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Shaolin Temple, White Horse temple, Tianjing Cave Dwellings and Guanlin Free trade Market were the attractions listed in our schedule in Luoyang.

After a long day of overnight train, we arrived at Luoyang, a famous tourist city in Henan Province. Luoyang served as the capital for nine dynasties over a period of more than 1,500 years. At our arrival, assistant manager of CITS Luoyang gave us a warm welcome.

At my fist sight, Luoyang seemed like a quiet old man who had rich experience. The quietness coldness of the street made you feel the real winter of Luoyang. Two rows of white poplar stood orderly in both sides of the street. Because of the cold winter, branches of the trees were damped off. A sad and lonely feeling was prevailing in the air.

Although it was in the cold weather, the street was very clean. As we walk through the street, we can find one or two people were cleaning between every one and two streets. They worked hard in the cruel weather which touched every one of us. Shopping malls and stores closed very early in the evening. It was difficult to find a place for funny at night.

The next day we drove to Shaolin Temple. Luoyang is famous for its martial arts and temple. The martial arts schools along the road proved this. Among them, there was the biggest martial school in China and the famous Kung Fu star Shixiaolong Kungfu Academy. Luoyang is the biggest martial art practice base in China.  Many Kungfu lovers were attracted here. Many parents send their children to the martial schools to practice kungfu. Shaolin temple was also developing quickly in recent years as the development of tourism. Every year Luoyang has attracted thousands of tourists from home and abroad.

On arriving at the Shaolin temple, the guide led us to the martial art showing hall. It was said that there were Shaolin monks showing Kungfu everyday here. Twenty minutes for a section. Exact time of the everyday show is 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, 15:30, and 16:30.

In the after noon, we visited the White Horse Temple which was one and a half driving from Shaolin Temple. The temple was established in Estern Han Dynasty. There are six halls in the temple including Daxiong, Fangzhang, Lixueting, Biru and Lection Collecting halls. Besides the major halls of temple, the forest of towers which were built in 791 of Tang dynasty were a great sight in the temple. Seen from far away, the towers look like a forest.

We drove to Longmen Grotto in the early morning. In the trip to the grotto, there was a big free trade market that sold small things and local products. About half hour's drive, we got to the famous Longmen Grotto.

The Longmen Grottos are on the Yihe River bank, some 12 kilometers from ancient Luoyang city, about 30 minutes' drive. It is one of the three most important Buddhist sculptures and carvings in China. The Longmen Grottos enjoy a good location where two mountains confront each other between which flows the Yihe River.

The grotto was first carved in North Wei Dynasty, over 1500 years ago and expanded through the succeeding East and West Wei Dynasties, North Qi Dynasty, North Zhou Dynasty, Sui and Tang Dynasties and was finally completed in North Song Dynasty. Over 500 years' renovation and expansion it has created the prestigious world cultural site. The most significant chiseling activities happened in the Tang and Norh Wei Dynasties, which lasted over 150 years.

We spend about 30 minutes to visit the Grotto. It is a great site for tourists to worship the Buddha's spirit and experience the rich Buddha's culture. The smell of burning incense made the grotto a religious site.

The third day was ended with a deep impression of Buddha culture. We were now expected the next day's attraction. It was also the highlights of this tour. Xi'an has been in our mind. The spectaculars sites of Terra-cotta Warriors were the hot topic between us.

Xi'an was our second destination.It was also the highlight of this tour. Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, was called Chang'an in ancient times. It is situated in the central part of Weihe Plain. As one of China's seven ancient national capitals, it served as the capital for 12 dynasties spanning more than 1,000 years. Xi'an therefore, has a great number of precious relics and historical sites. More than 4,000 historical sites and tombs have been excavated and over 120,000 historical relics remain unearthed.

The main tourist attractions include The Terra cotta Warriors and Horses, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Huaqing Hot Springs , Banpo Museum, Stele Forest, Great Mosque, QianLing Mausoleum, Famen Temple and Maoling Mausoleum. Xi'an was the starting point of the Acient Silk Road that extended from Asia to Europe and played an important role in cultural exchange between the East and West in ancient times.

With great expectation and excitement, we finished one day trip in Xi'an city. This historic and cultural city gave us a very deep impression. The sites and the city let us explore the long history of ancient China. It was really a worthwhile site for sightseeing and learning the history of China.