This ancient city, which was once the Chinese capital, is rich in historical sites. A good starting point is the impressive Longmen Grotto complex, containing over a thousand grottoes with more than 100,000 images of Buddha and his disciples carved into the cliff walls. In a magnificent setting along the Yi River, you will be rewarded by superb views of the Buddhist carvings sunk into the sheer cliffs along the water.

White Horse Temple, at the edge of Luyoang was built in the 13th century during the Ming Dynasty at the time of the spread of Buddhism. This temple is believe to be the first Buddhist temple built by the Chinese government. From the main gate with three arches side by side, you enter its grand halls and pavilions.

South of Luyoang is the home of Shaolin Temple, where China’s martial arts originally developed at Shaolin Si. Some accounts relate that Da Mo, seeing the monks becoming fat and lazy due to sitting meditation, came up with walking meditations that imitated the natural motions of animals and birds that eventually evolved into a form of unarmed combat or martial arts of Wu Shu or Kung Fu.