ecns [expanded by feedex.net]: Luoyang, where ancient glory shines

ecns [expanded by feedex.net]

ecns

Luoyang, where ancient glory shines
http://www.ecns.cn/experience/2013/03-11/53465.shtml
Mar 11th 2013, 04:41

















2013-03-11 13:41 cits.net     Web Editor: Wang YuXia
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Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in Henan Province which lies in Central China. Once the city served as the capital of 13 Chinese dynasties and kingdoms in history, thus Luoyang preserved a great amount of precious historical and cultural relics. Luoyang, along with Beijing, Xi'an, and Nanjing, is known as one of China's four greatest ancient capitals.


The first place to grasp Luoyang's 3,000 years plus heritage is the Luoyang Museum. Housed in a massive reddish-brown building perched grandly atop a gray foundation overlooking a park, the museum dominates its landscape. The museum's spacious interior features an extensive collection of artifacts that date from the Xia Dynasty (21st century - 16th century B.C.) to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 906 A.D.).


Longmen Grottoes, another must-see spot in Luoyang, attracts endless tourists from other provinces and other countries each year. Here at Longmen Grottoes, past emperors ordered tens of thousands (by saying which I mean no exaggeration) of Buddhist statues carved into caves in the cliffs along both sides of the Yihe River. Among them the first statues were carved from 493 A.D. during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 A.D.), but most were carved during the Tang Dynasty. Flanked by heavenly kings, temple guards and other divine figures, there stand the nine most impressive giant Buddhas that are several stories high, with the highest at 17 meters.


From a modern perspective, Luoyang may lack the modernization and fame of the other capitals, but it boasts famous sights, including Longmen Grottoes, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other famous attractions goes to the first Buddhist temple in China, the White Horse Temple, which has a history of more than 1,950 years.


Remember, whoever tells you to take at most one day to get the essence of Luoyang cannot be true. Save more time to feast your eyes in the dazzling ancient capital.












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