Beautifying Longmen over a century
Updated: 2015-05-28
The face of the Longmen Grottoes has gone through cosmetic changes over the past century.
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| The Longmen Grottoes in 1907 |
The photo taken a century ago shows that the Longmen west mountain had thin vegetation back then. But it could also tell the trace of artificial planting with three rows of trees in the west bank of the Yihe River, right in front of the Virocana Buddha, the largest Buddha statue in Longmen.
The photo suggests that the greening and beautification of Longmen Grottoes had already started in the early 20th century.
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| The Longmen Grottoes in 2015 |
A dam project was launched in the Longmen section of Yihe River at the end of 2001. It helped improve the river channel as well as the greening along the river banks in the Longmen scenic area. The surface of the 700-mu (46.66 hectares) river ripples ever since, presenting a charming picture of “water Longmen”, as can be seen in the 2015 photo, to tourists from home and abroad.
