点评:We took the direct bus from Luoyang Coach Station to Shaolin Temple (RMB 25, 2.5 hrs). Boarding at 8:05 AM meant arriving at 10:30 AM — just after the first kung fu show. The driver reminded us the return bus was at 3:30 PM, leaving about five hours to explore.
At the 11:30 AM show, seating was full, so we decided to return early for the 2 PM performance. Between noon and 1 PM, we visited the main temple halls, which felt unimpressive, then had a quick lunch. By arriving at the theatre at 1 PM, we secured excellent seats and finally enjoyed the kung fu show — though waiting consumed much of our time.
My plan to ride the cable car to Sanhuangzhai (三皇寨) had to be dropped to avoid missing the bus.
Inspired by Jet Li’s Shaolin Temple and the saying “天下武功出少林” (“All martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin”), I expected more. While the film drew millions of visitors and helped restore the temple, the reality was quieter: the Pagoda Forest (塔林) was calm, with no martial displays, and the temple itself remained a functioning monastery rather than a martial arts school. Competing for seats at the performance left me disappointed overall.
The lesson is to come early.
翻译:我们从洛阳汽车站乘坐直达巴士前往少林寺(票价25元人民币,行程约2.5小时)。早上8:05发车,10:30抵达,正好赶上第一场功夫表演刚刚结束。司机提醒我们返程巴士的时间为下午3:30,这样我们就有大约5个小时可以自由游览。
11:30的那场表演观众席已满,于是我们决定提前返回,观看下午2点的演出。中午12点到1点期间,我们参观了少林寺的主要殿堂,不过印象并不深刻,随后匆匆吃了午饭。1点一到,我们就赶到了剧院。我们抢到了绝佳的座位,终于能够欣赏功夫表演了——尽管等待过程耗费了我们大量时间。
为了不错过巴士,我不得不放弃乘坐缆车前往三皇寨的计划。
受到李连杰主演的《少林寺》以及“天下武功出少林”这句话的启发,我原本抱有更多的期待。虽然这部电影吸引了数百万游客并促成了寺庙的修复,但现实却平静得多:塔林里静悄悄的,没有任何武术表演。那座寺庙本身仍然是一座正常运作的修道院,而非武术学校。为了争抢演出座位的过程让我整体感到失望。
教训就是:要早点到。