Luoyang Peony Show Tour

The Peonies of Luoyang are the finest in the world for centuries,Luoyang has been famous for the numerous varieties of the peony that are cultivatated here. The local climate and soil are
especially suitable for the growth of this plant.
Luoyang soil is the best for flowers, and its peonies are the wonder of the world.--Ouyang Xiu,1007-1072."The queen of flowers", the First of Ten Thousand Flowers--these are some of compliments paid to the peony by the local people,who have made it their city flower.There is a story about the origin of the Luoyang peony. Though obviously fictitious, it shows the adoration of the people for this plant.One winter day, Empress Wu Zetian,who was living in Chang'an at the time,left a burning desire to enjoy flowers.She gave orders that all the flowers in the
imperial garden were to blossom overnight.All the flowers obeyed except the peony She alone kept faith with nature and refused to blossom before her time even thouth it meant definande of the empress's order.For this she was banished from Chang'an to Luoyang,but the people fo Luoyang loved her all the more because of this ,praiseing her as the "Flower with a backbone". Luoyang has led the country in the cultivation of peonies since the Tang Dynasty.By the Song dynasy,over a hundred varieties of the peony were being cultivated at Luoyang,the most famous of which were the Yao-Yellow and Wei-purple,acclained as the Peony King and queen,Tody there are over 300 varieties,which bloom in a multiple of colors including red, yellow, purple, white, black, pink, blue and green, plus numerous intermediate hues.
Peonies are grown not only in Luoyang's park and gardens but very extensively along the sidewalks of the main streets. In 1982, the Luoyang People's Government proclaimed that a peony show be held each year from April 15- 25. Some varieties of the Luoyang peony have been introduced into the world market.
Longmen Grottoes:
Located twelve kilometres south of Luoyang,the Grottoes are among the greatest treasure troves of ancient stone carving in China, together with Dunhuang in the northwestern province of Gansu and Yun gang in the northern province of Shanxi.
The work on these grottoes began in 494 druing the Northern Wei Dynasty and continued for more than four hundred years in the ensuing Sui and Tang Dynasties.The grottoes are cut into precipitous cliffs on both banks of the Yishui River, and stretch for over a thousand metres form
south to north.The existing 2,200 caves and niches contain more than 100 ,000 statues of Buddhist figures in various postures, the largest rising over seventeen metres and the smallest only two centimetres. There are also 3,600 inscribed tablets and forty pagodas here.
The stone sculptures at Longmen represent a new height in the art of stone caving and the development of Buddhism in China.
White Horse Temple:
Located about twenty kilometres west of Luoyang and having a history of 1,900 years,this temple was the first Buddhist monastery ever built in China and is still inhabited by monks.
Xi'an City Wall
Xi'an city wall:This battlement,built in A.D.1370-1378. is one of the best-preserved ancient walls in China.Surrounded by a moat, it has a circumference of 11.9 kilometres and is 12 metres high, 18 metres wide at the base,and 15 metres wide at the top. The interior of the wall was
made of rammed earth,and the exterior of bricks.
Qing Shing Huang's Buried Legion:
While digging a well in 1974, farmers from Yanzhai Commune unearthed some brown pottery frangmentswhich led to the discovery of one the most spectacular archaeological finds of the century-the buried terra cotta army of the first empore of the Qin Dynasty. Thousands of life- sized terra cotta warriors lined up in battle array with horse-drawn chariots have been excavated.The warriors are of a fairly uniform height of 1. 8 metres.With their individual features and facial expressions, they are amazingly lifelike .Visitors have called this awesome sight the "eighth wonder of the world".
Guilin:
Reed Flute Cave:Located at the northwestern part of Guilin, Reed Flute Cave is the largest and perhaps the most spectacular of the Karst caverns in the city.Hidden half way up a mountain,it received its name from the reed that grows near the entrance and makes excellent flutes. The cave is known as a "palace of natural art". Alonh its zigzag path are unusual stalactities and stalagmites which,under coloured lighting ,look like coral, agate, amber, or jade- a wonderland of formations resembleing orchards,gardens,or whatever else you care to imagine.