English introduction to Luoyang Longmen Grottoes

The gate grottoes were excavated during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty.?

The grottoes were constructed on a large scale for more than 400 years in succession in the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and Song Dynasties.

The length of the Grottoes is 1 kilometer in the north and south. There are now 2345 grottoes, more than 100,000 statues and more than 200 inscriptions on tablets.

Among them, "twenty products of Longmen" is the essence of calligraphy and Wei tablet. Zhu Suiliang's book "the monument of Yi Gu Shrine" is a model of regular script art.

Longmen Grottoes lasted for a long time and spanned many dynasties.?

With a large number of physical images and literary materials.

they reflected the development and changes of ancient Chinese politics, economy, religion, culture and many other fields.

and made great contributions to the innovation and development of Chinese grotto art. In 2000, it was listed as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO .

Translation:

The Gate Grottoes were excavated during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and then continued to be built on a large scale for more than 400 years through the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song and other dynasties. For a long time, it was 1 kilometer long from north to south. Today, there are 2,345 cave niches, more than 100,000 statues, and more than 2,800 inscriptions. Among them, "Twenty Products of Longmen" is the essence of Wei calligraphy stele, and "Stele of Yique Buddhist Niche" written by Chu Suiliang is a model of regular script art in the early Tang Dynasty.

The Longmen Grottoes lasted for a long time and spanned many dynasties. They reflected the development and changes in ancient China's politics, economy, religion, culture and many other fields from different aspects with a large number of physical images and written materials. They also exerted great influence on Chinese grotto art. has made significant contributions to innovation and development. It was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2000.

Extended information:

The Longmen Grottoes are the place where the royal nobles of the Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties concentrated their vows and statues. They are the embodiment of the royal will and behavior and have a strong national religious flavor.

The statues of the two dynasties reflect completely different styles of the times. The statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty lost the rough, majestic and vigorous characteristics of the Yungang Grottoes here, and the atmosphere of life gradually became more lively, delicate and gentle.

These Northern Wei Dynasty statues have slender faces, thin shoulders, and straight chests. The clothing patterns are carved using straight knife techniques, which are strong and simple. Among the many caves carved during the Northern Wei Dynasty, Guyang Cave, Binyang Middle Cave, Lotus Cave, and Grotto Temple are the most representative ones.

Among them, Guyang Cave contains a collection of statues of a group of royal nobles and court ministers in the early days when the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital to Luoyang, which typically reflects the historical sentiment of the Northern Wei Dynasty when the whole country worshiped Buddhism. These stone carvings of various shapes and dazzling arrays of art are precious records of the intersection and integration of traditional Chinese culture and foreign civilizations.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Longmen Grottoes