Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan Province

The Longmen Grottoes, extending for one km, are located on both banks of the Yishui River, 13 km south of Luoyang City, Henan Province. It is also an important national scenic zone of mountains and rivers.

The carving of the grottoes started in the Taihe reign period of the Northern Wei Dynasty (365-534) and the work, continued for 400 years, into the Tang Dynasty (618-907). There are 1,952 grottoes, 750 niches, more than 40 pagodas and over 100,000 Buddha statues of various sizes.