Longmen Grottoes

Longmen Grottoes

The Longmen Grottoes are a national scenic area, a National AAAAA-level tourist attraction, a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, a patriotic education base, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Longmen Grottoes are located 12 kilometers south of downtown Luoyang. Alongside the Yungang Grottoes in Datong and the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, they are one of China’s three most renowned grotto complexes and are designated as a National 5A-level tourist attraction.

Longmen is a picturesque place where two green mountains, East Hill and West Hill, stand opposite each other, with the Yi River flowing slowly northward. From afar, it looks like a natural gate, hence it was anciently called “Yique” (“Gate of the Yi River”). Since ancient times, Yique has been the first sight to greet visitors to Longmen. The Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi once said, “Among all the scenic landscapes around Luoyang, Longmen ranks the foremost.”

The carving of the Longmen Grottoes began around the time when Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang (494 AD). Later, through the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, and Northern Zhou dynasties, and continuing on through the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, large-scale construction lasted for over 400 years. The grottoes are densely distributed along the cliffs on both the eastern and western sides of the Yi River, stretching about 1 kilometer from north to south. In total, there are more than 97,000 Buddha statues and over 1,300 caves. Currently, there are 2,345 existing niches, more than 3,600 inscriptions and steles, over 50 pagodas, and over 100,000 statues. The largest statue is 17.14 meters tall, while the smallest is just 2 centimeters. These all reflect the remarkable artistic achievements of the ancient Chinese laboring people.

The Fengxian Temple is the largest cave among the Tang Dynasty grottoes at Longmen, measuring over 30 meters in both length and width. According to inscriptions, this cave was carved during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty and took three years to complete. The Buddha statues in the cave distinctly exhibit the artistic characteristics of Tang Dynasty Buddhist sculpture — faces are full and round, with drooping ears, conveying a serene, gentle, warm, and amiable expression that is deeply moving. The centerpiece of the cave is the colossal seated statue of Vairocana Buddha, the largest in the Longmen Grottoes, standing 17.14 meters tall with a head 4 meters high and ears 1.9 meters long. The statue is beautifully proportioned, majestic in appearance, with smooth and flowing drapery lines, demonstrating a high level of artistic appeal and truly representing a peerless masterpiece. According to Buddhist scripture, Vairocana means “shining light upon all.” This Buddha statue features a plump, serene face with slightly upturned lips forming a gentle smile, its head slightly lowered as if looking down, resembling a wise and compassionate middle-aged woman — inspiring reverence without fear. Some have commented that in crafting this statue, noble sentiment, rich emotion, an open mind, and elegant appearance are perfectly combined, giving it immense artistic charm. On either side of the Vairocana Buddha are two disciples, Kasyapa and Ananda, depicted as gentle and devout. Two bodhisattvas appear kind and cheerful. The Heavenly King holds a pagoda, appearing sturdy and powerful, while the mighty Guardian King is even more striking — with his right hand on his hip and left hands clasped in prayer, he stands imposing and heroic.

The Vajra Guardian statue is even more captivating than the Guardian King beside the Vairocana Buddha and is considered a treasure among the Longmen Grottoes. It was discovered in 1953 during the clearing of silt from cave ruins near the Southernmost Cave, having been chiseled out but not removed due to theft. The Vajra Guardian is depicted with bulging eyes glaring fiercely forward, fists clenched, with muscles on the chest, arms, and legs highly pronounced. The entire sculpture is rugged and bold, vigorous and powerful, exuding an overwhelming presence.

Another famous cave in the Longmen Grottoes is the Binyang Cave. This cave took 24 years to complete, making it the longest in terms of construction time. Inside are 11 large Buddha statues. The main statue, Sakyamuni Buddha, has a high nose and large eyes, with a dignified posture. On either side are standing disciples and bodhisattvas. Both the Buddha and bodhisattvas have slender faces, broad foreheads, and intricately carved garments showing clear traces of Western Region artistry. The cave ceiling is adorned with flying apsaras, depicted as strong and graceful, representing masterpieces of mid-Northern Wei stone carving art. Originally, the cave also contained two large relief carvings, the “Emperor Worshipping the Buddha” and the “Empress Dowager Worshipping the Buddha,” each centered around Emperor Xiaowen of Wei and Empress Dowager Wenming, respectively, with attendants forming worship processions. These works feature exquisite compositions, detailed carvings, and high artistic value, reflecting the lives of emperors at the time. Unfortunately, they were stolen by Americans in collusion with unscrupulous Chinese merchants and transported to the United States. They are now housed in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The stone tablet inscribed with calligraphy by Chu Suiliang, a Tang Dynasty prime minister and master calligrapher, at the cave entrance is definitely worth seeing.

The Wanfo Cave (Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave) lies south of the Binyang Cave, richly adorned with carved statues. Its northern and southern walls are covered with small Buddha images — many only one inch or a few centimeters tall, totaling over 1,500. The central Bodhisattva statue sits cross-legged on a lotus throne with an octagonal base and a narrowed waist. Four muscular figures support the raised lotus at the waist. The rear wall features 54 lotus flowers, each with a bodhisattva or donor seated atop, while the ceiling is decorated with celestial musicians in graceful poses, vividly rendered. On the southern wall near the entrance is also a statue of Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy), holding a vase in one hand and a fly whisk in the other, with a plump, well-rounded figure, graceful posture, and lifelike expression.

The Guyang Cave is also very famous. It houses a wealth of statue inscriptions, including most of the renowned Longmen Twenty, which are largely concentrated here. The Qing Dynasty scholar Kang Youwei praised the calligraphy here as: “powerful and vigorous, solemn and profound, brushwork dynamic, strokes bold and thick, forms uniquely free, spirit soaring, bone structure fully expressed, composition naturally formed, and forms rich and full.”

There is also the Medicine Cave, which contains 140 prescriptions reflecting the achievements of ancient Chinese medicine. Carving medical prescriptions on stone tablets or in caves has also been found elsewhere, serving as an important method for passing down ancient medical knowledge to future generations.

The Longmen Grottoes are not only remarkable for their exquisite Buddha carvings, but the inscriptions accompanying the statues are also artistic masterpieces. These inscriptions are spread across numerous caves, numbering about 3,600. Among them, the Longmen Twenty are part of China’s outstanding cultural heritage and have had widespread influence in academic and calligraphy circles both in China and abroad. Nineteen of the Longmen Twenty are concentrated in the Guyang Cave, with one located in the Cixiang Cave on the cliff of the Laolong Cave in the central-southern part of West Hill. The Guyang Cave is the earliest excavated cave in the Longmen Grottoes, carved one year before Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang. The cave is filled with small niches, all exquisitely carved.

The Longmen Grottoes preserve a wealth of physical historical materials related to religion, fine arts, calligraphy, music, clothing, medicine, architecture, and Sino-foreign exchanges. As such, it can be regarded as a large-scale open-air museum of stone carving art. Together with the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu, and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, it is known as one of China’s Three Great Treasures of Stone Carving Art. In November 2000, the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee.

Address: Provincial Highway 238, Luolong District, Luoyang City

Type: Historical Site / Architectural Heritage / UNESCO World Heritage

Rating: AAAAA

Recommended Visiting Time: 3–5 hours

Phone: 0379-65980972

Official Website: http://www.lmsk.cn/

Opening Hours:

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

Further Reading:

· 2020 Top 100 Historic Site Attractions Brand Ranking

· First Batch of National Scenic Areas

· China’s Top Ten UNESCO World Heritage Sites

· First Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level