Longman - tips by travel authority Howard Hillman

Longmen Caves
travel wonder in China

Why
Longmen Caves
are special

The Longmen Caves comprise 1300 caves adorned with 100,000 statues. Many experts consider them the artistic triumph of Buddhist stone carving.

Interesting insights about
the Longmen Caves

Manmade

The grottoes are not natural. They were hollowed out by humans to create temples inside the mountain.

History in brief

473
Sculpturing began in 473 when the emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved his capital from Datong to Luoyang.

Development
The Longmen Cave sculpturing continued in earnest for almost four centuries (and then modestly so in the next two centuries).

Unfortunately...
Many of the statues were defaced or decapitated over later centuries by vandals as well as by archaeologists and antiquarians who sent their plundered sculptures to museums, art dealers and private collectors in the Western World.

Ancestor Worshiping Cave
It is the most celebrated of all Longmen Caves and is also known as the Fengxian Temple.

This Tang Dynasty masterpiece includes a statue of Buddha (see photo) measuring almost 17 meters (55 feet) high. For size comparison, notice the height of the two adults standing on top of the steps in front of the sculptures.

The statues are now outdoors because the cave roof collapsed.

For a visual treat, come just after dawn when the low lying sun's rays bathe the statues in warm hues and create silhouetting shadows.

Tidbits about
the Longmen Caves

Measurements
The statuary ranges in size from thumbnail to colossal.

Location
The Longmen Caves lie along a riverside cliff, covering a distance of nearly one kilometer (slightly over a half mile).

Name
Longmen means "dragon's gate" in Chinese.