The astonishing Luoyang Museum

At first glance, the Luoyang Museum appears very large and square. The museum, which opened to the public in 2011, features a main building shaped like a giant ding (ancient Chinese cauldron). In front of the museum, there is a sightseeing tower built in imitation of the 'Tian Shu' from the Wu Zhou period. The museum offers free admission, but visitors must book in advance. The first floor houses the famous Heluo Civilization Exhibition, divided into three exhibition halls. It covers periods from prehistory, the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the Han and Wei dynasties, the Sui and Tang dynasties, to the Five Dynasties and Northern Song dynasty; from major events in Chinese history, outstanding figures, to significant scientific inventions; from the establishment of rites and music by the Duke of Zhou, Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, to the intersection of Taoism and Manichaeism; from Zhang Heng's invention of the armillary sphere and seismoscope, Cai Lun's invention of papermaking, to the 'Silk Road' and the Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang dynasties, the exhibition comprehensively showcases the glorious history of Luoyang as the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties. It truly makes one exclaim, 'If you wish to inquire about the rise and fall of ancient and modern times, just look at the city of Luoyang'❗️ The first floor also features a Stone Carving Gallery, divided into two sections: stone statues and steles and tomb inscriptions. There are Eastern Han Dynasty stone reliefs to ward off evil, Northern Wei Dynasty stone statues of Weng Zhong, Song Dynasty stone sutra pillars, and more. The second floor features the Treasure Gallery and the Tang Sancai (tri-colored glazed pottery) Gallery. The Treasure Gallery showcases a selection of treasures from the hundreds of thousands of cultural relics found in Luoyang. These include the Zhengshi Stone Sutras from the Cao Wei period, a Tang Dynasty gold and silver floral bird bronze mirror, a Northern Wei Dynasty clay Buddha face, a Cao Wei period white jade cup, a Warring States period gold and silver inlaid bronze ding, a Western Zhou period bronze square vessel of Shu Pin, and so on. The richness and exquisite beauty of the collection are astonishing❗️ One would wish to take each piece home The Tang Sancai Gallery is resplendent and dazzling. I enjoyed viewing the figurines, which are delicately and vividly crafted in a variety of styles. Just the hairstyles of the Tang Dynasty ladies alone come in many forms, including half-upturned buns, hanging buns, high buns, and even double high buns, etc., vividly and clearly presenting the unique cultural customs and the spirit of the Tang era to the world. I briefly visited the Court Culture Gallery, mainly to see the Buddhist treasure, the three-story golden nanmu wood tower. My child wanted to collect stamps, so I accompanied her up and down the floors to collect them for a while, and also took the opportunity to buy some souvenirs.