City guide · 洛阳 · 古称洛邑
Luoyang
Thirteen-dynasty ancient capital in the heartland of the River Luo, where the Longmen Grottoes and the peony share one name
Luoyang lies in western Henan, on the sunny (north) side of the Luo River; it is one of China's earliest, longest-serving and most frequently used capitals. The Longmen Grottoes, the White Horse Temple, the Guanlin and the Sui–Tang Luoyang City site stand at the city's four corners; in peony season the whole city's green spaces become a sea of flowers — "Luoyang peonies are the finest under heaven". As the source city of Heluo culture and Chinese civilisation, Luoyang's voice is hidden between the archaeological sites and the soup shops of the old streets: the beef-soup shops at four in the morning and the water-banquet queues at the old city's night market are the daily echoes of a thousand-year capital.
History
How the city came to be
Luoyang sits at the centre of the realm; the Yiluo basin is the core heartland of Chinese civilisation. The Erlitou Xia capital, the Yanshi Shang city, the Eastern Zhou royal city, the Han–Wei old city and the Sui–Tang Luoyang city — five great capital sites lie along the Luo River. Luoyang was capital to thirteen dynasties in succession: Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, Eastern Zhou, Eastern Han, Cao Wei, Western Jin, Northern Wei, Sui, Tang (including Wu Zhou), Later Liang, Later Tang and Later Jin (the thirteen-dynasty account is the common one). In the Eastern Han, Cai Lun improved papermaking here and Zhang Heng made his armillary sphere and seismograph; the White Horse Temple was China's first state-run Buddhist temple. In the Tang, Luoyang was the Eastern Capital, and Wu Zetian took the throne and made it the Divine Capital. In the Northern Song, Luoyang was the Western Capital; Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao founded Neo-Confucianism here, and Sima Guang completed the Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government) in his Garden of Solitary Joy. After the Jin and Yuan, the political centre moved east and north, and Luoyang gradually became a regional metropolis.
- 771 BCKing Ping of Zhou moved east to Luoyi; the royal-city era began
- AD 25Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han made Luoyang his capital
- AD 68The White Horse Temple was established in Luoyang, China's first state-run Buddhist temple
- 493Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei moved the capital to Luoyang; the Longmen Grottoes were carved on a large scale
- 605Emperor Yang of Sui built the Eastern Capital, Luoyang
- 690Wu Zetian changed Tang to Zhou and made Luoyang the capital, named the Divine Capital
- Northern SongLuoyang served as the Western Capital; Sima Guang and others completed the Zizhi Tongjian here
- 1954The First Tractor Works, Luoyang Mining Machinery and other projects of the 156 key projects rose in Luoyang one after another; Luoyang became an industrial stronghold of the new China
Stories
Stories of the city
The Vairocana Buddha sponsored by Wu Zetian
History · Longmen Grottoes
Carving of the Longmen Grottoes began in 493 under the Northern Wei, sponsored by emperors, nobles, generals and religious groups. Work reached its peak while Emperor Gaozong of Tang and Wu Zetian ruled from Luoyang. The largest cave on the West Hill, Fengxian Temple, was completed between 672 and 676 with Wu Zetian's patronage; its Vairocana Buddha, full-faced with a faint smile, is often considered the pinnacle of Tang Buddhist sculpture.
People
People connected with Luoyang
Local life
Food and local daily life
Longmen Grottoes
Must-try
- Luoyang water banquet
- Beef or lamb soup
- Jiangmian tiao (fermented mung-bean noodles)
Luoyang water banquet (24 soupy courses, led by peony 'swallow's nest' vegetables), beef or mutton soup (with shredded flatbread — a bowl first thing in the morning), jiang noodles (sour noodles in fermented mung-bean broth), guotie (Luoyang half-fried potstickers), peony cakes
| Where to eat | The Shizi Street night market in the old town, Zhenbutong restaurant (a long-established water-banquet house), farmhouse restaurants in Longmen town |
|---|---|
| Typical price per person | CNY 40–80; water banquet CNY 100–180 |
| Tips | The water banquet is large — good for sharing a table with several people; soup shops mostly open from early morning to late morning. |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
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Roci xu · CC BY-SA 4.0