Luoyang

Luoyang (洛阳; Luòyáng) is a city in west Henan province.

Luoyang is in the heartland of Chinese civilisation. It was the capital of several dynasties in Chinese history, most notably the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the state of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. It was the eastern terminus of the historic Silk Road, and the junction of the three ancient canals that made up the original Grand Canal.

The city is on the northern side of the Luo River. The train station is north of the town centre, and Jinguyuan Lu（金谷园路）goes from the station to Wangcheng Square. To the east is the Old Town and to the west the Wangcheng Park. Tourists come here primarily to see the Longmen Caves, the White Horse Temple and Guanlin Temple, which are close to the town, rather than the town itself. Ruined remains of the ancient cities called "Luoyang" are scattered in and around the Old Town area, and some can be visited.

• Longmen Grottoes. One of the finest Buddhist rock sculptural sites in China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Baima Temple. 7:30AM-5:30PM. This is the first officially sanctioned Buddhist temple in China and one of the oldest in the world. It was established almost 2000 years ago but rebuilt many times since. ¥50 (¥25 students).
• Guanlin Temple. (关林庙， bus 81 from the train station stops here and then continues on to the Longmen Caves) Commemorating Guan Yu, great warrior of the Kingdom of Shu and main character from, "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The temple is built over the mausoleum which houses the general god's head, and contains several halls dedicated to the deified man. The side halls are all under construction. The ticket price is a pretty stiff 50 kuai.
• Luoyang Museum, Nietai Road, Luolong District (洛龙区聂泰路) (Bus route 77, +86 379 69901002. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays. Very well done museum featuring an extensive collection of ancient Zhou Dynasty bronzes as well as Han and Tang Dynasty porcelains, nearly all of which were made and found in the area, giving a sense of the former grandeur of the ancient capital. The museum is sparkling and features broad, uncrowded exhibit rooms and efficient air conditioning, making it a good way to beat the summer heat after the Longmen Caves. Even those with only a passing interest in porcelain will be satisfied. Free.
• Ancient Han Tombs Museum. Fascinating museum with reconstructed and unearthed tombs from the Western Han dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty.
• Wangcheng Park. One site of the Luoyang Peony Festival in April, something not to be missed.
• Du Fu's tomb. In Luoyang city about 23 km east of Yanshi Du Village north. The tomb was octagonal, around build with brick. The tombstone is inscribed with "Tang ministry gleaning Shaoling Du Wenzhen Tomb of the public." The original Du Fu's grandfather, the North Tomb tomb, now destroyed, only have the ancestors of Du Fu, Jin Hou Duyu tombstone.
• Shangqing Gong. 4 km northwest of Luoyang City Mangshan Mountain emerald Yunfeng, was built in the Tang Dynasty, said early laojunmiao. Qian Feng the first year (AD 666), made me as too Xuan Yuan emperor, it is also known as the temple of Emperor Xuan yuan. After avoiding Xuanzong taboo, renamed the Yuan emperor temple, finally changed to the palace.
• Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum, Gucheng Expressway, Yanshi (偃师市古城快速路) (Take bus no. 210 from Luoyang Longmen Station and get off at the final stop. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays. The ancient bronze age city of Erlitou is claimed by some archaeologists and historians to have been the capital of the Xia Dynasty, China's legendary first dynasty. Around 2000 artefacts from the site are displayed in this brand new museum, which opened in October 2019. Free.

Longmen Grottoes. One of the finest Buddhist rock sculptural sites in China and a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].

Baima Temple. 7:30AM-5:30PM. This is the first officially sanctioned Buddhist temple in China and one of the oldest in the world. It was established almost 2000 years ago but rebuilt many times since. ¥50 (¥25 students).

Guanlin Temple. (关林庙， bus 81 from the train station stops here and then continues on to the Longmen Caves) Commemorating Guan Yu, great warrior of the Kingdom of Shu and main character from, "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The temple is built over the mausoleum which houses the general god's head, and contains several halls dedicated to the deified man. The side halls are all under construction. The ticket price is a pretty stiff 50 kuai.

Luoyang Museum, Nietai Road, Luolong District (洛龙区聂泰路) (Bus route 77, +86 379 69901002. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays. Very well done museum featuring an extensive collection of ancient Zhou Dynasty bronzes as well as Han and Tang Dynasty porcelains, nearly all of which were made and found in the area, giving a sense of the former grandeur of the ancient capital. The museum is sparkling and features broad, uncrowded exhibit rooms and efficient air conditioning, making it a good way to beat the summer heat after the Longmen Caves. Even those with only a passing interest in porcelain will be satisfied. Free.

Ancient Han Tombs Museum. Fascinating museum with reconstructed and unearthed tombs from the Western Han dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty.

Wangcheng Park. One site of the Luoyang Peony Festival in April, something not to be missed.

Du Fu's tomb. In Luoyang city about 23 km east of Yanshi Du Village north. The tomb was octagonal, around build with brick. The tombstone is inscribed with "Tang ministry gleaning Shaoling Du Wenzhen Tomb of the public." The original Du Fu's grandfather, the North Tomb tomb, now destroyed, only have the ancestors of Du Fu, Jin Hou Duyu tombstone.

Shangqing Gong. 4 km northwest of Luoyang City Mangshan Mountain emerald Yunfeng, was built in the Tang Dynasty, said early laojunmiao. Qian Feng the first year (AD 666), made me as too Xuan Yuan emperor, it is also known as the temple of Emperor Xuan yuan. After avoiding Xuanzong taboo, renamed the Yuan emperor temple, finally changed to the palace.

Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum, Gucheng Expressway, Yanshi (偃师市古城快速路) (Take bus no. 210 from Luoyang Longmen Station and get off at the final stop. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays. The ancient bronze age city of Erlitou is claimed by some archaeologists and historians to have been the capital of the Xia Dynasty, China's legendary first dynasty. Around 2000 artefacts from the site are displayed in this brand new museum, which opened in October 2019. Free.

• Ancient Store Street. Luoyang has a long, beautiful with fully functioning stores, a lot like Pingyao, another incredible visit.

Ancient Store Street. Luoyang has a long, beautiful with fully functioning stores, a lot like Pingyao, another incredible visit.

• Shanghai Market. A long street where you can find a lot of stuff such shoes (some very cheap), clothes, sports, and DVDs. All along the street there are mini malls at both sides of the street where you can find endless stuff such as electronic devices, mobiles, clothes, accessories, and packages.
• Walmart. Many western products.
• Wanfuqin. A big mall like any you can find in Europe.

Shanghai Market. A long street where you can find a lot of stuff such shoes (some very cheap), clothes, sports, and DVDs. All along the street there are mini malls at both sides of the street where you can find endless stuff such as electronic devices, mobiles, clothes, accessories, and packages.

Walmart. Many western products.

Wanfuqin. A big mall like any you can find in Europe.

• Qianjude Peking Duck Restaurant. Famous for duck of course, but has many other delicious entrees.
• Dirty Street, Guangzhou Shichuang. 24/7. This is not so much a restaurant as it is a dirty street where they sell barbecue and other foods 24 hours a day. In daylight hours it doubles as a spice market, at night there are more food options, and after midnight it is the best option for late-night meals in all of Luoyang (though the city does have a few all-night McDonalds [Shanghai Shichuang], a 24-hour KFC [Wangfujing], and a steak restaurant that never closes [xinduhui] as well as various street vendors). The barbecue here is not the best in Luoyang, but it is better than what you'd find in many other cities. Adventurous eating is recommended: local favorites are sheep eyes, kidneys, and testicles. Throughout the day a large number of people eat here so the meat is generally very fresh, and the meat is cooked over an open flame so don't worry about food poisoning, but it's essentially a dirty street where drunk people go to eat spicy, greasy, salty food before they go home. Awesome food. Nobody speaks English here, but the vendors are accustomed to foreigners so just point at what you want and they will cook it for you. cheap.

Qianjude Peking Duck Restaurant. Famous for duck of course, but has many other delicious entrees.

Dirty Street, Guangzhou Shichuang. 24/7. This is not so much a restaurant as it is a dirty street where they sell barbecue and other foods 24 hours a day. In daylight hours it doubles as a spice market, at night there are more food options, and after midnight it is the best option for late-night meals in all of Luoyang (though the city does have a few all-night McDonalds [Shanghai Shichuang], a 24-hour KFC [Wangfujing], and a steak restaurant that never closes [xinduhui] as well as various street vendors). The barbecue here is not the best in Luoyang, but it is better than what you'd find in many other cities. Adventurous eating is recommended: local favorites are sheep eyes, kidneys, and testicles. Throughout the day a large number of people eat here so the meat is generally very fresh, and the meat is cooked over an open flame so don't worry about food poisoning, but it's essentially a dirty street where drunk people go to eat spicy, greasy, salty food before they go home. Awesome food. Nobody speaks English here, but the vendors are accustomed to foreigners so just point at what you want and they will cook it for you. cheap.

In Luoyang you can find a huge selection of restaurants, but there are not so many bars and clubs. If you want to drink baijiu (strong liquor based on rice) you should go to a restaurant, because clubs do not carry it.

• Aipai. Close about 2AM. They also have private rooms and it is quite big. They have live music, dancing, gogo girls and the cocktail guys' show is really nice. Full bar with a nice cocktail selection.
• Art Bar, Zhujiang South Road. This is not for dance but for drink. They have many tables and a second floor with private rooms and a pool. They have many artists that sing and play live music from 9:30PM. Full bar plus popcorn or fruit. On the same street there are a few bars, all of them with live music and a variety of drinks.
• Come Bar. Private minirooms popular with couples. Romantic or slow music. You can drink, have an ice-cream or eat something.
• Lanmei, Nan Chang Road. Close about 1:30AM. Disco where you can drink beer, vodka, rum or many other spirits seated at a table. They also have private rooms with karaoke. At 10PM they start to play music for dance. It has a bouncing floor so you can follow the rhythm easily. They have gogo girls that dance 5 minutes every hour more or less.
• Mirage Bar. A quiet bar where you can talk and drink. Full bar.
• New Paradise. Taiwanese owned bar. Good mix of expats and Chinese. Extremely cute and intelligent staff, good food and cheap beer. Say "hi" to the beautiful Rebecca!

Aipai. Close about 2AM. They also have private rooms and it is quite big. They have live music, dancing, gogo girls and the cocktail guys' show is really nice. Full bar with a nice cocktail selection.

Art Bar, Zhujiang South Road. This is not for dance but for drink. They have many tables and a second floor with private rooms and a pool. They have many artists that sing and play live music from 9:30PM. Full bar plus popcorn or fruit. On the same street there are a few bars, all of them with live music and a variety of drinks.

Come Bar. Private minirooms popular with couples. Romantic or slow music. You can drink, have an ice-cream or eat something.

Lanmei, Nan Chang Road. Close about 1:30AM. Disco where you can drink beer, vodka, rum or many other spirits seated at a table. They also have private rooms with karaoke. At 10PM they start to play music for dance. It has a bouncing floor so you can follow the rhythm easily. They have gogo girls that dance 5 minutes every hour more or less.

Mirage Bar. A quiet bar where you can talk and drink. Full bar.

New Paradise. Taiwanese owned bar. Good mix of expats and Chinese. Extremely cute and intelligent staff, good food and cheap beer. Say "hi" to the beautiful Rebecca!

Beijing is 3.5-4 hours away by high-speed rail or 7-11 hours by sleeper train, Shanghai is 8-10 hours away by high-speed sleeper train, and Xi'an is 1.5-2 hours away by high-speed train or 4-5 hours away by slow train. It is possible (although gruelling) to arrive from Beijing or Shanghai by overnight train, visit the Longmen grottoes and possibly one or two other sights, then continue to Xi'an in the space of 1 night and a day.