Must-read before you go! Top attractions at Longmen Grottoes!

‼️ Must-read before visiting 👉 Visiting time: Allow 2–3 hours. If the weather is nice, you can also take a walk along the river. ‼️Night tour of Longmen starts at 6pm. 👉 Attraction tickets: CNY 90 (free with the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Resident Annual Pass") 👉 Getting there: 30-minute taxi ride from the airport, 20-minute taxi ride from Longmen High-Speed Railway Station 👉 Accommodation: 1️⃣ Stay at Dongshan Hotel Luoyang (free airport transfer and high-speed train station transfer can be arranged), where you can overlook the Binyang Three Caves. 2️⃣ You can also stay in a guesthouse in Ximen, where prices are good. 👉 Park commentary: Download the "Smart Longmen" app on your phone to scan the QR code and listen to the commentary, or rent an audio guide for CNY 30 per unit. I hired a tour guide on site for CNY 200 per hour, and you can bargain. ‼️ Status of the scenic area 👉 Longmen Grottoes is hailed by UNESCO as the pinnacle of Chinese stone carving art and ranks first among China's major grottoes. Densely distributed on the cliffs of the east and west mountains of the Yi River, it stretches 1 km from north to south, with 2,345 caves and niches and more than 110,000 statues. 👉 The grottoes were first carved during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and ended in the late Qing Dynasty. They were built over a period of more than 1,400 years by more than 10 dynasties, making them the grottoes with the longest construction time in the world. A large number of painted sculptures were used during construction, but most of them have faded today. ‼️Tour route 👉 The scenic area offers a one-way tour: West Hill Grottoes ▶️ East Hill Grottoes ▶️ Xiangshan Temple ▶️ Bai Garden. 👉 The grottoes are divided into two parts: West Hill and East Hill. 🔺East Hill Grottoes are mostly works from the Tang Dynasty, 🔺West Hill Grottoes were carved during the Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties and are the essence of Longmen. 1️⃣ West Hill Grottoes Northern Wei Grottoes: Binyang Middle Cave, Lotus Cave, Huangfugong Cave, Yaofang Cave; Tang Dynasty Grottoes: Qianxi Temple, Binyang South Cave, Moya Three Buddha Shrine, Wanfo Cave, Huijian Cave, Fengxian Temple. 🔺Amitabha Buddha in Binyang North Cave (peace-sign Buddha statue) Binyang Cave Area 🔺Wanfo Cave (the center is a lotus seedpod, the second and third layers are double lotus petals, the outer layer is a record of 15,000 statue niches, and the outermost layer is eight flying apsaras) Wanfo Cave 🔺Vairocana Buddha Shrine (17.14m high, with eyebrows like crescent moons and a solemn appearance) Vairocana Buddha 2️⃣ East Hill Grottoes Kanjing Temple: 29 lifelike Tang Dynasty Arhat reliefs. Leigutai Three Caves: Coexistence of Chan and Tantric Buddhist statues, showcasing the art of sculpture in the Tang Dynasty and experiencing the diverse aspects of Tang Dynasty Buddhist art. 3️⃣ Xiangshan Temple An ancient temple of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Qianlong visited Xiangshan Temple and wrote poems to record the scenery, leaving the famous line "Among the ten temples in Longmen, Xiangshan is the best." A building combining Chinese and Western styles, the "Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling Villa," was built in the temple. 4️⃣ Bai Garden The cemetery of Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Standing at the entrance of Bai Garden, you can see white walls and gray tiles hidden among lush green bamboos and cypresses. Stepping into the vermilion gate, you seem to have strayed into a water town in southern China. Bai Garden is divided into Qinggu District, Poetry Gallery District, and Tomb District, and has imitations of Tang Dynasty buildings such as Letian Hall and Daoshi Study.