TheLongmenGrottoesarelocatedinthesouthofLuoyangCity.TheyarebetweenMountXiangandMountLongmenandfaceYiRiver.LongmenGrottoes,YungangCavesandMogaoCavesareregardedasthethreemostfamoustreasurehousesofstoneinscriptionsinChina.

　　Thegrottoeswerestartedaroundtheyear493whenEmperorXiaowenoftheNorthernWeiDynasty(386-534)movedthecapitaltoLuoyangandwerecontinuouslybuiltduringthe400yearsuntiltheNorthernSongDynasty(960-1127).Thescenerymeasures1,000metres(about1,094yards)fromnorthtosouthwherethereareover2,300holesandniches,2,800steles,40dagobas,1,300cavesand100,000statues.MostofthemaretheworksoftheNorthernWeiDynastyandtheflourishingageoftheTangDynasty(618-907).Lotsofhistoricalmaterialsconcerningart,music,religion,calligraphy,medicine,costumeandarchitecturearekeptinLongmenGrottoes.

　　FengxianTemple

　　FengxianTemplewasbuiltintheTangDynastyanditisthelargestgrottoinLongmenTemplewithawidthof36metres(about118feet)andalengthof41metres(about136feet).ThereareninemajorfiguresofvariousfacialappearancesandtemperamentsinthetemplethatwerebuiltinaccordancewiththeBuddhistriteandtheirrelationshipsbytheartists.

　　ThemostimpressivefigureisthestatueofVairocanaBuddhasittingcross-leggedontheeight-squarelotusthrone.Itis17.14metres(about56.23feet)intotalheightwiththeheadfourmetres(about13feet)inheightandtheears1.9metres(about6.2feet)inlength.Vairocanameansilluminatingallthingsinthesutra.TheBuddhahasawell-filledfigure,asacredandkindlyexpressionandanelegantsmile.Accordingtotherecordontheepigraph,theEmpressWuZetiantogetherwithhersubjectstookpartintheceremonyofIntroducingtheLight(aBuddhistblessingthattheBuddhaopensthespirituallightofhimselfandsharesitwithothers).

　　AtthesidesofVairocanatherearetwostatuesofVairocanaBuddha'sdisciples,KasyapaandAnanda,wearingprudentanddevoutexpressions.ThefiguresofBodhisattvasanddevascanalsobefoundinthetemple.Somehavedignifiedandgenialexpressions,whileothersaremajesticandfiery.ThevariousappearancesanddelicatedesignsaretherepresentationsofEmpireTang'spowerfulmaterialandspiritualstrengthaswellasthehighcrystallizationofpeople'swisdoms.

　　WanfoCave

　　TheLongmenGrottoes(ch.龙门石窟,lóngménshíkū;lit.Dragon'sGateGrottoes)orLongmenCavesarelocated12kmsouthofpresentdayLuòyánginHénánprovince,China.Thegrottoes,whichoverwhelminglydepictBuddhistsubjects,aredenselydottedalongthetwomountains:Xiangshan(totheeast)andLongmenshan(tothewest).TheYiRiverflowsnorthwardbetweenthem.Forthisreason,theareausedtobecalledYique(TheGateoftheYiRiver).Fromnorthtosouth,thedistancecoveredbygrottoesisaboutonekm.AlongwiththeMogaoCavesandYungangGrottoes,theLongmenGrottoesareoneofthethreemostfamousancientsculpturalsitesinChina.Thereareover2100niches,morethan100,000statues,some40pagodasand3600tabletsandstelesinthecavesofGuyang,BinyangandLianhua.

　　WanfoCave,completedin680,isatypicalchronologicalcaveoftheTangDynastyoftworoomsandsquareflatroofs.Itsnameisduetothe15,000smallstatuesofBuddhachiseledinthesouthernandnorthernwallsofthecave.ThemainBuddhaA