|
|
|
|
Luoyang
|
| |
|
| |
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.
Situated on the central plain of China, one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization, Luoyang was one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.
Names
The origin of the name "Luoyang" is the city's location to the north of the Luo River.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Luoyang' Start a new discussion about 'Luoyang' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.
Situated on the central plain of China, one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization, Luoyang was one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.
Names
The origin of the name "Luoyang" is the city's location to the north of the Luo River. The river flows from west to east and the sun is on south of the river, so that the sun shine is always on north side of the river — that is an very old style naming way in China. Luoyang has had several names over the centuries, including "Luoyi" and "Luozhou", though Luoyang has been its primary name. It has been called, during various periods, "Dongdu" (??, meaning the Eastern Capital, during the Tang Dynasty), "Xijing" (??, meaning the West Capital, during the Song Dynasty), or "Jingluo" (??, meaning the general capital for China).
History
Before the city of Luoyang was established, several ancient cities existed in the vicinity of Luoyang. In 2070 BC, the Xia Dynasty king Tai Kang moved the Xia capital to the intersection of Luo river and Yi River and named the city Zhenxun. In 16th Century BC, King Tang of Shang defeated Jie, the last king of Xia Dynasty, and made their capital in Western Hao, which was located in Shixianggou of modern-day Yanshi County of Luoyang City.
The original city of Luoyang was constructed by the Duke of Zhou in the 11th century BC as a settlement for the remnants of the captured Shang nobility and was named Chengzhou. It became the capital of the Zhou Dynasty in 770 BC. The city was destroyed in a civil war in 510 BC and rebuilt the next year at the request of the king.
In AD 25, Luoyang became the capital of Eastern Han Dynasty. For several centuries, Luoyang was the focal point of China. In AD 68, the White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China, was founded in Luoyang. The temple still exists, though the architecture is of later origin, mainly from the 16th century. An Shihkao was one of the first monks to popularize Buddhism in Luoyang.
In AD 190, Chancellor Dong Zhuo ordered his soldiers to ransack, pillage and raze the city as he retreated from the coalition set up against him by regional lords from across China. The court was subsequently moved to the more defensible western city of Chang'an. Following a period of disorder, Luoyang was restored to prominence when Emperor Wen of the Wei Dynasty declared it his capital in AD 220. The Jin Dynasty, successor to Wei, was also established in Luoyang. When Jin was overrun by invaders and forced to move its capital to Jiankang (modern day Nanjing), Luoyang was nearly totally destroyed.
In AD 493 the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital from Datong to Luoyang and started the construction of the rock-cut Longmen Grottoes. More than 30,000 Buddhist statues from the time of this dynasty have been found in the caves. Many of these sculptures were two-faced. The Empress Dowager Wenming tomb was also built here.
Administration
The prefecture-level city of Luoyang administers 6 districts, 1 county-level city and 8 counties.
Culture
The Longmen Grottoes were listed by UNESCO in the list of World Heritage Sites in November 2000. White Horse Temple is located 12km east of the modern town. Guanlin is a series of temples that have been built in honor of a hero of the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu, close to the grottoes to the south of the city. China's only tombs museum, the Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum is situated north of the modern town. Luoyang Museum was founded in 1958. The exhibitions in the museum are the ancient relics handed down from Xia Dynasty, Shang Dynasty and Zhou Dynasty. The total number of the exhibitions is 1700.
Luoyang is also famous for the Water Banquet Shui Xi, which consists of 8 cold and 16 warm dishes cooked in various broths, gravies or juices, hence its name.
Luoyang has a reputation as a cultivation centre for peony (city flower of Luoyang).
An ancient Chinese musical piece, Spring in Luoyang, was adopted in Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), and is still performed in its Koreanized (Dangak) version, called Nakyangchun (hangul: ???; hanja: ???). The American composer Lou Harrison created an arrangement of this work.
80km south-east of Luoyang stands the Dengfeng Observatory (also known as "The Tower of Chou Kong"). It is a tower which was constructed during the Yuan Dynasty in 1276 by Guo Shou-Ching, as a giant gnomon for the 'Measurement of the Sun's Shadow'. It was used for establishing the Summer and Winter Solstices. This astronomic instrument is described in detail by Joseph Needham in "Science and Civilisation in China", Cambridge Univ. Press.
Colleges and universities
- Luoyang College of Technology (??????????)
- Henan University of Science and Technology
- Luoyang Normal College
- Luoyang PLA College of Foreign Languages (?????????), now known as PLAUFL (PLA University of Foreign language)
Famous residents
Sister cities
- Okayama, Japan, since April 6, 1981
- Tours, France, since April 6, 1981
- Buyeo, South Korea, since August 13, 1996
- La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA
- Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Bulgaria
Further reading
- Jenner, W. J. Memories of Loyang (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1981).
External links
- (in Simplified Chinese)
- (in Simplified Chinese)
- (in English and Simplified Chinese)
- China's First Capital - About.com
- China Travel Guide - Luoyang
- [http:/www.chinatravel.com/henan/luoyang/attraction/ Luoyang Attractions List]
|
| |
|
|
