Luoyang! —— Henan's 'Millennial Runner-up'

City History Through Time Project Every province has a standout internet-famous city. Only Henan doesn't have one, while Shandong has Zibo, Shaanxi has Xi'an, Sichuan has Chengdu, Zhejiang has Hangzhou... If everyone in Henan were to choose an internet-famous city, it would undoubtedly be Luoyang! Luoyang has the strongest internet-famous city genes. From Henan Satellite TV's 'Tang Palace Night Banquet', 'Luo Shen Water Ode', 'Longmen Diamond' to the popular TV series 'The Wind Rises in Luoyang'... Luoyang has always been busy. Luoyang is Henan's 'Millennial Runner-up'. It has the most domineering name in the country, also known as 'China', and 'Divine Capital'. Looking across the entire internet, there is no second city with such a resounding name! Although Luoyang's GDP is less than half of the provincial capital Zhengzhou, in terms of fame, it can crush Zhengzhou. Luoyang is known as the 'Ancient Capital of Thirteen Dynasties'! It has been the capital for over 1500 years, with a total of 105 emperors having worked in Luoyang. It's truly a fighter jet among imperial cities! It's not an exaggeration to say that Chinese culture was born in Luoyang. Luoyang is a city chosen by heaven, born with a silver spoon in its mouth. 🌷 Luoyang has three unique treasures: water banquets, peonies, and grottoes. Luoyang's Longmen Grottoes are the pinnacle of Chinese grotto art, with the largest statue of Vairocana Buddha, which is said to have been modeled after Empress Wu Zetian. Wu Zetian even rewarded it, donating her own rouge money. Many friends only know that people in Guangdong love to make soup, but those who love soup even more are from Luoyang in the north. If you say, isn't it just 'Hulatang' (spicy soup)? Then, you're out of touch! The 'soup' we're talking about is the famous 'Luoyang Water Banquet', a grand dish from the Tang Dynasty, a royal identity, a prominent existence! The dishes served at the Luoyang Water Banquet are all soupy, totaling 24 courses! Among them, 'Peony Swallow Dish' is the top card. It is said to be Empress Wu Zetian's favorite. Because of the Luoyang Water Banquet, Luoyang people have their own unique term for eating. They call 'eating' 'drinking soup'. When the warm-hearted people of Luoyang ask you 'Have you had soup?', don't be surprised! It means 'Have you eaten?' How much do Luoyang people love soup? Every street and alley is filled with: tofu soup, meatball soup, beef soup, mutton soup, 'bu fan tang' (non-overturned soup), donkey meat soup... Luoyang is an important birthplace of the '24 Solar Terms'. Among the 'Four Great Inventions', papermaking, the compass, and printing were all invented in Luoyang. Luoyang also gave birth to a host of famous 'historical stories': 'Luoyang Paper is Expensive', 'Fish Leaping Over Dragon Gate', 'Contending for Central Plains', 'Too Happy to Think of Shu', 'Cheng Men Li Xue'... Great literary figures like Sima Guang and Ouyang Xiu were once citizens of Luoyang. In ancient times, Luoyang was a super city in terms of historical culture, as well as a heavyweight in the economy. During the Western Jin Dynasty, the famous story of Shi Chong and Wang Kai's wealth competition took place in Luoyang. Luoyang's spring and autumn prosperity occurred during the Sui and Tang dynasties. After Emperor Yang of Sui opened the Grand Canal, Luoyang became the center of the north-south canal, where goods from the north and south converged, making it the richest place in the world! Some say 'half of China's history was written by Luoyang.' Luoyang has too many labels: peony, Guanlin, Laojun Mountain, White Horse Temple...