Cygnus International Hotel

Longmen Caves

by herzog63

The Longmen Caves are quite interesting. Apparantly there were 100,000 images and statues of Buddha here at one time but there aren't that many now. Alot of the statues had their heads lopped off too! But it is still worth a visit. There are quite a few different caves in and around Luoyang. Some are just boring small empty holes in the cliff and others have intricately carved statues.

Shaolin: Bosque de- Pagoda-Forest

by elpariente

El Bosque de Pagodas , es un cementerio para los dignatarios budistas y famosos monjes Shaolin a través de los tiempos , con 246 pequeñas pagodas de ladrillo donde se guardaban las cenizas. En promedio, las pagodas tienen 15 metros de alto. La apariencia y la forma de una pagoda depende de muchos factores, como el rango budista y el prestigio alcanzado durante su vida. El Bosque de Pagodas en el Templo Shaolin es el mayor complejo de pagodas en China ...

Pagoda Forest, a graveyard for Buddhist dignitaries and celebrated Shaolin monks through the ages , with 246 small brick pagodas where the ashes were kept. On average, the pagodas are less than 15 meters (about 49 feet) high. The layer and the shape of a pagoda depends on many factors, such as one's Buddhist status, attainment and prestige during his lifetime. The Pagoda Forest in Shaolin Temple is the largest of China's pagoda complexes...

WanCheng GongYuan (The Mudan/Peony Park)

by Katie&Jordi

This is a very nice park, famous for the many peonies that bloom at the beginning of Springtime.

If you happen to be in Luoyang at the right time, and you like flowers, this is a must see.

The park is a relaxing place all year round, even without the blooming of the peonies.

Just a tip: the Peony Festival lasts for a week or so. It is very hard to guess the exact time when the peonies will finally bloom, as it mainly depends on the weather. But, as everything in China, this festival is a tourist occurence (entrance fee is normally 3 Yuan, except for the week of the Peony Festival, when it raises up to 30 Yuan).

Anyway, a long story short: Luoyang authorities need to market the festival ahead of time, so their guess about when the blooming will happen is normally wrong.

Because of that, we were able to visit the park before the official start of the festival. We were alone, we payed 3Y and we saw some beautiful peonies.

Although, we didn't see as many as we thought, as our guess was a couple of days off. It was better than the official one, anyway.

Some friends of us, followed the official schedule, and they had to share the park with a lot of other visitors, payed 30 and saw only withered peonies.

Moral of the story: Trust the people, not the authorities. Chinese people will tell you the exact time to visit. Otherwise, go to another park and take a look at other flowers. Either alternative is better than the publicly announced times.