Please give an introduction to Longmen Grottoes

The World Cultural Heritage - Longmen Grottoes is located on both sides of the Yi River, 13 kilometers south of Luoyang, known as the "Ancient Capital of Thirteen Dynasties", and is 1 kilometer long from north to south. Here two mountains stand majestically facing each other, and the Yishui River flows, shaped like a gate, so it was called Yique in ancient times. Because it is located in the south of the capital, the ancient emperor was considered the "True Dragon Emperor", so it is also called Longmen. The name Longmen began in the Sui Dynasty and passed through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and is still used today. Since ancient times, Longmen has been a dangerous pass, an important transportation thoroughfare, and a battleground for military strategists. Because of its beautiful mountains and clear waters, quiet environment and pleasant climate, it has always been a tourist attraction for literati and calligraphers. Because the stone is of excellent quality and suitable for carving, the ancients chose this place to build grottoes. The Longmen Grottoes were first excavated when Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang. They were built intermittently for more than 400 years through the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song and Ming dynasties. During this period, the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty were the two major climaxes of sculpture, which lasted for nearly 150 years. Other dynasties only excavated sporadically and on a smaller scale. There are 2,345 cave niches, more than 100,000 statues, more than 2,800 inscriptions and more than 70 pagodas in the Longmen Mountains. Among the entire grottoes, the Northern Wei Dynasty statues account for about 1/3, all of which are in Xishan. The most representative caves are Guyang Cave, Binyang Middle Cave, Lotus Cave, Huangfu Gong Cave, Weizi Cave, Putai Cave, and Huoshao Cave. , Cixiang Kiln, etc.; the Tang Dynasty statues account for almost 2/3, most of them are in Xishan, and were moved to Dongshan since Wu Zetian. The most representative caves include Xishan Qianxi Temple, Binyang South Cave, and Binyang North Cave (the above two The caves and cave roof decorations were completed in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the Buddha statues were completed in the Sui and early Tang Dynasties), Jingshan Temple, three Buddhist niches on the cliff, the large statue niche in Fengxian Temple, Ten Thousand Buddha Cave, Jinan Cave and the three caves of Dongshan Leigutai. Jing Temple, Gaoping Junwang Cave, Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes Statue Niche, Erlianhua Cave, etc. The Longmen Grottoes are an extremely important part of Chinese grotto art. They are the most glorious, magnificent and splendid chapter of grotto art in China and even the world from the 5th to 10th centuries AD. They enjoy a high reputation at home and abroad. The statues in the caves and niches in the two mountains are famous both at home and abroad for their large number, large scale, diverse themes, exquisite carvings, and rich connotations. The statues of the Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties reached the pinnacle of art and their unique royal style and Central Plains style are different from those of the early , the late grottoes are known as the "Forest of Ancient Steles" due to the largest number of steles in the grottoes in the world. The content of their statues covers many sects of Buddhist faith and even Taoist themes, which is rare in grotto art. The Longmen Grottoes lasted for a long time and spanned many dynasties. Their strategic location and beautiful natural scenery are unmatched by many grottoes. The Longmen Grottoes reflect the development and changes in ancient Chinese politics, economy, religion, culture and many other fields from different aspects with a large number of physical images and written materials, and have made significant contributions to the innovation and development of Chinese grotto art. The historical, artistic, scientific and appreciation values ??of the Longmen Grottoes make it one of the indispensable major masterpieces in the grotto art series and should be valued and protected by all mankind. In 1961, the Longmen Grottoes were announced by the Chinese government as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units; on November 30, 2000, the 24th World Heritage Conference of UNESCO included it in the World Heritage List. 1. The Longmen Grottoes are a typical royal style in grotto art. The Longmen Grottoes are another national-level Buddhist holy site opened during the Northern Wei Dynasty after the Yungang Grottoes in Datong. Since the Longmen Grottoes were excavated in Kinki, the capital of most feudal dynasties in the Middle Ages, they were the place where most of the royal relatives, princes, ministers, and senior officials gathered to pray for blessings, disasters, and make vows to make statues. It can also be said that it is mainly the embodiment of the royal will and behavior, and has Strong political color of feudal country. Rather than saying that some of the statues in the Yungang Grottoes are stamped with the meaning of "the imperial edict is to be a stone statue, and the order is like an emperor's body", many large-scale cave carvings in the Longmen Grottoes put the feudal regime in a religious cloak and moved it from the palace to the Buddhist temple. . Such as Guyang Cave, Binyang San Cave, Huangfu Gong Cave, Jingshan Temple, Wanfo Cave, Huijian Cave, Fengxian Temple Dalu Shena Statue Niche, Jinan Cave, Gaoping Junwang Cave, etc., are all for the emperor, A place where concubines, princes and ministers pray for blessings. It is precisely because of the direct participation of the feudal rulers that such a majestic and splendid cave can be built without sparing manpower and material resources. Therefore, the rise and fall of the Longmen Grottoes not only reflects the rise and fall of the royal family's worship of Buddhism and religion from the 5th to the 10th century AD, but also reveals the political trends and social trends at that time in some aspects because it is related to many important figures and historical events. The development of economic situation. This outstanding feature of Longmen Grottoes is unmatched by other grottoes. 2. Longmen Grottoes is a model of sculpture art in the prosperous era of Chinese history. The statues in Longmen Grottoes are rich and colorful with different postures. There are Buddha statues, Bodhisattva statues, Arhat statues, Dharma protector statues of the eight gods, dragons, Buddha stories, sutra stories, donors, etc. The layout of the statues is appropriate, harmonious and graceful; the images of Buddha, Bodhisattvas and disciples are both vivid and lifelike; the sword techniques are skillfully and smoothly used, which can be described as unique and eclectic. The decorative art forms of Longmen Grottoes are diverse, dazzling, and luxurious. The caisson is composed of a lotus cover with celestial robes fluttering around it, and the skirts hanging in the wind. The bodies and heads of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are illuminated with flame patterns, sitting Buddhas in lotuses, or Jile gods. etc.; the cave foreheads and niche lintels have pointed arches, round arches, indigo-shaped, house-shaped and other styles. They may be decorated with precious flowers, honeysuckle, curly grass patterns and curtains, Chinese ropes, or carved with pavement heads, golden-winged birds, or ascensions. Dragons, Mani orbs, and some are even carved with offerings to heavenly beings, playing music to heavenly beings, and Buddhist stories.

All of these reflect the high artistic level of Buddhism in the Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties, and can be regarded as a model of sculpture art in the prosperous era of Chinese history. 3. The inscriptions on the Longmen Grottoes are a "stone history" covering multiple disciplines. There are more than 2,840 inscriptions on the Longmen Grottoes, totaling more than 300,000 words. Their large number ranks first among the cave temples in the country and even around the world, so they are known as the "Forest of Ancient Steles". The content is mainly the vows of those who funded the construction of the grottoes, that is, the statues, and some of them are the inscriptions left by emperors and scholars of the past dynasties when they visited Longmen.Mч. Waч.| Answer acceptance rate: 21.8% 2009-03-08 18:25 Longmen Grottoes, located on the banks of the Yi River in the southern suburbs of Luoyang, is a national key cultural relic protection unit, one of the four major Buddhist grottoes in my country, and a world-famous art treasure house. The project is huge and breathtaking. In more than 2,100 caves, there are more than 100,000 Buddha statues, more than 3,600 inscriptions and inscriptions, and more than 40 pagodas.

The Longmen Grottoes were founded in the Taihe period of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (488), and continued to be built on a large scale for more than 400 years through the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui and Tang Dynasties. These grottoes are decorated with carvings It is so majestic that it is the most magnificent in the world. Together with Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and Datong Yungang Grottoes, it is known as the three major treasures of Buddhist art in China. Travel Tips: It is best to visit Longmen Grottoes in the morning. Because the sun shines directly on the west mountain of the grotto in the morning, there is plenty of light. It is convenient for tourists to take photos.

Guyang Cave is located in the south of Longmen Mountain (Western Mountain). There are three rows of Buddhist niches engraved on the two walls of the cave. The arches and backlights of the Buddha statues are exquisite and gorgeous, and the patterns and decorations are rich and colorful. The posture of the offering figures is pious and solemn, vivid and lifelike, with a sense of movement. There are a dazzling array of carvings, and the inscriptions on the statues in the cave are simple and crude in calligraphy. The so-called "20 items of Longmen", the 19th item is in this cave.

Binyang Cave is located in the north of Longmen Mountain (Western Mountain). There are three caves. The middle cave was excavated in the first year of Jingming Dynasty in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It contains the main Buddha Sakyamuni, two disciples and Bodhisattvas. Their faces are thin and slightly elongated, and the folds of their clothes are regular and dense, which reflects the artistic characteristics of the Northern Wei Dynasty statues. There is a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas on the north and south walls of Binyang Middle Cave. The top of the cave is carved with a lotus cover and ten wind-flowing musical instruments to offer offerings to gods and humans. There are large reliefs on both sides of the inner wall of the cave entrance, which are divided into "Vimalakirti" and "Buddha". There are four floors: "Life Stories", "Pictures of Emperors and Empresses Paying Respect to Buddha", and "Statues of Ten Gods and Kings".

The Lotus Cave is located in Longmen Mountain (Western Mountain). It was built in the late Northern Wei Dynasty. The main statue of Sakyamuni is 5.1 meters high. The face and hands have been damaged, but you can still see the hands stretched forward. Ye is holding a tin staff, which may be a "Satya begging statue". There are many Buddhist niches in the cave, including pointed arches, lintels and eaves arches, necklaces, straw hats and Chinese ropes, as well as cloud patterns, curly grass patterns and geometric patterns, as well as lotus flowers, precious flowers, etc. The carvings are fine and rich. to change. There is a large lotus carved on the top of the cave, and the high-relief large-scale flying sky next to it is even more graceful, elegant and expressive.

Yafang Cave is located in the north of Longmen Mountain (Western Mountain). It was founded in the late Northern Wei Dynasty and built during the reign of Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, which lasted about 200 years. Inside the cave are the main Buddha, disciples, Bodhisattvas and powerful men outside the cave, as well as octagonal lotus pillars. It is the only larger cave in the Longmen Grottoes with statues of the Northern Qi Dynasty. On both sides of the cave entrance are engraved treatments for dysentery, nausea, heartache, thirst, febrile disease, etc. More than 140 kinds of dysentery prescriptions were written in the early Tang Dynasty. It is an important material for the study of ancient Chinese medicine.

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