Luoyang
with a history of nearly
5,000 years is located
in the western part of
Henan Province and to
the south of the middle
reaches of the Yellow
River. It has a
population of 800,000 in
the city proper.
The ancient city of
Luoyang is one of the
seven ancient capitals
of China and is included
in a list of famous
historical and cultural
cities of China.
Archaeologists have
recently confirmed that
Luoyang was the capital
during the reign of 96
emperors in 13 dynasties
over a period of
1,529years. The layout
of Luoyang during the
Xia (21th -16th century
B.C.), Shang (16 th-11th
Century B.C.), Zhou
(11th century -256
B.C.), Han-Wei
(206B.C.-220A.D.), and
Sui-Tang dynasties
(581-907 A.D.),
displayed in Luoyang
Municipal Museum, is
known as "Five capitals
Assembling in Luoyang".
Today there are six
major historical and
cultural sites here
under state protection.
The Longmen Grottoes are
one of the three major
treasure houses of stone
carving in China. The
Baima Temple (White
Horse Temple) was the
first Buddhist temple
established by the
government after
Buddhism started to
spread in China. The
"Forest of Guan Yu" is
one of the three major
memorial temples of Lord
Guan. Mount Mangshan in
the north suburbs is the
site of China’s largest
ancient tomb group that
consists mainly of
imperial mausoleums, the
oldest dating back to
the Eastern Zhou
Dynasty.
Luoyang boasts beautiful
natural scenery, being
surrounded by the Yellow
River, the scenic
Xiaolangdi Reservoir and
the tomb of Emperor
Guangwu of the Han
Dynasty
(206B.C.-220A.D.) to the
north; Baiyun state
Forest park and a
limestone cave in the
Jiguan Mountain that is
called "the First Cave
in North China" to the
south; Songshan
Mountain, one of the
five sacred Mountains,
and the shaolin
Monastery to the east.
The world-renowned
Luoyang peony has been
selected as the flower
of the city. |