Luoyang Self-guided Walking Tour, Luoyang, China

One of China’s four great ancient imperial capitals, Luoyang today has a much lower profile than its peers in Beijing, Xi’an and Nanjing, however it was arguably the most monumental of them all. Serving as the capital of 13 of China’s dynasties including the influential Sui and Tang dynasties, the city was considered the ‘centre of heaven and earth’, with imposing palatial structures which were among the largest buildings in the world at the time.

As a terminus of both the Silk Road and China’s Grand Canal, Luoyang frequently operated as both an imperial capital and auxiliary capital, often trading status with nearby Xi’an as circumstances dictated. It arguably reached its zenith in the late 7th and early 8th centuries CE under the reign of ancient China’s only female imperial leader, the Empress Wu Zeitan, before entering a period of decline which began after it was attacked by rebels during the An Lushan rebellion of the mid 7th century.

Today, Luoyang is best known to visitors for its proximity to famous sites like the UNESCO-listed Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple (China’s oldest Buddhist temple) or the infamous Shaolin Temple, the home of Kung Fu. However the city itself has a rich heritage and plenty to explore. Excavation of Luoyang’s ancient dynastic sites began in the 1970s and 80s, with large-scale restoration and reconstruction taking place in the early 2010s. The structures standing today may be modern restorations, but the history behind them is very real. This walking tour covers the main sites of Luoyang’s central downtown scenic areas. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).