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Longmen Grottoes, Zhengzhou

PreeChina · Sight Guide

Grottoes and Rock Carvings Near Zhengzhou

8 sights within 223 km of Zhengzhou. Pick the ones you want and PreeChina can build a private, custom or tailor-made tour around them.

8 sightsZhengzhouWithin 223 kmUSD 305 per person, 2 travelers

At a Glance

Quick Facts

City
Zhengzhou
Sights
8 grotto and rock carving sights
Range
99 to 222 km from the centre
Closest
Three Perfections Steles
Farthest
Wuli Stele
Length
Set in your private plan

Price

Price of This Private Tour

Per person, in US dollars. The price covers the guide, the ground service, and the transport, meals and tickets in the itinerary, and it falls as the group grows. What a price includes and leaves out.

Estimated price per person for Grottoes and Rock Carvings Near Zhengzhou, by number of travelers
Travelers246810152030
Day tripUSD 305USD 220USD 185USD 175USD 160USD 155USD 145USD 135

Premium hotels and first-class rail raise the price: the selectors on Private Tours show by how much. The final price is confirmed in writing before anything is booked.

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Why These Sights

Grottoes and Rock Carvings Within Reach of Zhengzhou

8 grotto and rock carving sights lie within 223 km of central Zhengzhou, from Three Perfections Steles at 99 km to Wuli Stele at 222 km. They are: Three Perfections Steles, Longmen Grottoes, Dapishan Scenic Area, Xiaonanhai Grottoes, Huiluan Stele, Tangwu Family Stele, Xiangtangshan Grottoes, Wuli Stele.

This page lists the sights and how far each one sits from the city centre. It does not set a length for the trip: your private itinerary decides which sights to combine, the order and the number of days.

The Zhengzhou city guide covers the city itself.

Map

Map of the Sights

The gold marker is central Zhengzhou. Numbers run from the closest sight to the farthest.

Sight by Sight

The 8 Sights

50 to 150 km from Zhengzhou

Three Perfections Steles, Rock Carvings
1
Rock Carvings

Three Perfections Steles (三绝碑)

99 km from central Zhengzhou, straight line

The Shoushan Biao Stele and the Gongqing Jiangjun Shang Zunhao Zou Stele stand beside the Shoushan Platform. Tradition says Wang Lang wrote the text, Liang Hu wrote the calligraphy and Zhong Yao carved it, and ranks each first of his day, which gives the name Three Perfections.

Longmen Grottoes, Park
2
Park

Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟)

107 km from central Zhengzhou, straight line

Carving began around 493, when the Northern Wei court moved to Luoyang, and continued for four centuries. One of the four major cave temple sites in China, with both banks of the Yi river now laid out as parkland.

Dapishan Scenic Area, Rock Carvings
3
Rock Carvings

Dapishan Scenic Area (大伾山风景名胜区)

132 km from central Zhengzhou, straight line

A seated Maitreya cut into the cliff, about 22.7 metres tall, one of the earliest large cliff statues in north China, about 400 years older than the Leshan Giant Buddha.

Xiaonanhai Grottoes, Rock Carvings
4
Rock Carvings

Xiaonanhai Grottoes (小南海石窟)

150 km from central Zhengzhou, straight line

Northern Qi caves where carved sutras and statues stand together.

150 to 300 km from Zhengzhou

Huiluan Stele, Rock Carvings
5
Rock Carvings

Huiluan Stele (回銮碑)

164 km from central Zhengzhou, straight line

In 1004 the Liao army marched south to Chanzhou. At Kou Zhun's urging, Emperor Zhenzong came to the front to command, and Song crossbows killed the Liao general Xiao Talin. Both sides then made peace as brother states, with Song paying Liao 100,000 taels of silver and 200,000 bolts of silk a year.

Tangwu Family Stele, Rock Carvings
6
Rock Carvings

Tangwu Family Stele (唐兀公碑)

181 km from central Zhengzhou, straight line

A family stele set up by the Tangwu clan, descendants of the Tangut people, after they settled in Puyang in the Yuan dynasty. It records the family line, migration and service under the Yuan.

Xiangtangshan Grottoes, Rock Carvings
7
Rock Carvings

Xiangtangshan Grottoes (响堂山石窟)

204 km from central Zhengzhou, straight line

In a northern and a southern group, the royal grottoes of the Northern Qi, with full-bodied figures and simple drapery that form a style of their own.

Wuli Stele, Rock Carvings
8
Rock Carvings

Wuli Stele (五礼记碑)

222 km from central Zhengzhou, straight line

About 12 metres tall, one of the largest surviving steles in China. The text began as Emperor Huizong's calligraphy of the New Rites of the Five Rituals, and the Ming overlaid other text on top of it, so the writing of two ages sits on one stone.

Distances

Distance From Central Zhengzhou

#SightTypeStraight line
1Three Perfections StelesRock Carvings99 km
2Longmen GrottoesPark107 km
3Dapishan Scenic AreaRock Carvings132 km
4Xiaonanhai GrottoesRock Carvings150 km
5Huiluan SteleRock Carvings164 km
6Tangwu Family SteleRock Carvings181 km
7Xiangtangshan GrottoesRock Carvings204 km
8Wuli SteleRock Carvings222 km

Straight-line distances from the centre of Zhengzhou. Road and rail distances are longer.

Independent Travel

Visiting These Sights Independently

Arranging these 8 stops yourself keeps the budget lower. It also means booking each one and the transfers between them. Compare a private tour with independent travel, or ask PreeChina to plan it.

Custom Tour

Turn This Into a Private, Custom Tour

This route is a starting point: 1 day and 8 stops. PreeChina plans it as a private, tailor-made trip and changes the stops, the days and the pace to your group.

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Questions

FAQ

How many grotto and rock carving sights are near Zhengzhou?

This page lists 8, all within 223 km of central Zhengzhou in a straight line.

Which sight is closest to Zhengzhou?

Three Perfections Steles, at 99 km from the centre in a straight line.

How far is Wuli Stele from Zhengzhou?

222 km in a straight line. The road distance is longer.

How many days do I need?

It depends on which sights you combine. Your private itinerary sets the number of days, the order and the pace with you.

Who is this route not a good fit for?

Anyone who wants a slow day. The route links 8 stops, so each visit is short. Tell PreeChina which stops matter most and the others can go.

Explore More

This route is in Henan. The province page lists its city guides, themes, museums and other routes.

Related

Keep Exploring Zhengzhou

Attractions in and around Zhengzhou

Routes and day trips

Theme maps

Background reading

Plan a Trip Around These Sights

Tell us when you arrive in Zhengzhou, who is travelling and how much time you have. We build the route around your group.

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