The city of Luoyang is certainly not the most attractive place in China, but with its long history as an ancient capital of China, the ongoing peony festival, the Longmen Grottos and the nearby Shaolin Temple, it has a charm of its own that no other city rivals.

Luoyang has a very long history, having been founded back in 1,200 BC. For long periods of early Chinese history Luoyang was the capital of China, right up to the 10th century, when the Northern Song Dynasty moved the capital to Kaifeng.

Besides the ongoing annual China Peony festival, the main tourist attraction in Luoyang is the Longmen Grottos located 16 kilometers to the south of the city. Over 200 years from 494 AD, when the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) moved its capital to the city, more than 100,000 images and statues of Buddha were carved into the face of the cliffs alongside the Yi River. The rock of these cliffs is particularly hard, making it ideal for carving, and leading to the production of some of the finest Buddhist grotto art.

Duration: Two days in Luoyang and one day for Shaolin Temple.

Cost: 1,200 yuan (US$120) to cover transportation (hard sleepers to and from Luoyang, buses for others), accommodation and entrance fee.

Recommended itinerary: Beijing-Luoyang, Luoyang-Beijing.

(China Daily April 21, 2006)