Attractions in Luoyang on Discover Luoyang

Guanlin Temple — Visitor Guide for Foreign Travellers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

Guanlin (关林) is a walled temple-and-shrine complex in Luoyang associated with Guan Yu, the loyal general of the Three Kingdoms era who became a popular deity of war, loyalty and honour. The site traditionally links to the burial of Guan Yu’s head and combines a typical temple axis with a quiet forest of stone steles and wooded gardens — a calmer, more local stop than the headline UNESCO sites.

Longmen Grottoes — Visitor Guide for Foreign Travellers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

The Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟) are the single best reason to come to Luoyang and one of the great Buddhist stone-carving sites in the world. For roughly four centuries, from the late 5th century onward, craftsmen cut tens of thousands of Buddha figures and cave shrines into the limestone cliffs on both banks of the Yi River, just south of the city. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it reads as an open-air museum you can walk through at your own pace.

Luoyang Museum — Visitor Guide for Foreign Travellers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

The Luoyang Museum (洛阳博物馆) is the best single place to make sense of a city that served as a capital for multiple Chinese dynasties. Its collections run from Neolithic and Bronze Age artefacts through Han, Wei, Sui, Tang and later periods, with strong displays of bronze, ceramics, jade and Buddhist art. For a foreign visitor, it is the ideal primer before or after the outdoor sites.

Why visit

Think of it as the context machine: after an hour here, the grottoes, temples and old-town streets suddenly mean more. The building itself is a large, modern, air-conditioned space — a welcome break in summer or winter.

White Horse Temple — Visitor Guide for Foreign Travellers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction

White Horse Temple (白马寺) sits about 12 km east of Luoyang and is traditionally honoured as the first Buddhist temple established in China, dating back to the Eastern Han dynasty. Whether or not you are interested in religion, it is a peaceful, leafy complex with a clear place in the story of how Buddhism travelled from India along the Silk Road and took root in China.

Why visit

It is one of the most historically significant temples in the country, yet far calmer than the big city temples elsewhere. The grounds mix Han-Chinese halls with more recent additions, including a cluster of foreign-style Buddhist pavilions gifted by Buddhist groups from India, Thailand, Myanmar and beyond — unusual and photogenic.