The best way to learn about the past of a historic Chinese city is to pay a visit to Old Town. The Old Town of Luoyang is located in the northeast of the city, covering an area of 56.7 square kilometers.

The entrance to Old Town is a magnificent semi-circular shaped building called Lijing Gate, literally meaning 'the gate to beautiful scenery'. It was previously the west gate of the inner city of Luoyang and was built in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) when Luoyang was the capital of China.

In Old Town, ancient business streets prospered and restaurants, boutique shops, groceries and hardware stores clustered together. There are several time-honored restaurants, which offer mainly Luoyang cuisine, such as guan ji and yao yao. The restaurants attract both local residents and tourists alike.

Luoyang people boast a special dining custom called “Shuiyan” meaning the “flowing water banquet”. Dishes in Shuiyan are served one after another, like continously flowing. Soup is indispensable in “liushuiyan”.

On the streets, there are shops selling special products of Luoyang such as peony paintings, three-color glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty (tang san cai) and plum blossom jade (mei hua yu).