Warning! Don’t make eye contact lightly — the 17-meter Buddha face at Longmen will kill you with its gaze!

I dare say, nowhere in China compares to this place — the moment you look up, your soul is struck instantly! This is no ordinary stone statue; it’s a 1,500-year-long “visual hunt.” Along both banks of the Yi River in Luoyang, 100,000 Buddha statues emerge from the cliff walls, and you are the “prey” locked in history’s gaze. 🌟 The most shocking scene: The Empress’s “facial sniper shot” In front of Fengxian Temple, the air freezes. The Vairocana Buddha lowers his eyes with a gentle smile, his 17.14-meter body seeming to descend from the heavens. Did you know? The face you’re looking up at may well be the likeness of Empress Wu Zetian at age 46! The head is 4 meters tall, the ears 1.9 meters, yet standing below feels perfectly harmonious — Tang dynasty craftsmen used astonishing perspective magic to make you willingly drown in this calculated compassion. 😱 Beware! Every inch here is “drama” ▸ The “Emperor and Empress Worshipping Buddha” mural in Binyang Three Caves was brutally chiseled away; the scars of emptiness hurt more than the intact parts — a crying wall of history. ▸ Wanfo Cave holds 15,000 tiny Buddhas as dense as stars, the smallest only 2 centimeters tall; Tang craftsmen carved complete facial features on stones the size of fingernails! ▸ Yaofang Cave hides the Tang dynasty’s “medical code,” with 140 prescriptions carved into the stone walls — ancient people carved their will to survive into their faith. 🌙 The deadly blow hides in the night Daytime belongs to tourists, but night is when the Buddha kingdom awakens! At 7:30 PM, the lights suddenly blaze, turning the entire cliff into a flowing golden galaxy. Vairocana emerges under the spotlight, the overwhelming beauty blurring the line between awe and fear — as if a thousand Buddhas suddenly opened their eyes. 📸 The lazy traveler’s cheat sheet for “time smuggling” ✅ Enter at 4 PM against the flow! Avoid crowds and enjoy the whole place to yourself, capturing double the shock of sunset and night lights in one go. ✅ Hold tight to the West Mountain Grottoes! Fengxian Temple, Wanfo Cave, and Binyang Three Caves are all here; skip East Mountain if you’re low on energy. ✅ Wear the softest shoes! This is a pilgrimage on cliffs, a faith journey starting at 20,000 steps. 🎫 Tickets at 90 RMB are a “time smuggling pass,” and students get half price — a blessing for history buffs. 💥 The moment the last defense collapses When the Yi River’s wind brushes past Northern Wei robes and Tang dynasty necklaces, when Vairocana’s smile suddenly deepens in the night — you’ll shiver all over realizing: you’re not just admiring grottoes, but being judged by 100,000 Buddhas through a millennium of time for your shallowness. Quick guide to copy: 📍 Longmen Avenue, Luolong District, Luoyang, Henan 🕒 Daytime 7:30 AM–6:00 PM | Night tour 7:30 PM–9:00 PM (light show Fridays to Sundays) 🚇 Metro Line 2 to Balitang Station + Bus 81 direct to Northwest Service Area ❗️ Ultimate tip: Bring a power bank! Every frame here drains your phone’s memory and your soul’s reserves.