2025 Zhenyuan Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in May)

Beishi Grottoes are located at the junction of the three terraces of Dongzhi Yuan, Tunzi Yuan, and Taiping Yuan, 25 kilometers southwest of Qingyang City, where the Pu and Ru rivers meet. Since its establishment in the second year of Yongping of the Northern Wei Dynasty (509), it has undergone expansions and renovations during the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties, and has a history of more than 1,500 years. ▫️ The grottoes are divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower, concentrated on a yellow sandstone cliff face that is 120 meters long and 20 meters high, with densely packed niches resembling a honeycomb. There are currently 308 excavated niches, including about 2,429 statues of various sizes, as well as a rich collection of steles and inscriptions. ▫️ At Beishi Grottoes, in addition to the mysterious caves from the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the inclusive and vividly famous Tang Dynasty caves, there are also the Northern Zhou grottoes that bridge the two, inheriting the delicate and clear charm of the Northern Wei and marking the beginning of the 'plump and splendid' style of the Sui and Tang dynasties. It represents a transitional period in the history of sculpture. The cultural relics of a fleeting dynasty, preserved here at Beishi Grottoes, are immensely precious. ▫️ As the largest and best-preserved grotto temple site in the Longdong region, Beishi Grottoes hold a certain status and representativeness in the national grotto temple cultural heritage and are also an important cultural relic on the Silk Road. ▫️ Walking slowly on the yellow sand, each step is a mark of history, feeling the thickness and depth of a thousand years of culture. Standing in front of the carvings, it's as if one can hear the sound of ancient craftsmen tapping on the stone, and see the figures of their devout prayers.

|Northern Grotto Temple. The Silk Road to Gansu, the most unmissable is the grotto culture. Super! Shocking! Worthy of the four major grotto temples in Gansu, as if crossing the river of time, peeping into a corner of the culture of Longdong a thousand years ago. ⏰Business hours: Normal business during the Spring Festival, the temple closes around 4 pm. 🔸Nestled against the mountain and facing the water, there are currently more than 200 large and small grottoes, more than 2000 stone statues, and 3 main grottoes are open. 🔸Few people, excellent experience. 🔸The outer wall is wrapped with various scaffolds and rain sheds, not for maintenance, but for the protection of cultural relics. 🔆Overall highlights: ✅Unique cave: small mouth and narrow door, spacious inside the cave; ✅Vivid: The expressions and postures of the Buddhas are rich, incorporating the aesthetic views and clothing characteristics of different dynasties; ✅Color: Reflects the color matching of the Northern Wei Dynasty (165 caves) and the painting skills of the Qing Dynasty (240 caves); ✅Collision of aesthetics of three dynasties: Northern Wei opened the cave, Sui and Tang opened the niche, Ming and Qing gradually supplemented; ✅Characteristic of the Loess Plateau: After weathering, the yellow sandstone reveals clear textures, the ultimate beauty of nature. 📢Three main grotto highlights: ✔️Cave No. 165: Excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty, it is the largest existing Seven Buddha Cave in China, and it has completely preserved the Seven Buddha statues and the largest riding Bodhisattva statue in the country. The cave door is carved with crossed-legged Bodhisattva and Asura protector on both sides. The Buddha statue on the left is brightly colored and clear, and was amazed by the ancient people's color aesthetics! ✔️ Cave No. 222: Excavated in the Tang Dynasty, a Buddha, two disciples, and two Bodhisattva statues. The main Buddha statue is said to have been built according to the face of Wu Zetian. The Bodhisattva on the right stands confidently and relaxedly, worthy of my great Tang Dynasty, open and inclusive! There are traces of vagrants living and making fires in the cave, and part of the wall has been blackened, which adds some warmth to this cave. The different Buddha niches in the cave reflect the changes from the early Tang to the late Tang. ✔️Cave No. 240: A representative cave of the Northern Wei Dynasty, some Buddha statues have been repaired by Ming and Qing clay sculptures. The cave was opened to peel off the surface soil, revealing the true body of the Northern Wei and Sui and Tang Dynasties, which can compare the aesthetic differences between the Northern Wei and Sui and Tang cultures, and can also feel the skills of Ming and Qing clay sculptures and paintings, which is very interesting! 📙Travel guide: Bring a flashlight! The light in the cave is relatively dim. If you don't ask for an explanation, it is recommended to bring a flashlight with excellent lighting effects. Ticket price! The full ticket is 30 yuan/person, half price for locals, students/retired military personnel/teachers can all have half price discounts. Bring all the documents! It is recommended to bring them. If you don't bring them, you can also look at photos and screenshots, which are relatively loose. 🚗Round trip transportation: Depart from Xifeng City, Qingyang by car, you can arrive in 30 minutes

The Luoyang Temple Grottoes have a total of 5 grottoes. The No.1 grotto is rectangular in plan, with a flat chessboard-style top, a height of 2.95 meters, a depth of 4.7 meters, and a width of 3.2 meters, and the Buddha statue has been destroyed. The No.2 grotto is square in plan, with a flat chessboard-style top, a height of 2.9 meters, a depth of 3.3 meters, and a width of 3.3 meters. Inside the grotto, there is a carving of one Buddha, two disciples, and two Bodhisattvas, and the statues are severely weathered. The No.3 grotto is rectangular in plan, with a flat chessboard-style top, a height of 3.1 meters, a depth of 6.4 meters, and a width of 2.8 meters, and the statues inside have been destroyed. The No.4 grotto is slightly square in plan, with a flat chessboard-style top, a height of 2.1 meters, a depth of 3.8 meters, and a width of 3.2 meters. There is a 'concave' shaped low altar base, and the statues inside have been destroyed. The No.5 grotto is buried in soil. Between the No.1 and No.2 grottoes, and between the No.2 and No.3 grottoes, there are a total of 18 small round-arched Buddha niches, with 22 statues. On the cliff outside the grotto, there is a carved sitting Buddha that is 6 meters high, but it is blurred due to weathering.

The North Stone Cave Temple was initiated and built by Xi Kangsheng, the governor of Jingzhou, in the second year of Yongping of the Northern Wei Dynasty (509 AD). Since its excavation in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the North Stone Cave Temple has been expanded and repaired through the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, and Qing dynasties, forming a dense array of grottoes. The North Stone Cave Temple is one of the four major grottoes in Gansu, and together with the South Stone Cave located 15 kilometers east of Jingchuan County, it was founded by Xi Kangsheng, the governor of Jingzhou during the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is an important grotto on the northern route of the Silk Road and the sister grotto of the South Stone Cave Temple in Jingchuan. The North Stone Cave Temple is carved on a reddish-brown cliff that is 120 meters long and 20 meters high. It is divided into three levels, with 295 grottoes and 2125 statues of various sizes. On January 13, 1988, the North Stone Cave Temple was listed as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council.