Classical era In 1036 BC a settlement named Chengzhou () was constructed by the
Duke of Zhou for the remnants of the captured
Shang nobility. The Duke also moved the
Nine Tripod Cauldrons to
Chengzhou from the
Zhou dynasty capital at
Haojing. A second Western Zhou capital,
Wangcheng (also: Luoyi) was built west of Chengzhou. Wangcheng became the capital of the
Eastern Zhou dynasty in 771 BC. The Eastern Zhou dynasty capital was moved to Chengzhou in 510 BC. Later, the
Eastern Han dynasty capital of Luoyang would be built over Chengzhou. Modern Luoyang is built over the ruins of Wangcheng, which are visible at Wangcheng Park.
Qin Shi Huang's chief minister, Lu Buwei, was given Luoyang. Lu began programs to develop and beautify Luoyang. It is said that
Liu Bang visited Luoyang and considered making it his capital and was persuaded to reconsider by his ministers to turn to
Chang'an instead for his capital.
Han dynasty gate In 25 AD, Luoyang was declared the capital of the Eastern Han dynasty on November 27 by
Emperor Guangwu of Han. The city walls formed a rectangle 4 km south to north and 2.5 km west to east, with the Gu River, a tributary of the
Luo River just outside the northern eastern walls. The rectangular Southern Palace and the Northern Palace were 3 km apart and connected by The Covered Way. In 26 AD, the Altar of the Gods of the Soils and Grains, the Altar of Heaven, and the Temple of the Founder,
Emperor Gao of Former Han were inaugurated. The Imperial University was restored in 29 AD. In 48 AD, the Yang Canal linked the capital to the Luo. In 56 AD, the main imperial observatory, the Spiritual Terrace, was constructed. In 166 AD, the first
Roman mission, sent by "the king of Da Qin [the Roman Empire], Andun" (
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, r. 161–180 AD), reached Luoyang after arriving by sea in
Rinan Commandery in what later is central
Vietnam. The late 2nd century saw China decline into
anarchy: The decline was accelerated by the rebellion of the
Yellow Turbans, who, although defeated by the Imperial troops in 184 AD, weakened the state to the point where there was a continuing series of rebellions degenerating into civil war, culminating in the burning of the Han capital of Luoyang on 24 September 189 AD. This was followed by a state of continual unrest and wars in China until a modicum of stability returned in the 220s, but with the establishment of three separate kingdoms, rather than a unified empire.
Wei and Jin dynasties On April 4, 190 AD, Chancellor
Dong Zhuo ordered his soldiers to ransack, pillage, and raze the city as he retreated from
the coalition set up against him by regional lords all over China. The court was subsequently moved to the more defensible western city of
Chang'an. Following a period of disorder, during which warlord
Cao Cao held the last Han emperor
Xian in
Xuchang (196–220), Luoyang was restored to prominence when his son Cao Pi,
Emperor Wen of the
Wei dynasty, declared it his capital in 220 AD. The
Jin dynasty, successor to Wei, was also established in Luoyang. At the height of Jin rule, Luoyang had a population of 600,000 and was probably the second largest city in the world after
Rome. At the start of the 4th century, Luoyang was subjected to repeated attacks during the
War of the Eight Princes and
Upheaval of the Five Barbarians under the Jin. In 311 AD, rebel forces of the
Xiongnu-led
Han-Zhao dynasty sacked and razed the city in an event known as the
Disaster of Yongjia. For the next two centuries, Luoyang remained a contested region among states to come.
Northern Wei In winter 416, during
Liu Yu's northern expedition against the Later Qin, Luoyang fell to the Jin general
Tan Daoji. In 422, the city was captured by
Xianbei-led
Northern Wei dynasty. The
Liu Song dynasty, which succeeded the Jin, recovered the city in 430, and by the 460s, Luoyang was definitively under Wei control. In 493 AD, as part of his
sinicization campaign,
Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei moved the capital from
Datong to Luoyang, moving over 150,000 people to the site by 495, and started the construction of the
rock-cut Longmen Grottoes. More than 30,000
Buddhist statues from the time of this dynasty have been found in the caves (which were chapels dug into cliffs). The classical temple located at the caves, "Gate of Dragons," protected the statues/sculptures and the cave of Buddha. Some of these sculptures were two-faced. At the same time, the
Shaolin Temple was also built by the Emperor to accommodate an Indian monk on the
Mount Song next to Luoyang City. The
Yongning Temple, the tallest pagoda in China, was also built in Luoyang. The city reached a population of 600,000 at its height during the Northern Wei.
Sui and Tang dynasties When
Emperor Yang of Sui took control in 604 AD he founded the new Luoyang on the site of the existing city using a layout inspired by his father
Emperor Wen of Sui's work in newly rebuilt Chang'an. During the
Tang dynasty, Luoyang was Dongdu (), the "Eastern Capital", and at its height had a population of around one million, second only to Chang'an, which, at the time, was the largest city in the world. During an interval in the Tang dynasty, the first and the only empress in Chinese history –
Empress Wu, moved the capital of her Zhou dynasty to Luoyang and named it as Shen Du (Capital of the God). She constructed the tallest palace in Chinese history, which is later in the site of Sui Tang Luoyang city. Luoyang was damaged during the
An Lushan Rebellion. Another epitaph in Luoyang of a Nestorian Christian Sogdian woman also surnamed An was discovered and she was put in her tomb by her military officer son on 22 January, 815. This Sogdian woman's husband was surnamed He (和) and he was a Han Chinese man and the family was indicated to be multiethnic on the epitaph pillar. In Luoyang, the mixed raced sons of Nestorian Christian Sogdian women and Han Chinese men has career paths available for them. Neither their mixed ethnicity nor their faith were barriers and they were able to become civil officials, a military officers and openly celebrated their Christian religion and support Christian monasteries. Central Asians like Sogdians were called "Hu" (胡) by the Chinese during the Tang dynasty. Central Asian "Hu" women were stereotyped as barmaids or dancers by Han in China. Occasionally, "Hu" women would be involved in prostitution as the "Hu" women in China were at times in occupations that doubled as illicit services.
Song dynasty During the Northern
Song dynasty, Luoyang was the 'Western Capital' and birthplace of Zhao Kuangyin, the founder of the Song dynasty. It served as a cultural center, housing some philosophers. This prosperity was mainly caused by Luoyang undergoing new developments and reconstruction during this period. ==UNESCO World Heritage Site==