Luoyang, Henan, Longmen Caves

Fengxian Cave

The hard rock here was conducive to delicate carving, carried out on a monumental scale for some 500 years starting in A.D. 494. They statues range in size of about 17 meters (56 feet) to a fingernail-size 2 cm (less than an inch). This cave shelters a 17 meter Buddha, seated atop a thousand-petaled lotus and accompanied by lesser but equally brilliant statues of his disciples. The fierce, heavenly guard trampling a devil underfoot is thought to bring good luck to those who put their arms around his ankle, but alas, an iron fence keeps you away.