Luoyang: capital for millennia and city of peonies
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E-mail China Today, February 6, 2017
The Tang Dynasty and Buddhism
After the Xia Dynasty, 13 dynasties established their capitals in Luoyang. Among them the Tang Dynasty (618-907) was the most eminent and prosperous.
Chang'an (now Xi'an in northwestern China's Shaanxi Province) was the original Tang Dynasty capital, but inconvenient transportation hampered its access to bountiful commodities. Luoyang was hence chosen as the accompanying capital, and later became the national economic center. The third Tang Dynasty emperor Li Zhi and his empress Wu Zetian, who later acceded to the throne, lived in Luoyang for many years. Empress Wu became ruler of China in 690, and moved the capital from Xi'an to Luoyang, changing its name to Shendu, or capital of the gods. Wu was the sole regnant empress in Chinese history.
During Empress Wu Zetian's reign, she reformed the system of personnel selection to one where recruitment was based on ability rather than family connections, and paid close attention to agricultural production. She thus laid a solid foundation for the succeeding heyday. She at the same time embraced Buddhism and showed deep respect for eminent monks, treating them as mentors and presenting them with imperial gifts. All this dramatically heightened the social status of both Buddhism and Buddhist monks. During her rule she acted as a patron of Buddhist temples and carvings, and also spent a great deal on translating Buddhist sutras. Buddhism thus flourished in China.
Listed as the World Cultural Heritage, Luo-yang's Longmen Grottoes, on a one-km-long stretch of cliffs, house 97,000 or more Buddhist statues. Among them the tallest stands 17.14 meters high and the smallest measures just two centimeters. The Longmen Grottoes, dug around the year 493, later went through more than 400 years' large-scale construction. Built during Empress Wu's rule, the grottoes account for two thirds of the total number of statues sculpted during the Tang Dynasty. Records show that Empress Wu made a personal donation of "20,000 strings of rouge and powder money" to complete the Vairocana Buddha, whose face was a likeness of her own.
The Vairocana Buddha is the tallest of all statues in the Longmen Grottoes. The head is four meters high, with a plump round face and crescent moon-shaped eyebrows above amiable, heavy-lidded eyes that observe the mortals at her feet. The Buddha's enigmatic, subtle smile signifies inner peace and tranquility, and its robe patterned with concentric lines accentuates the head's dignified ethos. This Buddha epitomizes the perfect combination of divinity and humanity.
Fragrant and Heavenly Peonies
Besides the Longmen Grottoes and White Horse Temple, peonies are a main aesthetic feature of Luoyang's scenery. An ancient Chinese poem declares, "Peonies are the most beautiful flowers throughout the nation, and when in bloom their fragrance can astonish the faraway imperial palace."
It is now customary among Luoyang locals to enjoy the splendor of peonies. When they are in blossom, the whole city teems with visitors, and when they wither, this frenzy recedes. Peonies stay in blossom from seven to 10 days, and the best time to enjoy this sight is in mid-April. Luoyang, well known for its advanced technology, has made studies of asexual propagation techniques of nurturing varieties of peonies, and promoted new strains. The city currently features 1,100-plus varieties of peonies in nine colors, including black, red, yellow, green, white, and purple. A total of 40 million plants or more grow there.
There are numerous places to enjoy the sight of peonies. Luoyang Peony Park, at the intersection of National Highway 310 and Airport Road, offers the brilliant sight of peonies in nine colors and 600 varieties. They include the Central Plains Peony and Northwest Rockii Tree Peony. Many have won awards, such as for the individual peony plant with the most flowers, of the weirdest shape, and that most popular with spectators. The diameter of the king peony can reach 29 centimeters.
Royal City Park takes its name from its location on the remains of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BC) and is now a world-famous relic park. It is also a main venue for visitors to enjoy the sight of more than 150,000 peonies in a 13-plus hectares area.
The National Beautiful Peonies Park is reputed as a Chinese peony gene bank. Far from the urban sprawl, peonies here blossom a little later, so providing an alternative to late-coming peony admirers. Famous for domesticating wild peonies and breeding new varieties, the park has become the country's largest breeding and production base.
Peonies from China bloom throughout the world. From 724 to 749, Chinese peonies were brought to Japan where they were cultivated in 211 improved varieties. Japan now has the world's largest number of cultivated peonies. China also introduced peonies to the United States in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and the American people have loved them ever since.
