The Longmen Grottoes are located 12km south of modern Luoyang. They are between Mount Xiang(East Hill) and Mount Longmen(West Hill) and face Yi River. Overlooing the Yi River from the east and west are high hills that resemble que (a pair of column-like structures serving as the entrance of some Chinese buildings), from which it acquired its original name of Yi Que. From north to south, the distance covered by grottoes is about 1km. The whole complex of grottoes boasts 1352 caves, more than 100000 statues, 40 pagodas and 3600 tablets with Buddhist inscriptions. The peaceful Yi River meanders its way through the south of the town here, cutting across steep cliffs on both sides. Above, thousands of Buddhist statues stand, peering out of the cliff side. Lots of historical materials concerning art, music, religion, calligraphy, medicine, costume and architecture are kept in Longmen Grottoes.

Carving began in the 5th century when the Wei dynasty moved its capital from Datong (where they created the famous Yungang Grotto) to Luoyang. At this time, Chinese Buddhism was reaching its first peak, and the emperor was a pious believer. Carving continued after the Wei dynasty and the Tang Dynasty witnessed the second peak of Buddhist belief. Construction of more than half of the works seen today in the grotto date back to this period. No other rock grottoes in China received such attention and patronage from the emperor and nobility as those at Longmen, which man justly boast of being ?imperial caves? and whose privileged position in history is unparalleled by any other repository of rock grotto art in China. The Longmen Grottoes has long been recognised as a cultural, historical, artistic and religious site. As such, it is listed under United Nations' World Heritage. Sadly, many selfish collectors will gladly pay huge sums for robbers to deface many of the Buddha statues, leaving a decaptitated body behind.

Longmen Grottoes, Yungang Caves and Mogao Caves are regarded as the three most famous treasure houses of stone inscriptions in China. The grottoes and niches of Longmen contain the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). These works, entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion, represent the high point of Chinese stone carving. The sculptures of the Longmen Grottoes are an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity. The Longmen Grottoes illustrate the perfection of a long-established art form which was to play a highly significant role in the cultural evolution of this region of Asia. The high cultural level and sophisticated society of Tang Dynasty China is encapsulated in the exceptional stone carvings of the Longmen Grottoes.
Qianxi Temple (Or the Underground Stream Temple)
With the collapse of Northern Wei Dynasty, the excavation of Longmen Grottoes began to fall and didn't recover until the establishment of Tang Dynasty 100 years later. It was the second blooming period in Longmen's history. Grottoes built in this period were mostly located at the West Hill according to time sequence. It was not until the period of Empress Wu Zetian that parts of grottoes moved to the East Hill, accounting for 2 thirds of the total numbers of grottoes. There are 700 caves and niches which were built in the Tang Dynasty, among which the most outstanding ones include Qianxi Temple, Wanfo Cave, Fengxian Temple, etc.