The grottoes are 13km south of Luòyáng and can be reached by taxi (¥30); bus 81 (¥1, 40 minutes) from the east side of Luòyáng’s train station; or bus 53 from Zhongzhou Donglu.
From the west side, you can take a boat (¥25) back to the main entrance to get a riverside view of the grottoes (note that you can’t re-enter the west side once you leave). On the east side, electric carts (¥10) can take you to a variety of locations. All in all, it's a 3km walk; expect to spend at least 2½ hours here.
West Side
Work began on the Three Bīnyáng Grottoes (宾阳三洞; Bīnyáng Sān Dòng) during the Northern Wei dynasty. Despite the completion of two of the grottos during the Sui and Tang dynasties, statues here all display the benevolent expressions that characterised Northern Wei style. Traces of pigment remain within the three large grottoes and other small niches honeycomb the cliff walls. Nearby is the Móyá Three Buddha Niche (摩崖三佛龛, Móyá Sānfó Kān), with seven figures that date to the Tang dynasty.
The Tang dynasty Ten Thousand Buddha Grotto (万佛洞; Wànfó Dòng) dates from 680. In addition to its namesake galaxy of tiny bas-relief Buddhas, there is a fine effigy of the Amitabha Buddha. Note the red pigment on the ceiling.
The most physically imposing and magnificent of all the Lóngmén carvings, the vast Losana Buddha Statue Grotto (奉先寺; Fèngxiān Sì) was created during the Tang dynasty between 672 and 675; it contains the best examples of sculpture, despite evident weathering and vandalism. Nine principal figures dominate: the Buddha, two disciples, two Bodhisattvas, two heavenly kings and two guardians. The 17m-high seated central Buddha is said to be Losana, whose face is allegedly modelled on Tang empress and Buddhist patron Wu Zetian, who funded its carving.
The Tang figures tend to be more three-dimensional than the Northern Wei figures, while their expressions and poses also seem more natural. In contrast to the otherworldly effigies of the Northern Wei, many Tang figures possess a more fearsome ferocity and muscularity, most noticeable in the huge guardian figure in the north wall.
East Side
Although the east side grottoes (东山石窟; Dōngshān Shíkū) lack comparable grandeur – many are even gated shut – there are still some gems to seek out here. The first stop you'll come across after crossing the bridge is the Léigǔtái Architectural Site (擂鼓台建筑遗址; Léigǔtái Jiànzhù Yízhǐ), which takes visitors through an earlier excavation, with various Tang and Song relics on display. It's through a pair of doors at the top of the steps.
Although badly faded, the delicate Thousand Arm and Thousand Eye Guanyin (千手千眼观音龛; Qiānshǒu Qiānyǎn Guānyīn Kān) in Grotto 2132 is a splendid bas-relief dating to the Tang dynasty, revealing the Goddess of Mercy framed in a huge fan of carved hands, each sporting an eye.
Further is the eastern side's largest site, the Reading Sutra Grotto (看经寺洞; Kàn Jīng Sìdòng), with a carved lotus on its ceiling and 29 expressive luóhàn (Buddhists who have achieved nirvana) around the base of the walls.
At the top of a steep flight of steps, the Xiāngshān Temple (香山寺; Xiāngshān Sì) nestles against a hill. It was first built in 516 and has been repeatedly restored. Look for a stele with a poem written by Emperor Qianlong, who visited and was moved to honour the temple’s beauty. There’s also a villa which once belonged to Chiang Kaishek, built in 1936 to celebrate his 50th birthday.
The final stop is a lovely garden built around the tomb of Bai Juyi (白居易墓地; Bái Jūyì Mùdì), a poet from the Tang dynasty. It’s a peaceful, leafy place where you can rest your tired feet. There’s an alfresco teahouse here where you can get tea (from ¥98), snacks and instant noodles.
White Horse TempleBUDDHIST MONASTERY
(白马寺, Báimǎ Sì ¥35; h7.40am-6pm)
Although its original structures have all been replaced and older Buddhist shrines may have vanished, this vast, active monastery outside Luòyáng is regarded as China’s first surviving Buddhist temple, originally dating from the 1st century AD. When two Han dynasty court emissaries went in search of Buddhist scriptures, they met two Indian monks in Afghanistan; the monks returned to Luòyáng on white horses carrying Buddhist sutras and statues. The impressed emperor built the temple for the monks; it's also their resting place.
Tucked amid the smoky incense burners and usual Buddhist halls are some unusual sights; plan on spending at least two hours here. In the back of the complex, beneath a raised hall, is the Shìyuán Art Gallery (释源美术馆; Shìyuán Měishùguǎn), displaying temporary exhibitions. Also in the back of the complex is a surprisingly chic teahouse (止语茶舍; zhǐyǔ cháshě), an excellent place to take refuge and relax with a pot of weak tea (free).
West of the historic grounds is the new International Zone, featuring a large collection of temples built by Thailand, Myanmar and India. It's certainly worth strolling around.
Way at the opposite end of the grounds are gardens and the ancient 12-tiered Qíyún Pagoda (齐云塔; Qíyún Tǎ), encircled by worshippers.
The temple is 13km east of Luòyáng, around 40 minutes away on bus 56 from the Xīguān (西关) stop. Bus 58 from Zhongzhou Donglu in the Old Town also runs here.
Guōliàngcūn 郭亮村
%0373 / Pop 500
On its cliff-top perch high up in the Mountains of the Ten Thousand Immortals (万仙山; Wànxiān Shān) in north Hénán, this delightful high-altitude stone hamlet was for centuries sheltered from the outside world by a combination of inaccessibility and anonymity. Guōliàngcūn (郭亮村) shot to fame as the bucolic backdrop to a clutch of Chinese films, which firmly embedded the village in contemporary Chinese mythology.
Today, the village attracts legions of artists, who journey here to capture the unreal mountain scenery on paper and canvas. Joining them are Chinese tourists who get disgorged by the busloads. For a true rustic mountaintop experience, come on an out-of-season weekday when it’s more tranquil. New buildings have sprung up at the village’s base, but the original dwellings – climbing the mountain slope – retain their simple, rustic charms. Long treks beneath the marvellous limestone peaks more than compensate for the hard slog of journeying here.
1Sights & Activities
All of the village dwellings, many hung with butter-yellow bàngzi (sweetcorn cobs), are hewn from the same local stone that paves the slender alleyways, sculpts the bridges and fashions the picturesque gates of Guōliàngcūn. Swallowed up by new construction, the original village can be easy to miss – it's on the right and up the hill from the rest of town.
You will have passed by the Precipice Gallery (绝壁长廊; Juébì Chángláng ), also referred to on some signs as ‘Long Corridor in the Cliffs’, en route to Guōliàngcūn, but backtrack down for a closer perspective on these plunging cliffs, with dramatic views from the tunnel carved through the rock. Before this tunnel was built (between 1972 and 1978) by a local man called Shen Mingxin and some others, the only way into the village was via the Sky Ladder (天梯; Tiān Tī ) – Ming dynasty steps hewn from the local stone, with no guard rails but amazing views.
The walk to the Sky Ladder is among the area's most scenic (and tranquil). To get here, take the left fork of the road heading towards the tunnel and walk for 2km.
Over the bridge on the other side of the precipice from the village, walk past the small row of cottages, set almost on the edge of the cliff, called Yáshàng Rénjiā (崖上人家 ); you can step onto a platform atop a pillar of rock for astonishing views into the canyon.
Otherwise, head up valley through the strip of street stalls and hotels to get to the start of a 5km circuit. From the end of the street, it's an additional 1.3km to the starting point of the loop. (Sadly, the mood of the area has been spoilt in parts by the addition of several constructed oddities, including a mini zip-line and a drain-like slide ride from the top of the mountain.) If you start on the left-hand set of steps, you’ll first go past the awe-inspiring curtain of rock above the Shouting Spring (喊泉; Hǎn Quán ). Acc
ording to local lore, its flow responds to the loudness of your whoops (it doesn’t, but the site is predictably a riot of noise). You’ll also pass the peaceful Old Pool (老潭; Lǎo Tán), which is thankfully out of earshot of the spring. Further along is the Red Dragon Cave (红龙洞; Hónglóng Dòng), now closed, and after a few steep flights of stairs, the slide ride (¥30) and then the small White Dragon Cave (白龙洞; Báilóng Dòng ¥20), which you can skip with no regrets. The last sight is a set of steps that lead up to Pearl Spring (珍珠泉; Zhēnzhū Quán ), a fissure in the mountain from which pours out cool, clear, spring water. You can, of course, do the loop in the opposite direction.
Once you’ve seen the big sights, get off the beaten trail and onto one of the small paths heading into the hills (such as the boulder-strewn, brook-side trail along the flank of Guōliàngcūn that leads further up into the mountain). Take your own water with you.
Several kilometres before the village, you'll need to purchase an admission ticket to the Wànxiān Shān Scenic Area (¥125); the required ticket includes free transport on the park's green shuttle buses.
WHAT TO WEAR
At 1700m above sea level and approximately 6°C colder than Zhèngzhōu, Guōliàngcūn is cool enough to be devoid of mosquitoes year-round (some locals say), but pack warm clothes for winter visits, which can be bone-numbing. Visiting in low season may seem odd advice, but come evening the village can be utterly tranquil, and moonlit nights are intoxicating. Pack a headlamp as lights beyond the hotels are scarce. Note that the village electricity is only turned on at night.
4Sleeping & Eating
There are hotels galore in Guōliàngcūn, most heading up the valley, though the village and road opposite also have rooms. All offer identical two-star quality, with hot showers, wi-fi and TVs (no toiletries or towels though). Rooms cost ¥40 to ¥100 depending on size and orientation. Prices are a bit higher during the summer but negotiable in the low season and on weekdays.
Small restaurants and eateries are everywhere you turn, with most attached to one of the innumerable village guesthouses. Expect a sampling of classic Chinese dishes and noodles, costing in the range of ¥15 to ¥40.
8Information
There are no ATMs and there is nowhere to change money in Guōliàngcūn.
8Getting There & Away
You can reach Guōliàngcūn from Xīnxiāng (新乡), between Ānyáng and Zhèngzhōu. Fast trains run from Zhèngzhōu east train station to Xīnxiāng east train station (¥24, 45 minutes), as do regular buses (¥25, two hours). From here, you'll need to take a cab to Xīnxiāng's main bus station (客运总站; kèyùn zǒngzhàn; about ¥12) to catch the bus to Huīxiàn (辉县; ¥7, 45 minutes), which runs regularly. Bus 66 (¥1) also runs to the main bus station.
Seven buses (¥15, 1¾ hours, first/last bus 7.20am/5.25pm) from Huīxiàn’s bus station (辉县站; Huīxiàn zhàn) run to the Wànxiān Shān ticket office. Here, you will need to switch to the green shuttle, which will take you the rest of the way to the village.
To return, take the green shuttle down to Nánpíng (南坪; 25 minutes), a village below Guōliàngcūn, from where minibuses depart for Huīxiàn (¥20) at 6.20am, 9am, noon, 1pm, 1.30pm, 3pm and 5pm. Most say they go directly to Xīnxiāng, but unless it's standing room only, they only go as far as Huīxiàn.
8Getting Around
Electric carts (¥20 return) run to the Sky Ladder (2km) and the trail for the Shouting Spring loop (1.3km). Follow the signs to each and you'll find the carts waiting along the way.
Kāifēng 开封
%0371 / Pop 1.25 million
More than any other of Hénán’s ancient capitals, Kāifēng (开封) has made an effort to recall its former grandeur. The walled town has character: you may have to squint a bit and sift the reproductions from its genuine historical narrative, but the city still offers up an intriguing display of age-old charm, magnificent market food, relics from its long-vanished apogee and colourful chrysanthemums, the city flower (Kāifēng is also known as Júchéng, or ‘Chrysanthemum Town’).
You won’t see soaring skyscrapers, though – one reason being that buildings requiring deep foundations are prohibited, for fear of destroying the ancient northern Song dynasty city below.
History
Once the prosperous capital of the Northern Song dynasty (960–1126), Kāifēng was established south of the Yellow River, but not far enough to escape the river’s capricious wrath. After centuries of flooding, the city of the Northern Song largely lies buried 8m to 9m deep in hardened silt. Between 1194 and 1938 the city flooded 368 times, an average of once every two years.
Kāifēng was also the first city in China where Jewish merchants, travelling along the Silk Road during the Song dynasty, settled when they arrived. A small Christian and Catholic community also lives in Kāifēng alongside a much larger local Muslim Hui community.
Kāifēng
1Top Sights
1Temple of the Chief MinisterC4
1Sights
2Former Site of Kāifēng SynagogueC3
3Iron Pagoda ParkD1
4Kāifēng City WallsC5
5Kāifēng FǔB4
6Lóngtíng ParkB3
7Shānshǎngān Guild HallC3
2Activities, Courses & Tours
8Millennium City ParkB2
4Sleeping
9Courtyard & Sunlight InnB2
10Jǐnjiāng InnB4
11Pullman HotelB2
12Tiānfú International Youth HostelB4
5Eating
13Bǎiqíyuán Food CourtB3
14Gǔlóu Night MarketC4
15Vegetarian RestaurantC4
16Xīsī Square Night MarketA3
8Information
17Bank of ChinaB3
18IATA Air Ticket OfficeB4
19Kāifēng Number One People's HospitalC3
20Railway Ticket OfficeB4
21Zhāngzhòngjǐng PharmacyB3
Transport
22Kāifēng Main Long-Distance Bus StationC6
23Kāifēng West Long-Distance Bus StationA4
Zhèngzhōu Airport ShuttleB4
1Sights
oTemple of the Chief MinisterBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(大相国寺, Dà Xiàngguó Sì MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Ziyou Lu, 自有路 ¥40; h8am-6.30pm summer, shorter hours rest of year)
First founded in AD 555, this frequently rebuilt temple vanished along with Kāifēng in the early 1640s, when rebels breached the Yellow River’s dykes. During the Northern Song, the temple covered a massive 34 hectares and housed over 10,000 monks. The show-stopper today is the mesmerising Four-Faced Thousand Hand Thousand Eye Guanyin (四面千手千眼观世音, Sìmiàn Qiānshǒu Qiānyǎn Guānshìyīn), towering within the octagonal Arhat Hall (罗汉殿, Luóhàn Diàn), beyond the Hall of Tathagata (大雄宝殿, Dàxióng Bǎodiàn).
Kāifēng FǔHISTORIC SITE
(开封府 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; north side, Baogong East Lake, 包公湖北岸 ¥60; h7am-7pm summer, shorter hours rest of year)
This reconstructed site of the government offices of the Northern Song has daily theatricals commencing daily outside the gates – as the doors are thrown open costumed actors play period scenes, complete with cracking whips and the sound of gongs. They then retreat inside to continue the play (in Chinese). Drama aside, the site is one of Kāifēng's better re-creations of Song imperial life, with English explanations, martial parade grounds, a prison and several appearances by the famed Judge Bao.
Kāifēng City WallsWALLS
(城墙, Chéng Qiáng MAP GOOGLE MAP )F
Kāifēng is ringed by a relatively intact, much-restored Qing dynasty wall, which you can climb up at various points. Today’s bastion was built on the foundations of the Song dynasty Inner Wall (内城; Nèichéng). Encased with grey bricks, rear sections of the ramparts have been recently buttressed unattractively with concrete. Rising up outside was the mighty, now buried Outer Wall (外城; Wàichéng), a colossal construction containing 18 gates, which looped south of Pó Pag
oda.
Former Site of Kāifēng SynagogueRUINS
(开封犹太教堂遗址, Kāifēng Yóutài Jiàotáng Yízhǐ MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jiefang Rd Tujie Section, 解放路土街段 )
Sadly, nothing remains of the synagogue – finally swept away in mid-19th-century floodwaters – except a well with an iron lid in the boiler room of the Kāifēng Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital (开封中医院, Kāifēng Zhōngyīyuàn), which may allow you to examine it. The spirit of the synagogue lingers, however, in the name of the brick alley immediately south of the hospital – Jiaojing Hutong (教经胡同, Teaching the Torah Alley).
A local English-speaking guide (137 8115 2704; [email protected]) familiar with local Jewish history lives in the house with the blue sign. Send an email prior to visiting if you intend to engage her guide services or want an extended chat.
Shānshǎngān Guild HallHISTORIC BUILDING
(山陕甘会馆, Shānshǎn’gān Huìguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 85 Xufu Jie, 徐府街85号 ¥25; h8am-6.30pm summer, shorter hours rest of year)
This tiny, elaborately styled guild hall was built as a lodging and meeting place during the Qing dynasty by an association of merchants from Shānxi (山西), Shaanxi (陕西) and Gānsù (甘肃) provinces. Note the ornate carvings on the roof beams. You can delve into the exhibition on historic Kāifēng and see a fascinating diorama of the old Song city – with its palace in the centre of town – and compare it with a model of modern Kāifēng.
Lonely Planet China Page 87