Night reveals beauty of Longmen grottoes

As darkness descends over the Yi River, the stone carvings of the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Luoyang, Henan province, begin glowing softly in the light of hidden lamps, as if stirring to life.

For Russian visitor Ilya Demurin, 20, the awe-inspiring spectacle was enough to make him want to learn Chinese so that he might fully grasp the stories behind what he was seeing.

Among the many wonders at the grottoes, none is more recognizable than the Fengxian Temple, with its nine giant statues of Buddhist deities commanding a cliff face. The scale of the carvings is staggering, and the expressions on the stone faces are strikingly lifelike. As UNESCO noted, "The high cultural level and sophisticated society of Tang Dynasty China are encapsulated in the exceptional stone carvings of the Longmen Grottoes."

The largest figure, that of the Vairocana Buddha, gazes out over the river with an expression that has endured nearly 1,300 years of sun, rain and history.

Aleksandr Savchenko, another 20-year-old from Russia, found the grottoes breathtaking. "Every small cave and statue makes this place so wonderful," he said.

For those taking the night tour, the route feels less like a tourist trail and more like a slowly unfurling scroll painting. Each niche, carved 1,500 years ago, is subtly illuminated — just bright enough to reveal the ancient chisel marks.

"Nighttime sightseeing is an exercise in subtraction," said Ma Jialun, a docent at the Longmen Grottoes Academy. "Visitors stand facing the grottoes, shoulder to shoulder with the ancients, and experience a profound spiritual resonance," Ma added.

He has also observed a universal thread. "Regardless of nationality, visitors share a common appreciation for beauty when standing before the Longmen Grottoes," he said.

The grottoes first launched night tours in 2007, with facilities upgraded several times since. But the real surge in foreign visitors began when China introduced its 240-hour visa-free transit policy, cementing Luoyang's status as a must-see destination for travelers who might have once overlooked it.

"With the growing influx of foreign tourists, we've assembled a professional team of multilingual docents to bridge the cultural gap," said Zhang Zhimin, deputy director of the academy. He said the night tours are among the site's biggest draws.

The Longmen Grottoes comprise more than 100,000 Buddhist statues carved into 2,345 caves and niches over a period of 400 years. UNESCO has called the sculptures "an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity". The grottoes, it noted, "illustrate the perfection of a long-established art form which was to play a highly significant role in the cultural evolution in this region of Asia".

"The artistic and sculptural beauty of the grottoes transcends borders and resonates deeply with people from diverse cultural backgrounds," Zhang said.

On social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, and TikTok, creators from around the world post videos from the famous stone steps. One filmed the cliff face and said, "It is hard to believe these thousands of statues were carved by hand 1,500 years ago."

Some visitors arrive in the late afternoon to see the carvings in daylight first, then linger for the evening spectacle. Others come dressed in hanfu, or traditional Chinese clothing, drifting past the illuminated niches like figures from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). As the river catches the fading twilight, cameras click in the darkness.

"Many parents prioritize in-depth cultural travel over casual photo ops," Zhang said. "Visitors across the world are increasingly embracing immersive, knowledge-based experiences."

Wang Linsheng, 39, brought her 8-year-old son at dusk. She hoped the visit would inspire him to delve into the history behind the carvings, cultivate a sense of reverence for the past and foster a deeper appreciation of China's cultural heritage.

As the night settled, the last visitors made their way down the steps. The river mirrored the light in long, wavering lines. The lit-up stone faces — patient and weathered — maintained their silent vigil.