Dragon Gate sits on a steep cliff
one of the statues on the way up to Dragon Gate is almost overgrown
the Heavenly King of the West has eagle eyes and sees everything
a gilted Buddha at the Sanqing Pavilion
Hubin Road crosses Dianchi Lake
a nice tile on one of the pavilions
on the way back
it is a bit cramped, but the carvings and the views are beautiful
The grottoes of Longmen,
Dragon Gate, are cut in the cliffs under Luohan Peak in the Western Hills and overlook a polluted
Dianchi Lake.
The exquisite grottoes, Buddhist statues and paths are all carved on a long slab of rock and have a distinct
Taoist influence.
The road to the grottoes is quit small and steep, you have to negotiate a series of stairs, and the terraces
at the caves are rather cramped and can get pretty crowded.
A monk called Wu Laiqing started the construction of the
grottoes in 1782 during the reign of Qing emperor
Qianlong . It took 72 years to finish the ambitious project.
On the way
to the caves you pass by the colorful
Sanqing Pavilion, a nice Buddhist temple and monastery that was built on the
slopes of the Luohan mountain.
We scaled the many stairs to the Dragon Gate in August 2005 and enjoyed the architecture
and great views.
a cable car carries you up to the Western Hills
but we arrive by car and have to walk by a long row of souvenir stands. That's for later...
but his colleague from the East prefers music
there are many stairs to negotiate
and then it is time for souvenirs
Dragon Gate as seen from below
