The city of Luoyang is certainly not the most attractive place in China, but with its long history as an ancient capital of China, the ongoing peony festival, the Longmen Grottos and the nearby Shaolin Temple, it has a charm of its own that no other city rivals.

Luoyang has a very long history, having been founded back in 1,200 BC. For long periods of early Chinese history Luoyang was the capital of China, right up to the 10th century, when the Northern Song Dynasty moved the capital to Kaifeng.

Besides the ongoing annual China Peony festival, the main tourist attraction in Luoyang is the Longmen Grottos located 16 kilometers to the south of the city. Over 200 years from 494 AD, when the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) moved its capital to the city, more than 100,000 images and statues of Buddha were carved into the face of the cliffs alongside the Yi River. The rock of these cliffs is particularly hard, making it ideal for carving, and leading to the production of some of the finest Buddhist grotto art.

About 12 kilometers to the east of Luoyang lies the White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple constructed in China, back in 68 AD. There's not a great deal to look at in the temple, to be honest. However, it is an interesting and very peaceful place to look around, with a gentle smell of incense prevalent throughout. It's still an active temple, and so you will see Buddhist monks walking around.

A little further out from the centre of Luoyang, about 40 kilometers out to the southeast, is the Shaolin Temple, probably the best known centre of martial arts in the world, as celebrated in Jet Li's movies Shaolin Temple and The Kids from Shaolin. The monks' kung fu shows are in the afternoon.


Getting there: Take the overnight sleepers K269 from Beijing West Station to Luoyang, and then ask locals for buses to the above-mentioned attractions.

Duration: Two days in Luoyang and one day for Shaolin Temple.

Cost: 1,200 yuan (US$120) to cover transportation (hard sleepers to and from Luoyang, buses for others), accommodation and entrance fee.

Recommended itinerary: Beijing-Luoyang, Luoyang-Beijing.

(China Daily April 21, 2006)