Luoyang’s industrial face conveys little of its impressive history. The city was the site of the ancient Zhao court, where the sage Laozi was keeper of the archives. It was also the site of China’s first university in 29 BC, and was capital to 13 dynasties from Neolithic times till AD 937.

East of Wangcheng Park is the Luoyang City Museum, which exhibits Shang bronzes, jade carvings, and Tang era sancai (three-color) porcelain. Visitors assemble here each spring to attend the Peony Festival, when hundreds of peonies - brought here on the orders of the Tang Empress Wu Zetian - bloom in Wangcheng Park.

Most of Luoyang’s sights lie outside the city. Guanlin, 4 miles south, is dedicated to Guan Yu, a heroic general of the Three Kingdoms period. The buildings are ornately decorated, and stone lionesses line the path to the main hall housing an impressive statue of Guan Yu. About 8 miles east of town is Baima Si (White Horse Temple). Claiming to be China’s oldest Buddhist monastery (AD 68), Baima Si remains active, with a constant stream of worshipers. The monks’ tombs lie in the first courtyard, while the main hall has a statue of the Buddha.