Longmen Grottoes

UNESCO-listed Buddhist cliff carvings 13 km south of Luoyang. 100,000+ statues in 2,300+ caves carved between the 5th and 9th centuries.

The Longmen Grottoes were carved between the 5th and 9th centuries, beginning under the Northern Wei (after the Yungang carving project) and continuing through the Tang. 2,300+ niches, 110,000+ statues, 60 stupas. The Fengxian Temple cave, with its 17m seated Buddha and flanking attendants commissioned by the Empress Wu Zetian in 675 CE, is the centrepiece. UNESCO-listed in 2000.