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Luoyang
 Luoyang
with a history of nearly 5,000 years is
located in the western part of Henan Province
and to the south of the middle reaches of
the Yellow River. It has a population of
800,000 in the city proper.
The ancient city of Luoyang is one of the
seven ancient capitals of China and is included
in a list of famous historical and cultural
cities of China. Archaeologists have recently
confirmed that Luoyang was the capital during
the reign of 96 emperors in 13 dynasties
over a period of 1,529years. The layout
of Luoyang during the Xia (21th -16th century
B.C.), Shang (16 th-11th Century B.C.),
Zhou (11th century -256 B.C.), Han-Wei (206B.C.-220A.D.),
and Sui-Tang dynasties (581-907 A.D.), displayed
in Luoyang Municipal Museum, is known as
"Five capitals Assembling in Luoyang".
Today there are six major historical and
cultural sites here under state protection.
The Longmen Grottoes are one of the three
major treasure houses of stone carving in
China. The Baima Temple (White Horse Temple)
was the first Buddhist temple established
by the government after Buddhism started
to spread in China. The "Forest of
Guan Yu" is one of the three major
memorial temples of Lord Guan. Mount Mangshan
in the north suburbs is the site of China's
largest ancient tomb group that consists
mainly of imperial mausoleums, the oldest
dating back to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
Luoyang boasts beautiful natural scenery,
being surrounded by the Yellow River, the
scenic Xiaolangdi Reservoir and the tomb
of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty (206B.C.-220A.D.)
to the north; Baiyun state Forest park and
a limestone cave in the Jiguan Mountain
that is called "the First Cave in North
China" to the south; Songshan Mountain,
one of the five sacred Mountains, and the
shaolin Monastery to the east. The world-renowned
Luoyang peony has been selected as the flower
of the city.
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