Shaolin Tourist Information

The city close located to the Shaolin Temple is Luoyang. This used to be the cultural heart of China during 13 dynasties, starting from the Xia dynasty in the 21st century B.C. After the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.), the significance of the city declined. Luoyang also used to be the capital of China for centuries. Since Louyang has such a rich cultural history, it offers a lot of sites that are more than worthwhile visiting.

The Longmencaves compromise 1,300 caves, containing over 100,000 statues. It is one of the most impressive Buddha stone carving. The sculpturing began in the Northern Wei dynasty in 473 and continued for almost four centuries. Unfortunatley, a lot of the figures were vandalized or decapitated by archaeologists and antiquarians, who send the pieces to art collectors and museums.

The White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple, established in the Han dynasty in 68 A.D. and is perceived as the cradle of Buddhism in China. The temple is a rectangle courtyard facing south, covering a total area of 40,000 square meters. The temple consists of the Great Buddha Hall, Tiangwang Hall, Daxiong Hall, jievin Hall, Qingliang Terrace and the Pilu Paviliopn.

The Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum is the first of its kind in China, containing 22 restored ancient tombs. This remarkable offer of impressive tombs date from the Han dynasty (206-220 B.C.) to the Northern Song dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) Many murals, pottery pieces and other relics have been restored and are on display.

Furthermore, the Yellow River Xiaolangdi Scenic area is worthwhile to visit. Luoyang is easy accessible by public transportation. Beijiau Airport offers a large number of domestic flights. One of China’s most important railway lines: Long Hai Railway, passes through Luoyang, connecting the city to east, west and central China. There is also a station for night buses between Luoyang and several big cities.  The many city buses and taxi cabs can be used for sightseeing in the city or in the suburban areas. From Luoyang it is an hour drive to the Shaolin Temple. The Shaolin School offers cheap accommodation as a hotel is integrated in the building, but there is also another hotel in the direct area. The Shaolin temple and the other cultural sites are easy accessible and are located in a beautiful scenery, surrounded by mountains and a rich vegetation.