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at night, the rebuilt yingtianmen is brightly lit, and the square is crowded with tourists, most of whom are wearing hanfu and looking for a suitable angle to take photos; street restaurants are full of delicious food, and boys and girls roll up their long clothes, sit down, clink glasses, and masturbate string; outside the lively ancient city of luoyi, a family jumped off the bus, dressed in hanfu, and joined the crowd; the girl in hanfu got on the shared battery car and shuttled through the streets, her clothes fluttering, and most of the people who looked sideways were first-time tourists. the locals have long been accustomed to it.

luoyang's "hanfu craze" is well-known, but when you are really exposed to it, you can't help but feel shocked. if you just walk into a hanfu store, you will find a wide range of hanfu, tang dynasty and ming dynasty costumes. you can rent and make them for a few hundred yuan, and you can travel through time and space and experience the joy of being like the ancients. it's hard not to be excited.

△citizens were holding umbrellas and preparing to enter the emperor jialiu museum in zhouwangcheng, luoyang. heavy snow fell on the carriage statue at the entrance. (photo/visual china)

hanfu flutters, brushing away the thick historical dust, and luoyang reveals its light side: on social media, it is a cultural and tourism city suitable for checking in and "making movies". the crowds of tourists in the scenic area also confirm this a little. during this year’s may day holiday, according to data released by the luoyang municipal culture, radio, television and tourism bureau, luoyang received nearly 7 million tourists in just five days, with total tourism revenue exceeding 5.9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.41% and 13.71% respectively.

luoyang is popular, but unlike many cities that first became popular, luoyang people are more calm in the face of the surging crowds. this city, which has a history of more than 4,000 years, has gone back and forth between historical peaks and troughs time and time again, and is accustomed to seeing noise and silence; the people who live in it also show equal enthusiasm and equal kindness to visitors from all directions.

in front of the iconic lucena buddha of longmen grottoes, a group of tourists wearing ming and tang dynasty costumes took photos together happily. the buddha nodded, with a mysterious and tolerant expression from the prosperous tang dynasty - a tolerance that has seen through thousands of years.

01

return to luoyang

even if you have never set foot in luoyang, it is a city that will not be unfamiliar to chinese people. you will always encounter it inadvertently——

maybe it's the words. "friends and relatives in luoyang are like asking each other, and a heart of ice is in a jade pot." "whose jade flute is flying quietly, spreading into the spring breeze and filling luo city." the poems i memorized when i was young will suddenly emerge at a certain moment in my life. from this, the city named "luoyang" has a different meaning.

△luoyang mingtang paradise. (photo/pexels)

maybe it's the architecture. in the early summer of 1936, liang sicheng and lin huiyin visited luoyang and stayed at longmen grottoes for four days. at that time, the grottoes were inaccessible and the trails were vaguely discernible. lin huiyin tied the towel he carried around his head and left a famous looking back photo. a few years later, liang sicheng wrote in "history of chinese architecture": "since the wei and qi dynasties, the trend of chiseling cliffs to build statues and temples became particularly popular in the sui and tang dynasties. ... among them, the most famous and largest project is none other than that of empress wu in longmen, luoyang. the fengxian temple was built..."

maybe it's the job in front of you. on july 20, 1958, china's first hand-produced dongfanghong tractor came out in luoyang, roaring out of the factory of the first tractor manufacturing factory. more than a year later, the first batch of 13 dongfanghong tractors arrived in beidahuang. she was liang jun, china's first-generation female tractor driver. this image later became the pattern on the third set of rmb one-yuan banknotes. since then, tractors from luoyang have been continuously shipped to villages across the country. the smell of wheat and rice in the hands of many chinese people hides a taste of luoyang.

we can hardly take our eyes off luoyang. the nine-meander yellow river rushes southward, splitting the loess plateau, until it encounters the huashan mountains, turns eastward and rushes out of the sanmen gorge, where it flows alongside the luo river originating from the eastern section of the qinling mountains. luoyang in the basin is across the luo river, backed by funiu mountain and song mountain, and across the yellow river faces the taihang mountains and wangwu mountains that were moved away by yu gong in the legend. surrounded by mountains and wide open rivers, luoyang is located in the hinterland of the world, controlling the east and west and connecting the north and the south. the two axes of time and space naturally intersect here.

△white horse temple, luoyang. (photo/pexels)

therefore, everyone who passes through luoyang is experiencing some kind of return. the "book of changes" has a clear meaning at the beginning: "the river produces pictures, and luo produces books." the river pictures and luoshu emerged from the yellow river and luoshui river, carrying the ancestors' understanding of the flow of stars, the change of seasons, and all things. it was early imprinted in the history of chinese thought. source.

returning to luoyang means returning to the place where we started.

02

a time capsule left to the chinese people

in the spring of the third year of tang tianbao's reign (744), 43-year-old li bai came to luoyang from chang'an and met 32-year-old du fu for the first time. facing the great poet who was famous all over the world, du fu fell in love with him and traveled with li bai. just like confucius asked lao tzu thousands of years ago, the acquaintance between li and du was another important historical encounter witnessed by luoyang. the story here is as majestic as chang'an wanli.

soon after, du fu and li bai set out from luoyang and traveled eastward, where they met the poet gao shi. "new book of tang·biography of du fu" has this record: "i passed through bianzhou from baiji to gaoshi. i climbed to the blowing stage drunk and was generous and nostalgic for the past. it is unpredictable." two years after the separation, du fu wrote the famous poem "recalling li bai in spring": "spring trees in weibei, dusk clouds in jiangdong." the spring trees in chang'an grow, and the dusk clouds in jiangdong drift away. the midpoint of the two places is luoyang, where they met.

twenty years later, du fu became a depressed "old du" and died of poverty and illness in a boat. at this time, the romantic li bai had been dead for several years, disappearing into history like a blaze of light, and the genius poet's method of death remains a mystery to this day. many years later, du fu's tomb was moved back to luoyang and "buried in front of shouyang mountain in the northwest of yanshi county". shouyang mountain, where the poet's head rests, is the place where boyi and shuqi, who did not eat zhou millet, starved to death. it marks the spiritual pursuit of traditional chinese literati and forms a certain reflection with du fu's life.

△luoyang yingtianmen. (photo/pexels)

time goes round and round, history overlaps layer by layer, and we encounter those legendary names by chance. there are too many such moments in luoyang. it is a city profoundly shaped by history, just like the sand of the yellow river piled up on its shores. every time the traces of a generation pass through luoyang, it adds a new background. therefore, what we are facing now is the luoyang of literature, the luoyang of historical sites, the luoyang of industry, the luoyang of hubs, the luoyang of the han, wei, sui and tang dynasties, and the luoyang of emperor guangwu and emperor gaozong of the tang dynasty. it witnesses history, it participates in history, it is history itself.

cao zhi wrote: "step up to beimang ban and look at luoyang mountain in the distance. how lonely is luoyang? all the palaces are burned down." sima guang wrote: "if you ask about the prosperity and failure of ancient and modern times, please only look at luoyang city." facing the ruins of luoyang, two similar sighs are separated by a full 800 years. what kind of ups and downs of a city are reflected in the middle?

the longmen grottoes and the tomb of bai juyi face each other across the yi river: the eyebrows of the lucena buddha are said to be based on the image of wu zetian. from gandhara to the western regions, and then from yungang to longmen, the style of the buddha statues was gradually localized, and the city of luoyang was as a witness; coincidentally at the other end of the city, the white horse temple freezes the earliest days of buddhism coming from the east. in front of bai juyi's tomb, a group of traveling primary school students lined up respectfully to salute under the guidance of their teacher, reciting the poem "poor night of the third day of september, the dew is like pearls and the moon is like a bow." beside them, there are several stone tablets engraved in japanese, calling bai juyi "the benefactor of japanese culture" to praise the profound influence of his poems on japanese literature.

△luoyang longmen grottoes. (picture/pixabay)

in early august, the scenic spot was crowded, with tourists from all directions passing by the grottoes and bai juyi's tomb. many people may not have noticed that luoyang, which is slowly unfolding before their eyes, was once so open and magnificent. it stood at the starting point of the silk road, absorbing the old and incorporating the new, spreading civilization far and wide.

"the tombs on beimang mountain stand against the city of luo throughout the ages. in the city, the bells sing at sunset, and only the sound of pines and cypresses can be heard on the mountain." luoyang is like a time capsule left to us by history, folding the countless past lives of every chinese. . this is certainly the heaviest part of a city and its most precious part.

03

going from the past to the new, the city “changes”

china does not lack cities with a long history, but it can emulate old and new examples of cities - transforming the heaviness of history into the lightness of the present, turning baggage into wealth. the older it is, the more energetic it is, and the more classical it is, the younger it is - not common yet.

strolling around today's luoyang, you can see numerous restored ancient buildings: the yingtian gate rebuilt five years ago, the lively lijing gate not far away, the mingtang and paradise of empress wu zetian recorded in history books... the core buildings of luoyang in the sui and tang dynasties are almost all reappear in their original locations. the underground floor is a cultural relic site, while the above-ground floor is the "visible capital", which has become the most popular photo-taking landscape for young tourists.

△a man solicits customers at the entrance of luoyang mingtang paradise scenic area, with the rebuilt yingtian gate behind him. (photo/su zheng)

of course there will be criticism. some people say that ancient buildings made of reinforced concrete are really worth seeing? but if you think about it carefully, why did luoyang ever refuse "reconstruction"? what's more, today's "new ancient buildings" have also become one of the important carriers of urban cultural tourism. in 2023, luoyang will receive 135 million tourists and a total tourism revenue of 104.17 billion yuan, making it one of the top ten popular tourist cities in the country. in the first half of this year, luoyang received 85.1905 million tourists and achieved a total tourism revenue of 64.802 billion yuan. visitors to luoyang among them, the youth group aged 23 to 45 accounted for 50.64%, which is very different from the ancient capital.

if you want to visit ancient times, this prefecture-level city has an astonishing 102 museums, displaying various aspects of the ancient capital. the latest one is the sui and tang dynasty grand canal culture museum, which will be opened in 2022. the person in charge said with emotion that since the city’s cultural tourism industry broke out and a large number of tourists arrived, there has been an endless stream of visitors to the museum. luoyang tomb museum, which had few visitors a few years ago, is now a popular place that requires early reservation.

in luoyang, there are many details where the old and the new blend and nourish each other: the soviet-style buildings in jianxi district are neat and quiet. the road named "jianshe road" shows the industrial tradition inherited from the 20th century; in the new district at the other end of the city, the road called "guangwu avenue" is straight and wide, demonstrating the determination of the ancient capital to return to its glory. due to improvements in production efficiency, there are no longer so many workers in the no. 1 tractor manufacturing factory today. a corner of the old factory area has been transformed into a cyber amusement park, making the transition from heavy industry to the metaverse a natural one. weipo xinxu in mengjin district combines the transformation of an ancient village with a new cultural district. villagers roaring yu opera on the stage pass by young people from the city, while cafes, cultural and creative shops open next to the century-old courtyard the store has nothing against its temperament, so appropriate.

△lijingmen west street in the old city of luoyang is known as "the intangible inheritance of heluo culture". (photo/visual china)

100 years ago, the longhai railway was built to mangshan mountain in luoyang, and a large number of tang dynasty ceramics were unearthed from ancient tombs. they are named "three colors of the tang dynasty", "three" is the extreme number, and "three colors" means gorgeous and diverse colors. this kind of porcelain, which once shined in the history of luoyang, has been seen again.

"let the world see its beauty!" with this belief, 66-year-old gao shuiwang, as the representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage and the head of the chinese time-honored brand "gaojia sancai", has been studying tang sancai for nearly 50 years. year. in order to accurately replicate the real tang sancai, gao shuiwang, on the one hand, consulted ancient book records, and on the other hand, tried repeatedly. after years of exploration, he finally produced a work that is indistinguishable from tang sancai cultural relics. since his establishment, gao shuiwang has trained more than a hundred direct disciples in enterprises in the village, striving to pass on and carry forward his skills. today, the well-known gao shuiwang often travels for business, but when he is free, he still likes to stay in his studio in nanshishan village, mengjin district, carving on the three-color horse with a knife, restoring the lines and postures of more than 1,000 years ago.

"three-color tricolor is a craft, not only tang tricolor, it is ever-changing and all-encompassing." chinese arts and crafts master guo aihe is also from luoyang. since 1986, he has been committed to the research and innovation of luoyang tricolor. under his promotion, "luoyang three colors" was included in the list of arts and crafts varieties; at the same time, in his artistic practice, he integrated various artistic elements into three colors, forming a new type of painting called "three colors glaze painting". from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, from modernism to installation art, guo aihe's works carry ancient meanings and chinese philosophy into the future. a few years ago, he created the large-scale three-color environmental art "luoyang" for the luoyang planning exhibition hall. it is still talked about today: with five cities gathering in luo, five roads leading to luo, five waters integrating luo, and five industries prospering luo, you can gaze at it. the history, present and future of luoyang convey the charm of luoyang to every viewer, and also allow people to see the new possibilities of ancient skills.

△in luoyang, henan, the longmen grottoes are very spectacular under the lights at night. (photo/visual china)

the new and the old coexist generously, and the city's multi-layered characteristics are deeply blended. ancient luoyang is also undergoing a "kiln change": the deeper you go into history, the more you move towards a broader future. in this dimension, luoyang has become a key example of chinese cities.

04

dispel the heaviness of history

henan writer yan lianke said that in his imagination when he was a boy, luoyang, "where countless emperors once walked," would "never fall and always shine." almost every outsider has some heavy imagination before coming to luoyang: imagine the rolling yellow river water, carrying thousands of years of time flowing through luoyang; imagine that this should be a city of "relics"; imagine that this old industrial city is in the midst of industry. trouble in the process of transformation and cultural tourism development.

but the real luoyang uses its days and nights and its corners to gently dispel these heaviness: the barber stalls under the overpass and the beef soup on the street accept everything gently; on the xigong small street, a bowl of tofu soup can make people forget about the han and tang dynasties. those young people wearing hanfu can talk about classics and chase fashion; they can look seriously at history, and they can also take a quick tour of popular attractions.

the "giant buddha with scissor hands" in the longmen grottoes unexpectedly became popular because the palm of the buddha's hand was weathered and only the index and middle fingers were left. after some heaviness was lifted, some new meanings were born.

△laojun mountain is located in luanchuan, a suburb of luoyang. (photo/unsplash)

"the first snow in henan always falls on laojun mountain first." laojun mountain, located in luanchuan, a suburb of luoyang, is not a famous mountain in the traditional sense, but it has become popular in recent years. the reason is, on the one hand, the communication support of new media such as short videos, and on the other hand, the rapid follow-up of scenic spots and localities to expand their advantages. the state-owned forest farm laojun mountain, which was in debt 17 years ago, has been developed through cultural tourism, and the passenger flow has increased from about 15,000 to 4.5 million people per year, driving the local county's comprehensive tourism revenue to exceed 10 billion yuan. after tourists gain a good experience, they become the "tap water" of the scenic spot, and the internet exponentially amplifies the word-of-mouth effect; at the same time, laojun mountain continues to optimize its hardware facilities and tourist services, finally turning its popularity into a long-lasting one.

the inspirational story of laojun mountain is a typical case in which luoyang is polishing its cultural tourism business card. an ancient capital, through its cultural and tourism business cards, has found a light life on top of its heavy history.

"laughter comedy" hosted by changshuai is located on the guangzhou market pedestrian street. for luoyang people, this commercial street named "guangzhou" is no stranger. in the early days of the founding of the people's republic of china, when large factories such as the first tractor manufacturing factory successively settled in jianxi district, a group of guangzhou businessmen moved to luoyang to do business, and the neighborhood got its name. on the contrary, it was a talk show between the commander and his companions, which was something new to luoyang people. even for actors, getting into the state of a talk show requires a process. there are full-time and part-time actors. some come to try out the performance excitedly, but give up quickly when the "laughing effect" in the audience is not good. there are also museum staff who perform talk shows as part-timers and persist for a long time. changshuai discovered that talk shows gradually gained a stable audience in luoyang, mostly local young people. in the future, he plans to hold a special show in luoyang dialect, both for local audiences and for tourists to understand.

△ citizens and tourists experienced dragon boat festival customs such as dotting cinnabar with the help of members of the luoyang traditional culture research association wearing hanfu. (photo/visual china)

the ma jieshan beef soup restaurant inherited by ma jiaming is a time-honored brand familiar to luoyang people. it is located on an old street in zhanghe district. as a sixth-generation descendant, he originally studied english in college and wanted to live another life, but in the end he took over the old store from his grandfather and father, carefully balancing inheritance and innovation. the store facing the street has just been renovated and is spacious and clean, but the floor still retains the nostalgic terrazzo. "grandpa is old and is not used to the newly renovated store. sometimes he sees that there are not many customers and has to come out to turn off the lights, so we have to turn them on again." ma jiaming said with a smile.

at 8 o'clock in the morning, the beef soup restaurant was full of people, about evenly divided between locals and tourists. opposite us, a customer was drinking soup while turning on the camera of his mobile phone to live broadcast: "when you come to luoyang, there is no unhappiness that a bowl of beef soup can't solve. if it doesn't work, just have another bowl."