Longmen Grottoes
Set on the banks of the Yi River, 12km south of the current Luoyang City, the Longmen Grottoes are ranked first of the Four Great Grotioes in China, together with Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Yungang Grottoes in Datong and Mount Maiji Grottoes in Tianshui. They were also listed in the World Cultural Heritages and Relics by UNESCO in 2000.
(Locate) between the Xiangshan Mountain and the Longmen Mountain, with the YiRiver flowing below, the Longmen Grottoes are (harmony) with mountains, forests and rivers displaying a peaceful atmosphere. Viewing it at a distance, it looks like natural gate, which gave it the name "Yi Que (the gate of the Yi River)". According to legend, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty climbed on Mount Mang north of Luoyang, he was very pleased and ordered the eastern capital (build) here with its palace gate opposite the Yique. Thus, it came to be named, Longmen Gate.
Longmen Gate also houses (rough) 2860 stele inscriptions (碑刻), making a treasure for ancient calligraphy study. In total, more than 100,000 Buddhist statues and niches (carve) into the cliffs by ancient Chinese people ranging from the largest one, the Vairocana Buddha with a (high) of 17.14 meters, the smallest one of 2 centimeters.
Wandering in the Longmen Grottoes, one is amazed by the delicate carving skills, deep Buddhist culture and great art achievements of Chinese people.
