Luoyang Tour - Day 1

By Jian Shuo Wang on 2004-05-03 23:47 · Luoyang

Hi, I am back to my hometown, the place I grew up and one of the cities I am most familiar with (Shanghai is the other).

Industrial City

More than 50% of the city was built after 1949. The city quickly became an immigration city after the first 5 years of the New China. 10+ extremely huge factories were built in 5 years with millions of people migrating from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Taiyuan and Shenyang. For example, the First Tractor Group employees 60,000 people and they came to the city together. The population of the city grows from 400,000 to 6 million quickly due the immigration. It is a piece of history hard to reproduce at any place in the world.

Look at the Jian Xi District, where most factories were built. There is still a lot of buildings reflecting the history. There are two statues of Chairman Mao in the city. Others have been pulled down in the last ten years.

This statue was planned to be removed in the last decade but the factor workers gathered and protsted agaist the proposal. The deep feelings with Mao was still in their hearts. So it was kept at the gate of the Luoyang No. 1 Tractor Factory. I am very happy to see the statue is there. No mater whether it was a good idea to build up the same statue everywhere in the country, it is right to keep some sense of history and don’t destroy all at the same time.

Above is another statue at the entrance of another factory in Luoyang. I got out of the taxi and took a picture with it (below):

Beautiful City

I love the green tree covered streets in Luoyang. The streets are wide (relative to the current traffic volume) and beautiful. Look at the Zhong Zhou West Rd. in the picture below.

Below is one of my favorite road. The tall trees have formed a green cave and the cave for the single pass road. There is another “cave” for the lane to the opposite direction. The Xiyuan Rd. extended westward for several kilometers.

Below is the tower of the Luoyang No. 1 Tractor Factory. I see people are very curious about the small white boxes on the wall. Your guess is right. They are Aircons. The Jianxi district of Luoyang is made up this Russian style buildings. You can find this kind of nice building along the long Zhouzhou West Road. They look very nice even in the recent years. The Aircons do deface the facade of the building.

Luoyang was also infected by McDonald’s (virus) as any other cities.

Accient Luoyang

Luoyang was the capital of more than 13 dynasties in China. Due to continuous wars, the old city has been almost removed from the horizontal. Recently, a gate was rebuilt according its original design. Here is the gate, Liing Gate (丽京门).

Below is the West Street of the accident Luoyang city.

Luoyang Railway Station

P.S. This article was updated by Jian Shuo Wang on May 7, 2004. More description of the pictures were added.

26 Comments

Looks like a very interesting area. Can you tell us something about the different buildings? The big grey one with the water outside the smooth wall...is that actually the other side of the one where people are walking toward what look like they might be small shops around a big plaza? I don't think my guess is right because it looks bigger in the water picture, almost like some kind of "fort", or even possibly a jail. In the picture with what looks like small shops...what goes on in the levels above where people are going in and out? I love the look of the street with the taxi and the young couple crossing the road. One thing I miss about living in California is that we don't very often have streets like that which are covered over with lovely tall trees. And in the picture after that one...what are all the "boxes" with circles on the outside of the building? Sorry to be so curious, but I will probably never visit your hometown, so your words and pictures are my only chance to understand what it is really like there :) Have a good time on your vacation!!!

— Carroll · 2004-05-04 12:35

I've been to Luoyang when I was very young. I remember visiting the famous "White Horses Temple" (Bai Ma Si), which is purported to be the place where Buddhism was imported into China.

Hehe, the Statue of Chairman Mao is virtually everywhere. Almost every university in China has one. There's one looking exactly the same in East China Normal University, right? I think Russian people can resonate with us.

— Zhu Qingsi · 2004-05-04 22:39

So excited to see the pictures. Luoyang is the city where my parents got married. Dad was working in Luoyang and Mom took a train from Beijing (she happened to work in Beijing then) to marry him. Both of them had lived in Shanghai until they finished college. Their black and white wedding photo is taken there. Sweet memories. Thanks, Jianshuo.

— JoyMocha · 2004-05-04 22:56

Beautiful pictures Jian Shuo, makes me wish I could visit. Looks like you had some pleasant weather for your trip. It's nice to see pictures of different places in your country. Keep up the good picture taking and maybe you can describe to us some of the food that is particular to your hometown, yummy! :^) Also did you drive your car to your hometown?

— Paul Ayala · 2004-05-05 15:23

My guess about the small boxes outside the building is that they are some type of airconditioning unit.

David

— David · 2004-05-07 05:17

I think David is right. They are the wall mounted air conditional unit, probably made by "cycle and carriage" or similar manufacturer.

These units are very popular in Singapore and I believe even among the Asian countries, where high rise residential building is becoming a norm because of the limited land area, and the increasing population.

— Jion · 2004-05-07 05:28

One more thing. Because many of these high rise residential buildings are built for the local residents, factoring in the building cost, they just can not come with the central air conditional units.

Moreover, many of these building was built based on the pre-fabricated technology -- meaning, they were built by assembled certain already manufactured blocks, stacked up onto a reinforced foundation, and hold them together by concrete and steels.

I think this technology was first invented by the Korean, and Singapore then use it to build her vase building estates, and I think now China is using it. It cuts down building cost and shorten the condtruction time.

Very amazing technology.

— Jion · 2004-05-07 05:46

Jion, I thought "Cycle and Carriage" is a car dealer in S'pore. It also makes aircons? These white boxes are really ugly as they deface the facade of the building. Nowadays, residential buildings in China have planned spaces for aircon installations so that they look more orderly and do not expose themselves outright. Alternately for old buildings, the government installs a colored steel case outside the aircon. Because the case has the same color to the building, it's kind of "camouflage" to lessen the eye sore. At least this is the case in Shanghai.

— Zhu Qingsi · 2004-05-07 09:30

Good Picture!

— XGAO · 2004-05-07 10:47

I think Qingsi is right. The "cycle and carriage" is a car dealer in Singapore. I did not know why the name was popped in my mind when I wrote the earlier note. In this case, I do not know the name of the manufacturer. The last time I visited Singapore was 12 years ago. Thanks for the correction.

— Jion · 2004-05-07 13:51

Hi, I am back to Luoyang after my trip to Nanyang. I didn't bring my laptop with me during the trip so there is a short pause of 3 days before. I am trying to add more descriptions to each pictures so your questions will be answered there one by one.

— Jian Shuo Wang · 2004-05-07 23:21

I have been there before, it's really a traditional city with impressive buildings. Tang San Cai (唐三彩) is also famous there, right?

— Run Liu · 2004-05-10 16:42

HELLO THIS IS JOHN SMITH I WILL LIKE TO ORDER FOR SOME SPLIT AC FROM YOUR STORE WHICH I WILL BE SHIPPING TO MY CLIENT IN WEST AFRICA,I WILL LIKE YOU TO LIST THE PRICES OF THE ONE YOU HAVE IN STORE NOW,AND I WILL TELL YOU THE TOTAL OF THE ONE I WANT AN WILL SHALL TALK ABOUT THE PAYMENT.

I WILL LIKE TO HERE FROM YOU SOON.

REGARDS JOHN SMITH

— john amith · 2005-06-08 08:19

http://english.holmacollege.org/eumr/ mouthful approximatelyitchperused

— welcomed · 2005-06-19 20:55

gloomymartyeredscouring

— clasped · 2005-06-28 08:53

http://plan.chilympiad.org/graphs/ sensualsovietstudied

— possessed · 2005-07-26 02:33

http://businessmlm.mentorsverige.org/46984159/ canceledequipmentknuckles

— matched · 2005-08-26 06:46

http://refinance.caclbca.org/495980131/ honeymoonjoseyessir

— empire · 2005-09-01 03:10

hi

i am a student of architecture from India. i am working on an Indian style Buddhist temple at luoyang in china. can you send me some pictures of vacant areas beside white horse temple complex which i couls choose as my project site. i can pay you the cost of these pictures . but please send me something because i am ardent to dod teh eproject but i cannot visit the site due to financial reasons . i would be glad if you could send me the pictures

tania

— tania · 2005-11-05 16:29

Regarding the air cons, someone mentioned that "cycle and carriage" is not a maker of aircons, but rather a car dealer. Indeed, they are the official dealer for mercedes and kia in Singapore. The aircons are more probably made by local firm "carrier". These aircon "compressors" are a common sight in Singapore and HongKong, as well as their smaller cousins, "window" or "casement" aircon units. Private apartments and houses usually have a small nook that is not usually seen from outside unless you try and look at it, and so you put the compressors there. However, government housing, which makes up about 70-80% of housing here, have all the compressors in full view with no steel casing as aircon is actually an optional accessorylike water heater, though it is ordered by a large majority(>90%) of flat buyers. Ugly? Maybe. However, I'm used to it and often go around blocks of older flats looking for the aircon units.

— Adi · 2006-06-04 16:40

Hi,

I believe the the so called "technology" that everyone seems to be talking about was pioneered in Singapore itself and not korea. Since HDBs are the main form of lodging for the locals and are govt funded, air-cons are considered a luxury and not a neccessity which the govt are obliged to provide for the residents of such apartments. They may be "ugly" for some but the end of the day please note that you can buy a nicer apartment at 300% (min) the price of a HDB for a private apartment. *Ouch

Btw, what matters if the inside and not the facade. Chinese tend to overrate facade. A facade is a facade....at the end of the day you buy a unit in a building, not the wall of the building...

PS: Newer HBDs (built after 1995) in Singapore have A/C ledge hidden away in some obscure spots for the compressors...but does it really matter???

— Elaine · 2006-06-24 04:52

I am flying into Luoyang (9.00am) and flying back to Shanghai on the following day apprx 3pm. I am planning to go to Longman caves, White Horse Temple and Sholin Temple. Do you think this is do-able? I guess by the time I check into a hotel, it would be around 12pm and take a minibus to Sholin temple and back and the following day before flying (3pm), I hope I will have some time to check out Longman caves.

What do you think?

Raul

— Raul · 2007-10-10 23:32

Longman Caves and White House Temple are very close to the downtown - someone even go there by bike, although they are on two direction of the city (one is at East, and the other is at South).

Shaolin Temple is far, and takes about 2 hours to get there. So spend the first day in Shaolin Temple and the second day in Longman (to allow more flexibility to catch up flight back).

— Jian Shuo Wang · 2007-10-10 23:50

A very nice short outline about LuoYang with a map would be a plus.

I have been there in Oct 2007 and saw the old city area with the artist street etc etc.

Real something to remember and maybe I will return someday.

I suggest that U put a clear description next to each picture, the name, location and historical heritage.

— swanhouw · 2007-12-07 03:23

Hi We are passing through Yuoyang on our way to Beijing. Should we pre-arrange our tours of the caves and temple or is it easy to arrange once we are there. Thanks Graham

— graham · 2008-01-09 20:00

Hi, l would like to know the total cost of the machine plus shipping it to Kenya, installing & training on how to operate it .

Thanks.

— mulama · 2012-04-26 22:42