The Longmen Grottos are one of the three most important Buddhist sculptures and carvings in China, situated on the bank of the Yihe River, some 12 kilometers from Luoyang, about a 30 minutes drive. The Longmen Grottos are of great historical and cultural value. The site has been listed in the World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. To protect such a valuable heritage site, the Chinese govement as well as some influential world cultural organizations is trying hard to share this site with the whole world. A large-scale renovation was undertaken in 2003 to keep the grottos in good condition.
The grotto was first carved in the Northe Wei Dynasty, over 1,500 years ago and was expanded through many succeeding dynasties, over a duration of 500 years, and was finally completed in North Song Dynasty. The most significant renovation activities occurred in the Tang and North Wei Dynasties, which lasted over 150 years.
Spanning a length of around 1 kilometer on the hillside along the Yihe River, the niches resemble dozens of honeycombs dotting the area. There are about 2.100 grottoes and niches, over 40 crematory us, 3,600 inscribed stone tablets, and over 100,000 Buddhist images and statues. The largest one is 17 meters tall while the smallest is a tiny as 2 cm. One third of the complex are works from the North Wei Dynasty. These masterpieces are Binyang Cave and Lianhua Cave (Lotus Cave). The impressive Qianxi Temple, Fengxian Temple, Wanfo Cave (Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave) are the highlights of the Tang Dynasty's carvings.
