A Must-See in a Lifetime: The Longmen Grottoes | Hiking and Touring Guide

A must-see in a lifetime, the Longmen Grottoes, A realm of a thousand Buddhas, carved with the wisdom and faith of the ancients! 🌟 Highlights: The Longmen Grottoes, mostly built by royalty and nobility, are a unique royal Buddhist complex in the world. The Longmen Grottoes, a World Cultural Heritage site, have been recognized by UNESCO as 'the pinnacle of Chinese stone carving art'. 🎈 Touring Tips: ✅ Be sure to go early. As soon as the scenic area opens, head straight to the Lushena Buddha to capture the millennia-old smile without the crowds. The Fengxian Temple is a representative cliffside niche in the Longmen Grottoes, and the Lushena Buddha within it is the essence of the essence. Anyone who has visited the Longmen Grottoes will be awed by the grandeur of the Lushena Buddha. ✅ After photographing the Lushena Buddha, take advantage of the lack of crowds and hurry to check out the super cute Buddha statue, the 'Scissor-Hand' Bodhisattva. This thousand-year-old Buddha statue is located in the North Cave of Binyang, with a unique pose where the right index and middle fingers are raised, identical to the modern popular 'scissor-hand' gesture, hence it is also known as the 'Scissor-Hand' Bodhisattva. ✅ Next, visit the Binyang Middle Cave, with its horseshoe-shaped plan and domed ceiling. The central lotus canopy is carved due to the sinicization policies implemented by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty after he moved the capital to Luoyang, so the main Buddha's attire in the cave has changed from the Yungang Grottoes' style of exposing the right shoulder to wearing wide-sleeved robes. ✅ Then check out the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave, named for the fifteen thousand small Buddhas carved inside, the Lotus Cave with a high-relief large lotus on the ceiling, and the Guyang Cave, the earliest excavated cave among the Longmen Grottoes carvings. 🕙 Opening Hours: 08:00-21:00 🎫 Ticket Price: 90 RMB 📍 Detailed Address: No. 13, Longmen Zhong Street, Luolong District, Luoyang City