HERITAGE RECORD · 1003

Longmen Grottoes

龙门石窟

The official record, selection criteria and sourced cultural context.

World Heritage record

The grottoes and niches of Longmen contain the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316-907). These works, entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion, represent the high point of Chinese stone carving.

Open the official UNESCO record ↗

Wikidata reference

QIDQ273834 ↗

Area331 ha

Administrative areaQ1198624

WikipediaLongmen Grottoes ↗

Chinese Wikipedia龙门石窟 ↗

Imported locally from Wikidata; it does not replace the UNESCO record or editorial copy.

Selection criteria

This property was inscribed under the following World Heritage Convention criteria.

(i)A masterpiece of human creative genius.

(ii)An important interchange of human values in architecture, technology, arts, town planning or landscape design.

(iii)A unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.

Cultural archive

Related poem

I climb beneath the pines for the wind, and sit on the rocks beside the moonlit pool.

白居易 Bai Juyi · 《香山寺二绝》 / Two Poems at Xiangshan TempleOriginal: 爱风岩上攀松盖，恋月潭边坐石。Original work in the public domainSource ↗

Record lead

UNESCO record lead

Brief synthesis The Longmen Grottoes, located on bothsides of the Yi River to the south of the ancient capital of Luoyang, Henan province, comprise more than 2,300 caves and niches carved into the steep limestone cliffs over a 1km long stretch.

Source-led archive lead · 86%Source ↗

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