Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Taxis are ¥5 at flag fall, making them good value and a more attractive op-
tion than taking motor-rickshaws, which will cost you around ¥4 from the train
station to Wangcheng Sq.
Around Luoyang
Longmen Caves
A Sutra in stone, the epic achievement of the
Longmen Caves
(Dragon Gate
Grottoes; Longmen Shiku; admission ¥120, English-speaking guide ¥150;
day 7.30am-4.30pm summer, 8am-4pm winter, night 7-10.30pm)
was first un-
dertaken by chisellers from the northern Wei dynasty, after the capital was re-
located here from Datong in AD 494. During the next 200 years or so, more
than 100,000 images and statues of Buddha and his disciples emerged from
more than a kilometre of limestone cliff wall along the Yi River (Yi He).
In the early 20th century, many effigies were beheaded by unscrupulous col-
lectors or simply extracted whole, many ending up abroad in such institutions
as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Atkinson Museum in Kan-
sas City and the Tokyo National Museum. Weather has also played its part,
wearing smooth the faces of many other statues.
The caves are scattered in a line on the west and east sides of the river.
Most of the significant Buddhist carvings are on the west side, but a notable
crop can also be admired after traversing the bridge to the east side.
Detour:
Shaolin Temple
In Taoism, Song Shan is regarded as the central mountain, symbolising
earth (
tu
) among the five elements and occupying the axis directly beneath
heaven. Despite this Taoist affiliation, the mountains are also home to one
of China's most famous and legendary Zen (Chan) Buddhist temples, the
