Photos of Longshan Grottoes

The Longshan Grottoes in Longshan, about 20 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan City, were first excavated in the early years of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and were built by Taoist Song Defang. Compared with the Buddhist grottoes such as Yungang and Longmen, the scale of the Longshan Grottoes is not very large. There are mainly Xuhuang shrines, Sanqing shrines, Liru shrines, Xuanzhen shrines, Master shrines, Qizhen shrines and two other Taoist shrines. . In these grottoes, there are more than 40 stone statues, including Taoist statues such as the ancestors of the Sanqing Dynasty, and real Taoist statues such as Wang Chongyang, the founder of the Quanzhen School, with very expressive expressions and movements. When you visit the Longshan Grottoes, you will find that the Taoist grottoes here are different from the delicate and delicate Buddhist grottoes. The style of the Taoist grottoes here is simple and solemn, and you will even have a rough feeling. For example, the carvings of the statues in the caves are simple and pure, very subtle and restrained, not as elegant and exquisite as the clothes of the Buddha statues in some Buddhist grottoes. When playing, you can also watch the inscriptions left in the Yuan Dynasty on the sides and front walls of several caves. These are important materials for the study of the development history of Taoism and the art of the caves in the Yuan Dynasty. In addition to visiting the grottoes, tourists may wish to take a look at the natural beauty of Longshan Mountain. There are scenic spots such as Peach Blossom Valley and Haotian View in the mountain.