Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shaolin Temple ( Shaolin Si; 6370 2503; admission ¥100;
8am-6.30pm) . You could spend an entire day or two here, as there are oth-
er smaller temples to visit and peaks to hike up and around.
The Shaolin Temple's claim to fame, gongfu (kung fu) based on varying
animals and insects, was reputedly the result of a monk Damo developing a
set of exercises for monks to keep fit. Many buildings, such as the main
Daxiong Hall ( Daxiong Baodian; reconstructed in 1985) were levelled by
fire in 1928. Among the oldest structures at the temple are the decorative
arches and stone lions , outside the main gate. At the rear, the West Fa-
cing Hall ( Xifang Shengren Dian) contains floor depressions, apocryphally
the result of generations of monks practising their stance work, and huge
colour frescoes.
The Pagoda Forest ( Shaolin Talin), a cemetery of 248 brick pagodas, is
worth visiting if you get here ahead of the crowds. At 1512m above sea
level and reachable on the Songyang Cableway (Songyang Suodao; ¥40
return, 20 minutes) , Shaoshi Shan is the area's tallest peak.
To reach Shaolin Temple, take a minibus from Luoyang (¥19.50 to ¥27,
1½ to 2½ hours) to the drop-off. From the temple, buses leave from the
drop-off point (last bus at around 8pm).
The Longmen Caves are 13km south of Luoyang and can be reached by
taxi (¥30) or bus 81 (¥1.50, 40 minutes) from the east side of Luoyang's train
station. The last bus 81 returns to Luoyang at 8.50pm. Buses 53 and 60 also
run to the caves.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search