words from the world

Luoyang, 5 hours by bus south from Xi'an. The terminus of the number 81 local bus is located at the park entrance of the grottoes of Longmen. On the Unesco world heritage list, the cliffs of the east and west river banks were hollowed out and ornated with Buddhist motifs. The granite gruyère cheese was carved by the faithfuls. The rock clusters niches which formerly sheltered Buddha's representations. Because most of the statues are missing or eroded by the time devastation. Without viing with the splendid northern grottoes of Yungang, the relaxing stroll is flanked by the river on a side and by the cliff on the other one. The giant Buddha surrounded by stone warriors is the main attraction on the east bank.





At the end of the cliff, a bridge strides over the river and the walk carries on the opposite bank. A temple without any tourists offers a great point of view on the cut cliff that looks out over us a few minutes before.





A second bridge takes us to the park entrance while a veil of darkness concludes the immovable spectacle of the grottoes of the dragon gate.