China Trip Report, Twenty-Four Hr Menses 9: Luoyang Longmen Grotto, White Equus Caballus Temple

Day 9, March 24, 2018, Saturday

We wanted to encounter the Longmen Grottoes in addition to the White Horse temple, both of which are close Luoyang. Regretfully no fourth dimension for Shaolin temple!

The magnificence of the carvings inward the Longmen Grottoes ranks the get down alongside the 3 most pregnant Buddhist sculptures (the Longmen Grottoes, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu Province in north-west China, and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shaanxi Province) inward China

Xi'an North Station 西安北站 Xī'ān běi zhàn to Luoyang Longmen 洛阳龙门火车站 Luòyáng lóngmén huǒchē zhàn is 380 km, the high speed trains taking 1h twoscore min.

Starting 6.20am, 7.20 etc. over fifty pairs of high speed trains serve the route daily. 170RMB.

The next trains were our options in addition to nosotros reached the North station yesteryear taxi at 7,20 am:

Xi'an North to Luoyang Longmen trains (西安北 – 洛阳龙门) March 24, Saturday

G 1900 7.38 - nine 1h 30m $27

G 1844 7.43- 9.37 1h 54m

G 2002 8.10-9.49 1H 40M 174CNY

G 1712 8.15 1h 40m

G 1896 8.40

We stood inward work at the dissever edifice selling tickets in addition to could solely purchase tickets for the 8.44 train. We considered the 1. twoscore min ride in addition to the 1 hr fourth dimension it takes to become to our hotel from the North station in addition to decided on the 16.44 prepare back in addition to bought the provide tickets. (Next twenty-four hr catamenia nosotros had a morn flying to Guilin). Earlier nosotros had considered buying the provide inward Longmen station but realized that volition live foolish. Trains run full!

There are 2 prepare stations inward Luoyang. Longmen station is for high speed train. Longmen Grottoes are located 12 km inward the S of Luoyang urban center pump in addition to five km S of Longmen Railway Station.

So it saves both fourth dimension in addition to coin to take in Longmen Grottoes straight from Longmen Railway Station. The taxi ride from Longmen Railway Station to Longmen Grottoes costs betwixt RMB20 in addition to thirty in addition to takes 10 minutes. Or create got Blue Planet autobus No. 67 or 71 inside unopen proximity to Longmen Railway Station (bus fare RMB1).

At the Longmen station, a taxi guy approached us in addition to kept pestering us. We only wanted a ride to the grottoes but he convinced us to engage him for the twenty-four hr catamenia at 250 CNY. He over again convinced us to produce White Equus caballus temple get down equally it's farther away from the prepare station. All this with his translation app into which he spoke inward chinese, with us typing our reply inward our tablet app.

So nosotros reached the temple, he parked across the route in addition to walked us to the entrance in addition to helped us purchase the tickets.

White Horse Temple 白马寺（baimasi) :

7.30 to 17.30;

taxi from longmen grottos lx CNY

24km from white Equus caballus temple to Luoyang Longmen station. Taxi takes 35 min.

The White Horse Temple inward Luoyang is the get down Buddhist temple inward China, the of import cradle of China’s Buddhism, which was introduced into mainland People's Republic of China from Republic of Republic of India inward 68AD inward Eastern Han Dynasty (25 AD – 220 AD) , the same yr when the white Equus caballus temple was built.

The lift of “White Horse Temple” was given yesteryear Emperor Ming inward Eastern Dynasty to honor 2 white horses carrying the 2 monks, namely Matanga in addition to Gobharana, who came from India to Luoyang to interpret Buddhist scriptures into Chinese language.

White Equus caballus statue here

The primary buildings inward the temple compound were rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) in addition to Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912)

The entrance fee is RMB 50. The ticket percentage is yesteryear the entrance, which is still about over 100 meters leading to Shanmen, the existent gate to the White Horse Temple.

We were peachy on the international section. So saw those first. AWESOME! Gifts from India, Myanmar in addition to Thailand.

We ran thru a few pavilions inward the primary temple on our way back,

after a piffling confusion retraced our way dorsum to the automobile commons a piffling later 12.

Our driver awaited with 2 piffling bottles of mutual depression temperature drinking H2O in addition to and so drove us to the grottoes.

Parked the automobile in addition to walked us thru the initial passage of 2 km, helped with tickets in addition to told us to live dorsum yesteryear 3.45,

Time was 1.

buses in addition to taxis create got us to the due west entrance to a 2 km pedestrian commercial street leading to the due north entrance to Longmen Grottoes (on the due west hill)

4 attractions – Caves on the due west hill, caves on the E hill, Xiangshan Temple (on the E hill) in addition to Bai Juyi’Tomb (on the E hill).

Longmen Grottoes 龙门石窟:

8-18, 100Y (including grottoes on East in addition to West Hills, Xiangshan Temple in addition to Bai Garden)

There are to a greater extent than than 100,000 rock statues here, varying from 2-centimeter to 17.14-meter high, in addition to extending for close 1,094 yards along both banks of Yi River.

Longmen Grottoes are dotted 1km along Longmen Hill (west hill) in addition to Xianshan (east hill) which are opposite to each other and cut through yesteryear Yi River running from S to north.

Most of the grottoes are on the Longmen Hill, thus Longmen Grottoes. “Longmen” agency “Dragon Gate”, indicating the “gate” formed yesteryear the 2 hills standing yesteryear the both sides of Yi River.

The grotto was get down carved inward the North Wei Dynasty, over 1,500 years ago, in addition to was expanded through the succeeding East in addition to West Wei Dynasties, North Qi Dynasty, North Zhou Dynasty, Sui in addition to Tang Dynasties, in addition to was finally completed inward the North Song Dynasty.

500 years of renovation in addition to expansion create got created this UNESCO Heritage site. The most pregnant chiseling activities happened inward the Tang in addition to North Wei Dynasties, which lasted over 150 years.

There are close 2,100 grottoes in addition to niches, over twoscore crematory urns, 3,600 inscribed rock tablets in addition to over 100,000 Buddhist images in addition to statues. The most grottoes in addition to caves are on the due west hill, spell the Xiangshan Temple in addition to Baijuyi's (a famous Chinese ancient poet) Tomb are on the E hill.

We did non create got fourth dimension to become to the Eastern side. We returned to the cr commons in addition to the driver drove us to the prepare station.

We wished nosotros could create got had to a greater extent than fourth dimension at both the sites but what nosotros had savored had been AWESOME!