Luoyang, China

LUOYANG, in the middle reaches of the Yellow River valley, has been occupied since Neolithic times and served as China's capital at various points from the Zhou through to 937 AD. Confucius once studied here, and this is where Buddhism first took root in China in 68AD. While the drab modern city retains no atmosphere of past glories, there are two outstanding Buddhist sites nearby. Chief of these is Longmen Caves, one of China's three major rock art galleries, which rarely fails to impress with the scale and complexity of its giant figures and intricate miniatures. The other major sight is the Buddhist temple of Baima Si, which lies east of the city. Luoyang also makes a good base for day-trips to Song Shan and Shaolin Si.