Historic city · Cultural centre · Industrial centre · Henan
Luoyang
洛阳
Capital of thirteen dynasties, the Longmen Grottoes and the peony
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan on the Luo River and one of China's great ancient capitals, traditionally counted as the seat of thirteen dynasties from the Xia to the Later Tang. It has the Longmen Grottoes, the White Horse Temple — by tradition China's first Buddhist temple — and parts of two World Heritage serial sites, and is famous for its April peonies.
Key facts
Overview
Luoyang lies in a basin between the Mang Hills and the Song range, on the Luo River near its junction with the Yellow River — a naturally protected site at the centre of the Chinese world. Successive capitals were built at slightly different places along the river: the Zhou city, the Han–Wei city to the east, and the vast Sui–Tang city on both banks, whose gates and palace halls have been excavated and partly reconstructed.
Modern Luoyang was one of the industrial centres of the 1950s, building China's first tractors, and it is now an industrial city with a large heritage and tourism sector. The grottoes, the peony gardens in April and the old town around the Lijing Gate draw visitors from across China.
Names and nicknames
神都
“Divine Capital”
The name Wu Zetian gave the city when she ruled from it as emperor of her own Zhou dynasty.
洛邑
The Western Zhou city founded by the Duke of Zhou, the city's oldest name.
牡丹花城
“Peony City”
From the peonies grown here since the Sui and Tang.
History
The Erlitou site at Yanshi, east of the city, marks one of the earliest Chinese states. The Duke of Zhou founded Luoyi in the eleventh century BCE, and it became the Eastern Zhou capital in 770 BCE. Eastern Han, Cao Wei, Western Jin and Northern Wei ruled from here; the Sui built a new eastern capital in 605, which the Tang kept and Wu Zetian made her seat. After the Tang the political centre moved east to Kaifeng. The city's tombs on the Mang Hills are among the densest burial grounds in China.
c. 1900–1500 BCE
Erlitou
Palace complex and bronze workshops of an early state, often associated with the Xia.
770 BCE
Eastern Zhou capital
King Ping moved the court to Luoyi after the fall of the western capital.
25
Eastern Han capital
Emperor Guangwu made Luoyang his capital; the Imperial Academy here set the Xiping stone classics in 175.
68
White Horse Temple
According to tradition, founded for two Indian monks who brought scriptures on a white horse.
494
Northern Wei moves to Luoyang
Emperor Xiaowen's move and sinicisation policies; carving began at Longmen.
605
Sui eastern capital
Emperor Yang built a new city on both banks of the Luo, linked to the Grand Canal.
690–705
Wu Zetian's Divine Capital
The only woman to rule China as emperor made Luoyang her capital and built the Mingtang hall of state.
1959
First Chinese tractor
The First Tractor Works produced the Dongfanghong (“The East is Red”) tractor.
Landmarks
Temple or shrine
Longmen Grottoes
龙门石窟
Buddhist caves on both banks of the Yi River; the Fengxian Temple's colossal Vairocana Buddha was completed in 675.
Temple or shrine
White Horse Temple
白马寺
Active monastery east of the city with halls built in the styles of India, Thailand and Myanmar in its grounds.
Temple or shrine
Guanlin Temple
关林
Temple and tomb where, by tradition, the head of the Three Kingdoms general Guan Yu is buried.
Museum
Luoyang Museum
洛阳博物馆
Museum covering the city's dynasties, with bronzes, Tang tri-colour pottery and a peony-themed building.
Historic site
Yingtian Gate and the Mingtang
应天门·明堂天堂
Reconstructions over the excavated gate and halls of the Sui–Tang palace city.
Museum
Erlitou Xia Capital Site Museum
二里头夏都遗址博物馆
Museum at the Erlitou site presenting its bronzes, turquoise dragon and palace foundations.
Street or quarter
Lijing Gate and old town
丽景门
Rebuilt city gate leading into the lanes of the old town.
Neighbourhoods
Laocheng
老城
The old walled town with lanes of food stalls and restored houses.
Jianxi
涧西
The 1950s industrial district with Soviet-style factory housing.
Food
Water banquet
洛阳水席
Twenty-four dishes served in sequence, most in broth; the first, a radish dish imitating bird's nest, is called 牡丹燕菜.
Bufan soup
不翻汤
Thin mung-bean pancakes in a sour-peppery broth.
Fermented-bean noodles
浆面条
Noodles cooked in the lightly sour liquid of fermented mung beans.
Beef soup
牛肉汤
The city's breakfast: clear beef soup with flatbread.
Culture
Luoyang's culture is historical and floral. The Peony Festival in April fills its parks with blooms and visitors, and the city's identity rests on its role as a capital and as the place where Buddhism first took root in China. Tang tri-colour pottery is reproduced here, and the Luoyang water banquet is a living link to older court and urban cuisines.
唯有牡丹真国色，花开时节动京城。Wéi yǒu mǔdān zhēn guó sè, huā kāi shíjié dòng jīngchéng.
“Only the peony has the true beauty of the nation; when it blooms, the whole capital is stirred.”
— Liu Yuxi, “Admiring the Peonies” (赏牡丹), Tang dynasty
Getting around
- Luoyang Longmen is the high-speed station on the Zhengzhou–Xi'an line; Luoyang station serves conventional trains.
- Luoyang Metro lines cross the city from the old town to the southern districts.
- Luoyang Beijiao Airport has domestic flights.
Day trips
Longmen Grottoes
龙门石窟
On the Yi River just south of the city.
Baiyun Mountain
白云山
Forested mountain in Song county in the Funiu range.
Shaolin Temple
少林寺
On Mount Song, east of Luoyang towards Dengfeng.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Luoyang Municipal People's Government — Luoyang Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Longmen Grottoes — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Luoyang — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More cities in Henan
- Zhengzhou郑州Capital · Historic city · Industrial centreShang city and crossroads of China's railways
- Kaifeng开封Historic city · Cultural centreBianjing, capital of the Northern Song, city built on cities
- Anyang安阳Historic city · Cultural centreYin, the last Shang capital, where Chinese writing was found
- Dengfeng登封Historic city · Scenic area · Cultural centreMount Song and the Shaolin Temple, “the centre of Heaven and Earth”
Related
Dynasty
Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) →
The Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) was the second imperial dynasty of China, founded by the commoner Liu Bang after the collapse of the Qin. Divided…
Dynasty
Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE) →
The Sui dynasty (581-618 CE) was the short-lived dynasty that reunified China in 589 after nearly three centuries of division between north and…
Dynasty
Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) →
The Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) was the imperial dynasty founded by Li Yuan that ruled China for nearly three centuries from Chang'an, then the largest…
Philosophy