Longmen West Hillside Grottoes — Luoyang Yi River West Cliffs
龙门西山石窟 · Xishan Longmen · Western Hills Longmen
Northern Wei to Song·Northern Wei, Sui, Tang cosmopolitan·🇨🇳 Henan Province, Luoyang City, Longmen Gorge, Yi River west bank, Xishan Hill, China
About
About Longmen West Hillside Grottoes — Luoyang Yi River West Cliffs
Yi River west bank Xishan Hill (West Hillside) core of 2345-cave Longmen Grottoes (UNESCO 2000 no.1003) at Longmen Gorge south Luoyang, 34.556,112.47, 493 CE–1127 CE (Northern Wei to Song) with 100000 statues. West hillside holds earliest Guyang Cave (493 CE, first Longmen, 800 donor inscriptions, best Wei calligraphy) and Binyang Triple Cave central pagoda (Sui). Unlike east hillside (Tang Fengxian Vairocana 17 m 675 CE and Kanjing), west hillside documents Northern Wei capital-move style transfer from Yungang (494) with Wei elongated figures before Tang naturalism. Limestone gorge controlled Luoyang southern gateway Xiangshan. Henan Institute.
Why it mattersEarliest Wei inscriptions calligraphy type site and Yungang-Longmen style transfer after 494 capital move.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Guyang donor social strata
- 02Empress Wu Fengxian involvement
Theories
- 01West hillside as Wei atelier continuity vs east Tang revolution
- 02Calligraphy as donor competition display
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.493 CE Northern Wei Xiaowen after capital move; Tang peak 650–750 CE
- Period
- Northern Wei to Song
- Culture
- Northern Wei, Sui, Tang cosmopolitan
- Builders
- Emperor Xiaowen and Empress Wu
- Purpose
- Luoyang capital southern Longmen gorge Buddhist gateway controlling Yi road to south
- Abandoned
- 1127 with Song Jin disturbances
- Rediscovered
- 1907 Chavannes; 1930s Liu Dunzhen; 2000 UNESCO
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
493 CE
Guyang Cave first, Xiaowen
675 CE
Fengxian Vairocana east bank
2000
UNESCO 1003 inscription
On the ground
Structures & features
34.5560° N · 112.4700° E · 210 m · 2 mapped features
West Hillside — Guyang Cave Earliest Inscriptions (493 CE)
inscription caveGuyang oldest Longmen cave 493 CE with 800 donor inscriptions, Northern Wei calligraphy
34.5570° N · 112.4710° EWest Hillside — Binyang Triple Cave Central Pagoda
pagoda caveBinyang 3-cave pagoda complex with Vairocana trinity, Sui-Tang transition
34.5550° N · 112.4690° E