Four greatest ancient capitals of China (3)

Luoyang

As an important birthplace of Chinese culture, Luoyang situates at the north side of Luoshui River, hence its name. Since it was settled as the capital in the Zhou Dynasty in 770 B.C., Luoyang had served as the capital for thirteen dynasties for more than 1500 years.

Time-honored history has endowed Luoyang with glamorous cultural heritages. Longmen Grottoes, one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites in China which inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, depicts Buddhist subjects. White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China, is considered as "the cradle of Chinese Buddhism". Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum, a special museum dedicated to ancient tombs, hosts the world's largest ancient tomb cluster.