A Journey to Encounter the Ancients (Part III)

Itinerary Change In the evening, while researching the state of Kaifeng in Lankao, reports indicated that the scenic area was already overcrowded, with vehicles taking two to three hours to enter the city. Thus, I looked up Luoyang and, surprisingly, it was even more popular than Kaifeng. I decided to change the itinerary, avoiding the big cities and heading directly to Gongyi, located between Zhengzhou and Luoyang, to play. From there, I would head north to plan further. The Watcher of the Wheat Fields The Song Tombs in Gongyi are a melancholic place. The tombs of seven emperors from the Northern Song Dynasty are buried here. Due to the wars of the Northern Song Dynasty and the retreat to the south, the Jin Dynasty looted the tombs severely, leaving the Song Tombs almost entirely plundered, with only the stone statues on the Spirit Way remaining. The only intact palace is the Yongzhao Mausoleum in the Song Tombs Park, which is also the tomb of Emperor Renzong of Song. Yonghou Mausoleum is next to Yongzhao Mausoleum. The palace buildings are gone, but the stone statues on the Spirit Way are relatively intact, surrounding the huge and lonely tomb mound. In fact, seeking the secluded and exploring the ancient is most appropriate for the season. A few fitness enthusiasts looked at me, and I chatted with an old man wearing a red armband, learning that Yonghou Mausoleum was the most thoroughly looted. The reason was that the burial records were too detailed, allowing the Jin army to search and loot thoroughly. Autumn here must be beautiful. The tombs of other emperors are not far away, some by the roadside, some requiring a few steps off the road, but the most representative are the Yongzhao Mausoleum and Yonghou Mausoleum in the city center. Kang Baiwan's Mansion Just past the God of Wealth Festival, I heard that there were many people here that day, hoping to share in Kang Baiwan's wealth. The mansion is twelve kilometers from the Song Tombs, requiring a river crossing, but it is very convenient. Kang Baiwan's Mansion is the financial deity capital of Henan. Therefore, there are many visitors. In fact, the mansion can be divided into two main parts: the front is the business office area, with the underground vault being the most interesting. The back is the residential living area, similar to a huge village, with the highlights being the rooms and the large bed where Empress Dowager Cixi stayed when she fled through here. The mansion is similar to the manors in Shanxi, but not as large. In Henan, it's already quite big. The Grotto Temple I didn't know Gongyi had such a grotto temple. The grotto temple is ten kilometers from Kang Baiwan's Mansion, just a short drive away, with few people, but the visitors are very serious, not the kind of bustling scenic area. Research indicates that this grotto temple dates back to the Northern Wei Dynasty, carved after the Longmen Grottoes. Although smaller in scale, its artistic value is not to be underestimated. Standing on the outside corridor, the standing Buddha on the outer rock wall doesn't seem very tall, but the interior of the cave is absolutely stunning. In an instant, it feels like being in Dunhuang. Most of the Dunhuang Grottoes are paintings, but here they are all sculptures, with Buddhas on all four sides of the central pillar, auspicious clouds on the ceiling, thousands of Buddhas on the walls, and exotic gods, musical instruments, and Vajra on the dado, all inspiring admiration. Whether you are an expert or not doesn't matter; the exquisite works alone are enough to amaze you. I praised the folds in the Buddha's robes and the mysterious smiles. There are not many grottoes, five in total, but not enough time to appreciate them. As the gatekeeper says, you can finish in an hour or you can look for several days, depending on your perspective and needs on the grottoes. This place is definitely worth a visit. Remember, you must come to the Grotto Temple in Gongyi! Xinxiang After visiting the grotto temple in the afternoon, we once again studied the route, checking the status of Jincheng in Shanxi and Yuntai Mountain. Both were overcrowded. We decided on the spot to continue northward to Xinxiang. The purpose of going to Xinxiang was to make the most of the two hours in the afternoon to head north. The Xiangtangshan Grottoes, closer to Hebei, were included in the subsequent plan. Unexpectedly, in Xinxiang, we encountered a new scenic spot, an unexpected gain.