Longmen caves
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- Wade-Giles romanization:
- Lung-men
- Date:
- c. 386 -c. 907
- Related Topics:
- Northern Wei sculpture
- Longmen style
What are the Longmen caves?
The Longmen caves are a series of Chinese cave temples carved into the rock of a high riverbank south ofLuoyang inHenan province. They are aUNESCO World Heritage site and a popular tourist destination in China.
When did the construction of the Longmen caves begin?
The construction of the Longmen caves began late in the Bei (Northern)Wei dynasty, specifically after the capital was moved toLuoyang in 495.
What is the Longmen style?
The Longmen style features Buddha images clothed in the costume of the Chinese scholar, with a sinuous cascade of drapery over a flattened figure, contrasting with the blockierYungang style.
What is significant about the Fengxian Si temple?
The Fengxian Si temple, constructed during theTang dynasty, is a monumental cave shrine with a colossal seated Buddha figure more than 56 feet (17 meters) high, carved between 672 and 675.
Longmen caves, series ofChinesecave temples carved into the rock of a high riverbank south of the city ofLuoyang, in Henan province. The cave complex, designated aUNESCOWorld Heritage site in 2000, is one ofChina’s most popular tourist destinations.
The temples were begun late in the Bei (Northern)Wei dynasty (386–534/535), in theSix Dynasties period. Following the transfer of the Bei Wei capital from Pingcheng (present-dayDatong,Shanxi province) south to Luoyang in 495, a new series of cave temples was begun there. These were based on the precedent of an ambitious series of caves built in the preceding decades atYungang.
The Bei Wei caves at Longmen (including the well-known Guyang and Binyang caves) areintimate in scale and display complex iconography that is elegantly crafted into hard stone. TheBuddha images—clothed in the costume of the Chinese scholar, with a sinuous cascade of drapery falling over a flattened figure—provide an example of what is known as the Longmen style, in contrast to the blockier Yungang style (seeNorthern Wei sculpture).
Construction at the site continued sporadically throughout the 6th century and culminated in theTang dynasty (618–907) with the construction of a cave shrine, known asFengxian Si. This truly monumentaltemple was carved out over the three-year period between 672 and 675. The square plan measures about 100 feet (30 meters) on each side, and acolossal seated Buddha figure upon the back wall, flanked by attendant figures, is more than 56 feet (17 meters) high.