Old Town Cross Street

The 1,200-year-old food street of Luoyang

The Old Town Cross Street (老城十字街) is the heart of Luoyang’s traditional food scene — a 100-meter-long cross-shaped intersection in the Laocheng (Old City) District that has been a market street for over 1,200 years. Today it hosts 200+ food vendors and craft shops, with the night market (17:00-22:00 daily) being the most authentic food experience in Luoyang.

The cross-street sits at the center of a 2.2-sq-km Old Town surrounded by 70+ traditional streets, with the symbolic Lijing Gate (丽景门) at the west entrance and the rebuilt Drum Tower (鼓楼) at the central intersection. The Old Town is the most-photographed area of Luoyang, especially in the evening when the red lanterns are lit and the food vendors are cooking.

For first-time foreign visitors, the Old Town is the place to experience Luoyang’s living food culture — the museum (covered separately) explains the city’s 5,000-year history, but the Old Town is where you taste it. The combination of museum + Old Town is the complete Luoyang experience.

What to actually eat

The Old Town is Luoyang’s street food capital. Top 5 must-try dishes:

1. Bufan Tang (不翻汤, “no-flip soup”) — the signature Luoyang dish. A thin green-beer pancake dropped into a clear broth with粉丝 (vermicelli), 海带 (kelp), 豆腐丝 (shredded tofu), and 油豆皮 (yuba). The pancake is named for the fact that it doesn’t need to be flipped during cooking — it solidifies from one side. Only served in the morning and at the night market. ¥8-15/bowl.

2. Jiang Mian Tiao (浆面条, “fermented-bean noodles”) — the most local of Luoyang’s noodle dishes. A sour-fermented green-bean juice broth with thick hand-pulled noodles, topped with芹菜 (celery), 黄豆 (soybeans), 花生碎 (crushed peanuts), and a touch of pork fat. The sour flavor is acquired — most foreign visitors find it unusual at first. ¥10-15/bowl.

3. Guotie (锅贴, “potstickers”) — Luoyang-style pan-fried dumplings, especially the beef and chive filling. Crispy bottom, juicy filling. ¥8-15 for 6-8 pieces.

4. Hula Tang (胡辣汤, “Henan pepper soup”) — the Henan breakfast classic, also great at the night market. A thick spicy-sour soup with vermicelli, tofu, beef or pork strips, and the signature Henan pepper blend (a numbing-spicy mix). ¥8-12/bowl.

5. Mudan Bing (牡丹饼, “peony cakes”) — the Luoyang specialty souvenir food. Small round cakes filled with peony-petal paste. ¥3-5 each, often paired with peony tea (牡丹茶).

Plus the Luoyang Water Banquet (洛阳水席) — a 24-dish Tang-dynasty-origin feast (8 cold + 16 hot, all soup-based) that takes 2-3 hours to eat. The Old Town has 5+ dedicated water-banquet restaurants; the most famous is 老雒阳 (Lǎo Luòyáng) at the west end of the cross-street. The 8-dish set menu is enough for 1-2 people at ¥30-50; the full 24-dish feast is ¥80-150/person.

A brief history of the Old Town

The Luoyang Old Town traces its street pattern to the Sui-Tang dynasty (581-907 AD) when Luoyang was the eastern capital of the Chinese empire. The cross-shaped street layout (东西南北, “east-west-north-south”) was a deliberate Sui-Tang urban design — the city’s main streets met at a central cross, with a Drum Tower or Bell Tower at the intersection for civic time-keeping.

The current cross-street was the commercial heart of the Old Town for 1,200+ years. The name “十字街” (cross street) comes from the cross-shaped street layout. The night market tradition is even older — Chinese cities have had night markets since the Tang dynasty, when imperial curfew was relaxed to allow food vendors to operate in the evenings.

The current buildings along the cross-street are mostly Ming-Qing (1368-1912) and early 20th century, with the 2002 restoration of Lijing Gate as the symbolic entrance. The Drum Tower was rebuilt in 2002. The Old Town is one of the best-preserved traditional urban areas in central China.

The Lijing Gate (丽景门) gateway

Lijing Gate is the symbolic western entrance to the Luoyang Old Town — a 4-tier traditional gate tower first built in 1217 (Jin dynasty) and rebuilt in 2002. The scenic area (¥30 entry) includes the gate tower, a small museum on Luoyang history, and a courtyard with traditional architecture.

Climb the gate tower for a panoramic view of the Old Town rooftops — the maze of traditional streets, the Drum Tower in the distance, and (in good weather) the Longmen Grottoes hills to the south. The sunset hour (16:00-17:00) is the gold standard for photography.

The local saying 不到丽景门,枉来洛阳城 (“without seeing Lijing Gate, your visit to Luoyang is wasted”) is a well-known Luoyang slogan. Whether or not the gate itself is worth the ¥30, the surrounding area is the heart of the Old Town and the natural starting point for the cross-street walk.

What to see beyond the cross-street

The cross-street is the centerpiece of the Old Town, but the broader 2.2-sq-km area has multiple other attractions:

• Drum Tower (鼓楼) — at the central intersection of the cross-street, rebuilt in 2002 in Ming style. Free to enter, open during the day.
• Luoyi Ancient City (洛邑古城) — 1 km south of the cross-street, a 2017-built cultural district with traditional architecture, food, and crafts. The most popular for foreign visitors.
• Yingtian Gate (应天门) — 1 km south, the Sui-Tang dynasty south gate of the imperial city, rebuilt 2021. ¥50 entry, evening light show.
• Ming Hall (明堂) — 1.5 km south, the Tang dynasty imperial palace, rebuilt 2020. ¥50 entry, with the underground palace ruins.
• Wenfeng Pagoda (文峰塔) — 5 km east, a Yuan dynasty brick pagoda. ¥30 entry, the only Yuan-era pagoda in Luoyang.

For a full Old Town day, do the Lijing Gate + cross-street + Drum Tower + Luoyi Ancient City + Yingtian Gate + Ming Hall route (allow 4-6 hours).

Getting to Old Town Cross Street

The Old Town is in the Laocheng (Old City) District, 2 km west of Luoyang railway station. The main access options:

Bus: Take bus 5, 10, 16, 22, 41, or 56 from Luoyang railway station, 20-30 min, ¥2. Get off at the Lijing Gate (丽景门) stop. Buses run every 10-15 min from 06:00 to 22:00.

Didi (ride-hailing): 15-20 min from Luoyang city center, ¥20-30. Show the driver 老城十字街 (Lǎochéng Shízì Jiē) or simply 十字街 (Cross Street) — every Luoyang taxi driver knows it.

Taxi: Similar to Didi. Make sure the driver uses the meter. The Old Town is a pedestrian zone — drivers drop you at the Lijing Gate or Wangcheng Park parking lot.

Self-drive: Not practical in the Old Town (pedestrian zone). Park at the Lijing Gate parking lot (¥10/day) or Wangcheng Park parking lot (¥10/day) and walk in.

Walking from the Luoyang Museum: 30 min walk south via the Luolong District, or 10 min Didi.

When to visit

• Spring (March-May): Best weather (15-25°C). The Peony Festival (April 5-May 5) brings extra visitors to the Old Town. The Wangcheng Park peony display is 1.5 km west of the cross-street.
• Summer (June-August): Hot (30-35°C). The night market is still lively but the day is hot for walking. August is the wettest month — bring rain gear.
• Autumn (September-November): Best for atmosphere. Mild weather (15-25°C), clear skies, fewer crowds than spring. October is golden for photography.
• Winter (December-February): Cold (0-8°C) but the night market is still active. Fewer tourists, more local atmosphere. The red lanterns look especially atmospheric in winter fog.

Avoid Chinese national holidays (Oct 1-7, May 1-3, Spring Festival) — the Old Town becomes unmanageable. Weekday evenings (Tuesday-Thursday) are the sweet spot.

Practicalities for foreign visitors

• Payment: Food vendors accept Alipay and WeChat Pay. Some accept cash. NO credit cards. Set up Alipay with international Visa/Mastercard before you arrive (5 minutes via the app, can be done from your home country).
• Dress code: No dress code. Wear comfortable walking shoes — the cross-street is cobblestoned.
• Photography: Allowed everywhere. The night market vendors are friendly to photography. The red lanterns are atmospheric in low light.
• Restrooms: Available at Lijing Gate (paid, ¥2-5) and at the Luoyi Ancient City scenic area (paid, ¥2-5). The cross-street itself has no public restrooms — plan accordingly.
• Language: No English signage. Most food vendors speak basic Chinese. Download Pleco and Google Translate with the offline Chinese pack before you arrive.
• Pickpockets: Watch for pickpockets in the dense night-market crowds. Keep your bag zipped and in front of you.
• Scams: The “tea ceremony” / “art student” / “secret bar” scams target foreign tourists in Luoyang. Polite but firm “bu xie” (不谢) and walk on.

What to do nearby

• Luoyang Museum (洛阳博物馆): 8 km east, 20 min Didi. The provincial museum with 20,000+ artifacts. Free entry, allow 2-3 hours. Combine with the Old Town for the full Luoyang experience.
• Longmen Grottoes (龙门石窟): 12 km south, 30 min Didi. The UNESCO World Heritage Buddhist cave complex. ¥90 entry, allow 3-4 hours.
• White Horse Temple (白马寺): 12 km east, 25 min Didi. China’s first Buddhist temple. ¥35 entry, allow 2-3 hours.
• Wangcheng Park (王城公园): 1.5 km west, 10 min walk. The main venue of the annual Luoyang Peony Festival (April 5-May 5). ¥0-30 entry.
• Laojun Mountain (老君山): 150 km south, 3.5 hours one way by Didi or HSR+Didi. The Taoist sacred mountain. Full-day trip.
• Yingtian Gate + Ming Hall (应天门 + 明堂): 1-1.5 km south of the cross-street, the rebuilt Sui-Tang palace site. ¥50 each, with evening light show.

Final tip

The biggest mistake first-timers make: visiting the Old Town during the day. The cross-street itself is a 100-meter intersection that takes 5 minutes to walk through in daylight. The Old Town comes alive in the evening (17:00-22:00) when the night market opens and the red lanterns are lit — this is when the 200+ food vendors set up shop, the local Luoyang families come out for their evening meals, and the Old Town becomes the cultural experience it was meant to be. Plan the Old Town as your evening stop, not your morning stop. The other common mistake: only trying one or two dishes at the night market. The Old Town is a multi-dish destination — try Bufan Tang + Jiang Mian Tiao + potstickers + Hula Tang + Mudan Bing, all in one evening. That’s 5+ dishes, ¥80-100 total, the complete Luoyang street-food experience.