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White Horse Temple (Baima Temple)
Baima Temple is one of the most impressive and truly holy temples in the entire Henan province and is considered by many as being one of the oldest in China.
Legend has it that white horses carried the first scriptures from India to this spot in 68AD, hence the name (meaning White Horse Temple) and the prevalence of horse statues about the entire area. At this time, Buddhism in India and Nepal had just reached its peak and this was almost certainly the first time Buddhism had reached China.
The temple was initially built to house the two statues and the sutra books the explorers brought back with them from India on horseback. The temple was completed within a few years but has been repeatedly renovated and expanded following heavy periods of destruction and warfare.
Most of the statues here today date back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) and the reign of the Mongolians over China. Inside, the temple complex is refreshingly peaceful and leafy with a large statue of Sakyamuni—the original Buddha—dominating the main hall. The most charming aspect of this place, is that this is one of the few remaining working temples in the city. The fruit on the altars, cloth suspended from the ceiling and candles burning are all testament to this.
Guanlin Temple
Guanlin Temple dates back to the year 1596 in the later half of the Ming Dynasty, and has an interesting—albeit gruesome—story attached to it. Legend has it that Guan Yu, whose tale is perfectly hyperbolized in the famed Romance of Three Kingdoms (author: Luo Guanzhong), led many a battle and offered allegiances with several neighboring warlords, playing one against the other. When his tactics were finally discovered, Guan Yu was ambushed and beheaded. His severed head was sent to Caocao, one of the warlords for whom Guan had worked. Guan Yu had made such an impression on Caocao, that he built Guanlin Temple and buried the head with honor inside, and bestowed upon him the posthumous title of Marquis Zhuangmou.
Guan Yu is now regarded by many Chinese as the God of War and many temples built in his honor can be found about the country and indeed the world. Guanlin Temple now has a collection of more than 2000 steles and a number of stone carved lions, while several of the inner walls feature murals depicting significant events in Guan Yu's life. The temple is quite large and also has a well stocked art gallery with most pieces related to Guan Yu and his exploits—both factual and fictional.
Longmen Grottoes
Luoyang's most revered Buddhist site and popular tourist attraction, the Longmen Grottoes (Longmen Shiku), lie twelve kilometers (7.5 mi) to the south of the city center. Separated by the Yi River are Xiangshan (eastern bank) and Longmenshan (western bank), two mountains riddled with thousands of caves and niches featuring some of China's most spectacular rock carvings and inscriptions. Work on the carvings began in the Northern Wei Dynasty (471 - 499 AD) and continued over the Sui Dynasty (581 – 619 AD) well into the Tang Dynasty (618 – 690 AD).
There are plenty of nooks and crannies to poke your head/camera into, but there are five spots that shouldn't be missed. Guyang Cave is the original, featuring more than one hundred small scale carvings of Buddha, highlighted by a 7.8 meter (25.5 ft) tall likeness of Sakyamuni—the first Buddha. The next grotto to be completed was Binyang Cave. Stone carvings in this area are on a much grander scale than in Guyang, but the subject (Sakyamuni and disciples) remains the same.
Next on the checklist should be Wanfo Cave, which was completed in 680 AD. This cave has two main rooms with more than 1500 carvings featured by a carving of Guanyin—goddess of mercy. Then, on to Lotus Cave, where you can take in yet another carving of Sakyamuni, but this time sitting in—you guessed it—the lotus position. Remember to look up, there's are great carving of a lotus flower complete with seed pods there.
Saving the best till last, Fengxian Temple. This temple is the largest and houses an enormous carving of Vairocana—the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of emptiness—measuring in at an impressive 17 meters (56 ft.) tall.
Wangcheng Park
Luoyang's Wangcheng Park is a public park which can be divided into five different sections—the public garden area, a zoo, a fun park, a peony garden area and a culture section—all of which require separate admission fees. There's not a lot to attract the interest of the average traveler unless you have a particular interest in the happenings of the Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 BC) or China's symbolic flower, the peony, which they like to call "The King of Flowers".
Every year for 10 days in April (15th - 25th), thousands of peony fans descend on Wangcheng Park to see their king of flowers in full bloom. When this Peony Festival is on, an admission fee of RMB 20 is charged. If you happen to visit in the off season, don't be surprised if you find artificial flowers attached to the peony plants.
The Cultural and Historical section of the park houses some interesting artifacts and stone inscriptions dating back more than a millennium BC. Short history lessons are available, unfortunately still only in Chinese. That aside, this section of the park is quite interesting.
The remaining areas of the park can safely be avoided—unless you want to take a ride on a rickety looking Ferris wheel. You might want to give the zoo a wide berth, as you'll probably just end up feeling sorry for the animals in their tiny enclosures.
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