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Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast. Situated on the central plain of China, one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization, Luoyang was one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China.
The origin of the name "Luoyang" is the city's location to the north of the Luo River.The river flows from west to east and the sun is on south of the river, so that the sun shine is always on north side of the river ----- that is an very old style naming way in China. Luoyang has had several names over the centuries, including "Luoyi" and "Luozhou", though Luoyang has been its primary name. It has been called, during various periods, "Dongdu" (meaning the Eastern Capital, during the Tang Dynasty), "Xijing" (meaning the West Capital, during the Song Dynasty), or "Jingluo" (meaning the general capital for China).
The most famous attraction in Luoyang is the Longmen Grottoes, it was listed by UNESCO in the list of World Heritage Sites in November 2000. Another attraction of White Horse Temple is located 12km east of the modern town. Guanlin is a series of temples that have been built in honor of a hero of the Three Kingdoms period, Guan Yu, close to the grottoes to the south of the city. China's only tombs museum, the Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum is situated north of the modern town. Luoyang Museum is in the center of town.
Luoyang has a reputation as a cultivation centre for peony (city flower of Luoyang).
An ancient Chinese musical piece, Spring in Luoyang, was adopted in Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), and is still performed in its Koreanized (Dangak) version, called Nakyangchun. The American composer Lou Harrison created an arrangement of this work.
 China Tours inclusive of visiting the Luoyang
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