Luoyang

Classical era

In 1036 BC a settlement named Chengzhou (成周) was constructed by the Duke of Zhou for the remnants of the captured Shang nobility. The Duke also moved the Nine Tripod Cauldrons to Chengzhou from the Zhou dynasty capital at Haojing. A second Western Zhou capital, Wangcheng (also: Luoyi) was built 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Chengzhou. Wangcheng became the capital of the Eastern Zhou dynasty in 771 BC. The Eastern Zhou dynasty capital was moved to Chengzhou in 510 BC. Later, the Eastern Han dynasty capital of Luoyang would be built over Chengzhou. Modern Luoyang is built over the ruins of Wangcheng, which are visible at Wangcheng Park.^[7]

Qin Shi Huang's chief minister, Lu Buwei, was given Luoyang. Lu began programs to develop and beautify Luoyang. It is said that Liu Bang visited Luoyang and considered making it his capital and was persuaded to reconsider by his ministers to turn to Chang'an instead for his capital.^[8]

Han dynasty

In 25 AD, Luoyang was declared the capital of the Eastern Han dynasty on November 27 by Emperor Guangwu of Han.^[9] The city walls formed a rectangle 4 km south to north and 2.5 km west to east, with the Gu River, a tributary of the Luo River just outside the northern eastern walls. The rectangular Southern Palace and the Northern Palace were 3 km apart and connected by The Covered Way. In 26 AD, the Altar of the Gods of the Soils and Grains, the Altar of Heaven, and the Temple of the Founder, Emperor Gao of Former Han were inaugurated. The Imperial University was restored in 29 AD. In 48 AD, the Yang Canal linked the capital to the Luo. In 56 AD, the main imperial observatory, the Spiritual Terrace, was constructed.^[10]

In 166 AD, the first Roman mission, sent by "the king of Da Qin [the Roman Empire], Andun" (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, r. 161–180 AD), reached Luoyang after arriving by sea in Rinan Commandery in what later is central Vietnam.^[11]

The late 2nd century saw China decline into anarchy:

The decline was accelerated by the rebellion of the Yellow Turbans, who, although defeated by the Imperial troops in 184 AD, weakened the state to the point where there was a continuing series of rebellions degenerating into civil war, culminating in the burning of the Han capital of Luoyang on 24 September 189 AD. This was followed by a state of continual unrest and wars in China until a modicum of stability returned in the 220s, but with the establishment of three separate kingdoms, rather than a unified empire.^[12]

Wei and Jin dynasties

On April 4, 190 AD,^[13] Chancellor Dong Zhuo ordered his soldiers to ransack, pillage, and raze the city as he retreated from the coalition set up against him by regional lords all over China. The court was subsequently moved to the more defensible western city of Chang'an. Following a period of disorder, during which warlord Cao Cao held the last Han emperor Xian in Xuchang (196–220), Luoyang was restored to prominence when his son Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of the Wei dynasty, declared it his capital in 220 AD. The Jin dynasty, successor to Wei, was also established in Luoyang. At the height of Jin rule, Luoyang had a population of 600,000 and was probably the second largest city in the world after Rome.^[14]

At the start of the 4th century, Luoyang was subjected to repeated attacks during the War of the Eight Princes and Upheaval of the Five Barbarians under the Jin. In 311 AD, rebel forces of the Xiongnu-led Han-Zhao dynasty sacked and razed the city in an event known as the Disaster of Yongjia.^[15] For the next two centuries, Luoyang remained a contested region among states to come.^[14] It was the site of a battle in 328 between the Han-Zhao and Later Zhao dynasties which established the latter as a hegemonic power in the north.^[16]

Northern Wei

Quick facts Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese ...

Luoyang
"Luoyang" in Simplified (top) and Traditional (bottom) Chinese characters
Simplified Chinese	洛阳
Traditional Chinese	洛陽
Literal meaning	"Northern Bank of the Luo [River]"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Luòyáng Wade–Giles Lo4-yang2 IPA [lwô.jǎŋ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Lohk-yèuhng Jyutping Lok6-joeng4 IPA [lɔk̚˨.jœŋ˩] Southern Min Tâi-lô Lo̍k-iông

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In winter 416, during Liu Yu's northern expedition against the Later Qin, Luoyang fell to the Jin general Tan Daoji. In 422, the city was captured by Xianbei-led Northern Wei dynasty. The Liu Song dynasty, which succeeded the Jin, recovered the city in 430, and by the 460s, Luoyang was definitively under Wei control. In 493 AD, as part of his sinicization campaign, Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei moved the capital from Datong to Luoyang, moving over 150,000 people to the site by 495,^[17] and started the construction of the rock-cut Longmen Grottoes. More than 30,000 Buddhist statues from the time of this dynasty have been found in the caves (which were chapels dug into cliffs).^[18] The classical temple located at the caves, "Gate of Dragons," protected the statues/sculptures and the cave of Buddha.^[19] Some of these sculptures were two-faced. At the same time, the Shaolin Temple was also built by the Emperor to accommodate an Indian monk on the Mount Song next to Luoyang City. The Yongning Temple, the tallest pagoda in China, was also built in Luoyang. The city reached a population of 600,000 at its height during the Northern Wei.^[17] The city was destroyed by the warlord Gao Huan, who captured the city and forced its population to move to his capital at Ye in 534.^[20]

Sui and Tang dynasties

When Emperor Yang of Sui took control in 604 AD he founded the new Luoyang on the site of the existing city using a layout inspired by his father Emperor Wen of Sui's work in newly rebuilt Chang'an.^[21][22]

Model of Luoyang palace city during Wu Zetian's reign. Construction projects were commissioned during Wu Zetian's time, such as the Bright Hall [zh] of Luoyang (right) commissioned by Wu Zetian (original 294 chi = 93m tall).^[23]

During the Tang dynasty, Luoyang was Dongdu (東都), the "Eastern Capital", and at its height had a population of around one million, second only to Chang'an, which, at the time, was the largest city in the world.^[24]

During an interval in the Tang dynasty, the first and the only empress in Chinese history – Empress Wu, moved the capital of her Zhou dynasty to Luoyang and named it as Shen Du (Capital of the God). She constructed the tallest palace in Chinese history, which is later in the site of Sui Tang Luoyang city. Luoyang was damaged during the An Lushan Rebellion.^[8]

Epitaphs were found dating from the Tang dynasty of a Christian couple in Luoyang of a Nestorian Christian Sogdian woman, Lady An (安氏), who died in 821, and her Nestorian Christian Han Chinese husband, Hua Xian (花献), who died in 827. These Han Chinese Christian men may have married Sogdian Christian women because of a lack of Han Chinese women belonging to the Christian religion, limiting their choice of spouses among the same ethnicity.^[25] Another epitaph in Luoyang of a Nestorian Christian Sogdian woman also surnamed An was discovered and she was put in her tomb by her military officer son on 22 January, 815. This Sogdian woman's husband was surnamed He (和) and he was a Han Chinese man and the family was indicated to be multiethnic on the epitaph pillar.^[26] In Luoyang, the mixed raced sons of Nestorian Christian Sogdian women and Han Chinese men has career paths available for them. Neither their mixed ethnicity nor their faith were barriers and they were able to become civil officials, a military officers and openly celebrated their Christian religion and support Christian monasteries.^[27] Central Asians like Sogdians were called "Hu" (胡) by the Chinese during the Tang dynasty. Central Asian "Hu" women were stereotyped as barmaids or dancers by Han in China. Occasionally, "Hu" women would be involved in prostitution as the "Hu" women in China were at times in occupations that doubled as illicit services.^[28]

Song dynasty

During the Northern Song dynasty, Luoyang was the 'Western Capital' and birthplace of Zhao Kuangyin, the founder of the Song dynasty. It served as a cultural center, housing some philosophers. This prosperity was mainly caused by Luoyang undergoing new developments and reconstruction during this period.^[8]

2021 administrative reorganization

With the 2017 designation of Zhengzhou as a National Central City, Henan Province in 2020 proposed a new development plan for Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area, which called for the development of Luoyang as a sub-central city. As part of this development, authorities decided to expand the urban area of Luoyang. This facilitated planning and coordinated use of resources and infrastructure in Luoyang, and allowed for better integration towards Zhengzhou, as Yanshi, Jili and Mengjin previously separated the Luoyang urban area from Zhengzhou.^[32]

On 28 March 2021, the central government approved an administrative reorganization of Luoyang city. Yanshi City was reorganized into an urban district (Yanshi District), while Jili District and Mengjin County were merged into Mengjin District. This reorganization effectively doubled the urban area of Luoyang.^[32]

Climate

Luoyang has a highly continental dry-winter humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cwa). Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −18.2 °C (−1 °F) (unofficial record of −20 °C (−4 °F)) was on January 17, 1936)^[34] to 44.2 °C (112 °F).

Archaeological Site Conservation Mobile Lab

The Luoyang Municipal Institute of Archaeology operates a mobile laboratory for the on-site conservation of artifacts during excavations. This vehicle is equipped with tools for emergency stabilization, cleaning, and preliminary analysis of unearthed objects, particularly fragile organic materials and metals, allowing for immediate intervention before transfer to a full conservation facility.^[45]