Longmen Grottoes, China

This item appears on page 69 of the January 2013 issue.

One of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art, the Longmen Grottoes Scenic Area in Henan province, in central NE China, houses more than 100,000 Buddhist statues, about 2,500 stelae and inscriptions and more than 60 Buddhist pagodas within man-made caves dating back as far as AD 493.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is now open later in the day (7:30 a.m.-6:50 p.m., November-February, and until 7:50 p.m., March-October), allowing visits in the cool of the evening.

The caves can be reached from the nearby city of Luoyang by bus or taxi. Admission, CNY120 (near $19). For info, contact the China National Tourist Office in New York, NY (888/760-8218 or 212-760-8218 or e-mail ny@cnto.org), or in Glendale, CA (800/670-2228 or 818/545-7507 or e-mail la@cnto.org).