his home in Lüdao Li, Luoyang, at the age of 75, and was buried on Pipa Peak of the East Hill of Longmen. The famous poet Li Shangyin composed the epitaph, which was inscribed by the Chancellor Bai Minzhong in the “Inscription on the Tomb Stele of Lord Bai.”

The garden is divided into areas such as Qinggu Valley, Tomb Area, and Poetry Corridor, with pavilions built along the mountain slope in the Tang Dynasty style, including Songfeng Pavilion, Bai Pavilion, Cuiyue Pavilion, Daoshi Study, and Letiantang. At the site believed to be where Bai Juyi once drank wine and composed poetry, a thatched pavilion has been constructed in the style of the time, sparking poetic inspiration among visitors. In addition, White Garden features a stele corridor inlaid with nearly a hundred poems by Bai Juyi. These stone tablets showcase a variety of calligraphy styles—seal, clerical, regular, running, and cursive—all crafted by modern master calligraphers.

Bai Juyi’s tomb is surrounded by verdant ancient cypresses, offering a tranquil and elegant atmosphere. Viewed from above, the layout resembles a lying pipa (Chinese lute). In front of the tomb stands a stele inscribed with “Tomb of Lord Bai, Former Tutor to the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty,” written by Tang Youzeng, the Educational Commissioner of Henan, when he reconstructed Bai Juyi’s tomb in the 48th year of the Kangxi reign (1709) of the Qing Dynasty. In 1961, the State Council designated Bai Juyi’s tomb as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level. In 1982, the Luoyang Municipal People’s Government decided to allocate 40 mu of land to build White Garden, constructing structures such as Letiantang, Daoshi Study, Poetry Corridor, Stele House, Cuiyue Pavilion, Bai Pavilion, Horizontal Stone Stele, Tingyi Pavilion, the main gate, Bai Pond, and an artificial waterfall. The couplet on the door of Letiantang—“Loved speaking candid advice for the people’s welfare, found joy in nature, wine, and poetry”—serves as a concise summary of the poet’s life philosophy. Inside the hall stands a statue of the poet. The Poetry Corridor displays many of Bai Juyi’s famous poems, inscribed by modern calligraphers and embedded into the walls. Daoshi Study exhibits various editions of Bai Juyi’s works, along with comprehensive illustrations and texts introducing the poet’s literary activities, achievements, and influence. At the peak of White Garden, surrounded by lush green pines, the scenery is beautiful, with the cliffside Buddhist niches of Longmen Mountain clearly visible, and the Yi River stretching out like a ribbon below.

Address: Longmen Scenic Area, Luolong District, Luoyang City

Type: Garden / Cemetery / Tomb Site

Recommended Visiting Time: 30–60 minutes

Phone: 0379-65980972

Opening Hours:

February 1 – March 31: Ticket sales 8:00–17:00, closing 18:00; April 1 – October 7: Ticket sales 8:00–17:30, closing 18:30; October 8 – October 31: Ticket sales 8:00–17:00, closing 18:00; November 1 – January 31 (next year): Ticket sales 8:00–16:00, closing 17:00.

Ticket Information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the Longmen Grottoes main scenic area ticket.

Transportation:

Located within the Longmen Grottoes scenic area, within walking distance.

Bai Juyi (772–846), a great realist poet of the Tang Dynasty. His courtesy name was Letian, and his pseudonym was Hermit of Xiangshan. Originally of Kucha descent, with ancestral roots in Taiyuan (present-day Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province), his family later moved to Xiagui (present-day Weinan City, Shaanxi Province). He was born in Xinzheng County, Henan. His father, who served as a Bieji (a local official) in Xiangzhou, died early. Bai Juyi was exceptionally intelligent in his childhood and began learning poetry at the age of five or six. When he was ten, several regional military governors in Hebei and Huainan launched rebellions, and war broke out. To protect her son, his father sent him to what is now Zhejiang to take refuge. He left his hometown with his mother and wandered through the south of the Yangtze River... More details about Bai Juyi ++