洛阳龙门石窟
龙门石窟位于河南省洛阳市，是世界上现存造像数量最多、规模最大的石刻艺术宝库，与敦煌莫高窟、云冈石窟和麦积山石窟并称为中国四大石窟，并位居四大石窟之首。
龙门石窟始凿于北魏时期，盛于唐，终于清末，历经10多个朝代营造长达1400余年，是世界上营造时间最长的石窟。建造时采用了大量彩绘，今多已褪色。龙门石窟密布于伊水东西两山的峭壁上，南北长达1千米，现存洞窟像龛2345个，造像11万余尊。龙门石窟造像多为皇家贵族所建，是世界上绝无仅有的皇家石窟。
龙门石窟规模宏大，气势磅礴，窟内造像雕刻精湛，内容题材丰富，有大量宗教、美术、建筑、书法、音乐、服饰、医药等方面的实物资料，从不同侧面反映了中国古代政治、经济、宗教、文化等许多领域的发展变化，为中国石窟艺术的创新与发展作出了重大贡献。
龙门石窟还涵盖诸多域外元素，例如西域乐器、古希腊石柱、欧洲纹样等，这些都彰显了龙门石窟是多元文明交融的产物。龙门石窟不仅展现了中国历史悠久的艺术形式，也为推动世界文化多样性发挥了重要作用。2000年11月，龙门石窟被列入联合国教科文组织《世界遗产名录》。
Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang
The Longmen Grottoes located in Luoyang, Henan Province are a treasure house of stone carvings, boasting the largest number and scale of stone statues. The site ranks top of the four major grottoes in China, followed by the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang of Gansu Province, the Yungang Grottoes in Datong of Shanxi Province, and the Maiji Mountain Grottoes in Tianshui of Gansu Province.
The carving of the Longmen Grottoes began in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), came into full swing in the Tang Dynasty, and was completed in the late Qing Dynasty, spanning more than 1,400 years through over 10 dynasties, the longest in the world. The grottoes contained colored paintings, though mostly faded today. Densely located on both banks of the Yishui River, the Longmen Grottoes comprise more than 110,000 stone statues shrined in 2,345 caves and niches carved into the steep cliffs over a one-kilometer-long stretch from north to south. They are the only royal grottoes in the world as most of the statues were built under the patronage of the royal families.
The magnificent Longmen Grottoes, the exquisite statues in the caves, and the wide variety of themes and contents make a valuable, comprehensive library of materials and references regarding religion, art, architecture, calligraphy, music, apparel, medicine, and other aspects.
They reflect from different perspectives the evolution in ancient China's politics, economy, religions, culture, and other sectors and make great contributions to the innovation and development of Chinese grotto art.
The Longmen Grottoes also abound in exotic elements, such as musical instruments from the Western Regions, ancient Greek columns, and European emblazonry, indicating the blending and fusion of various civilizations back in the years. They not only display China's time- honored art forms, but also preserve world cultural diversity. In November 2000, they were included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List.
