룽먼 석굴

The Longmen Grottoes are one of China's greatest collections of Buddhist rock art and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, carved into limestone cliffs along the Yi River just outside Luoyang. Work on the grottoes began in the late fifth century and continued for several centuries across multiple dynasties, resulting in thousands of niches and caves containing tens of thousands of Buddhist statues and inscriptions carved directly into the rock face.

The site is divided by the Yi River into the West Hill and East Hill grottoes. The West Hill contains the majority of the site's most celebrated carvings, including work from the Northern Wei and Tang periods, and is generally considered the heart of Longmen's artistic achievement. Its highlights include the Fengxian Temple, home to a monumental seated Buddha figure carved during the Tang dynasty and widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Tang Buddhist sculpture in China, as well as the Guyang Cave, notable for a set of inscriptions long studied by scholars of Chinese calligraphy. The East Hill grottoes, largely dating to the Tang dynasty, offer a quieter counterpart across the river with their own notable carvings.

Visitors should plan for a fair amount of walking, as the site stretches along the riverbank and involves stairs in places to reach some of the higher niches. A visit typically takes at least half a day to see the main highlights on both sides of the river, and mornings tend to be less crowded, particularly outside peak travel seasons. Sturdy footwear is recommended given the outdoor, hillside terrain.

As the single most famous attraction in Luoyang, the Longmen Grottoes are typically the centerpiece of any visit to the city, and their riverside setting makes for a scenic half-day or full-day outing that pairs naturally with other historic sites in the area.