Introduction to Mogao Grottoes!
The Mogao Grottoes are a national key cultural relics protection unit, commonly known as Thousand Buddha Cave. They are located in Dunhuang at the west end of the Hexi Corridor. They are world-famous for their exquisite murals and statues. It was built in the pre-Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms. It has been built in the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia, Yuan and other dynasties, and has formed a huge scale. There are currently 735 caves and 45,000 square meters of murals. With 2,415 clay colored sculptures, it is the largest and richest Buddhist art shrine in the world. In modern times, the Buddhist Scripture Cave was discovered, containing more than 50,000 ancient cultural relics. From this, Dunhuang studies, a discipline specializing in the study of the classics in the Buddhist Scripture Cave and Dunhuang art, was derived. But in modern times, the Mogao Grottoes have been defrauded and stolen, a large number of cultural relics have been lost, and its treasures have been severely damaged. In 1961, the Mogao Grottoes were announced as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were listed as a world cultural heritage. It is one of the four major grottoes in China. Now, the Mogao Grottoes have become a famous tourist attraction in my country.
Must-visit attractions in Dunhuang
What are the tourist attractions in Dunhuang? Among Dunhuang attractions, Mogao Grottoes is famous both at home and abroad. It is the world's largest art treasure house. In addition, Dunhuang also has magical desert wonders and historic Silk Road crossings. If you want to understand China’s earliest trade journey, come to Dunhuang. You might as well take a look at the recommendations for must-visit attractions in Dunhuang.
Mogao Grottoes
Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as Thousand Buddha Cave, is known as the most valuable cultural discovery in the 20th century and the "Louvre of the East". It is located at the west end of the Hexi Corridor. Dunhuang is famous for its exquisite murals and statues.
Although the Mogao Grottoes have been invaded by nature and man-made damage over the long years, they are still the greatest treasure house of Buddhist art in the world. The Dunhuang murals are richer in capacity and content than any other in the world today. Religious grottoes, temples or palaces cannot be compared
Travel Guide
Tickets: 200 yuan (peak season from May 1st to October 31st
100 Yuan (off-season November 1st - April 30th)
Address: 25 kilometers south of Dunhuang City
Transportation: To go to the Mogao Grottoes, you can take the bus in front of Shazhou Market in Dunhuang City The fare is 8 yuan by rural bus (you can charter a bus)
Special reminder:
1. Dunhuang’s climate is a polar dry continental climate, with an annual average temperature of 9.3°C, and an average temperature of July The temperature is 24.7℃, and in January it is 9.3℃. It is dry and rainless all year round, with a huge temperature difference between day and night. In addition, Dunhuang also suffers from two natural disasters: hot dry wind and black sandstorm. Visitors should take precautions early
2. In order to protect the murals When visiting the Mogao Grottoes, you can only use a flashlight. Each tour guide brings a flashlight. If you want to see better, you can bring a three-cell flashlight. It is recommended to use a cold light flashlight
3. Since the flashes of various cameras can cause great damage to cultural relics, please make sure not to bring your camera before visiting the Mogao Grottoes!
4. It is recommended to go to the Mogao Grottoes in the morning because the caves The entrance of the cave faces east, and the direct sunlight is very sacred
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring
Mingsha Mountain is a national key scenic spot located seven kilometers south of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. The northern foothills of the mountain cover an area of ??about 200 square kilometers, starting from the cliff top of Mogao Grottoes in the east and connecting to Danghe Reservoir in the west. The entire mountain is made up of fine rice-granular yellow sand. When the wind blows, the sand mountain will make a loud noise. When it blows, it looks like orchestra strings and bamboos, hence the name Mingsha Mountain. There are two peculiarities in Mingsha Mountain: if a person slides down from the top of the mountain, the sand under his feet will make a whining sound; There will be no trace of the footprints the next day. The Mingsha Mountain, the sand peaks are undulating, the mountain is "winding like a horned dragon", and the golden light is like a golden mountain.
Mingsha Mountain was once called "Shajiao Mountain"
Travel Guide
Tickets: 120 yuan (peak season from April 1 to October 31), 60 yuan (off-season in November) 1st - March 31st)
Transportation: Take bus No. 3 from the city (Rebound Pipa Sculpture/Shazhou South Road), the fare is 2 yuan, to the terminal. You can also take a taxi to Mingsha Mountain (about 20 yuan)
Special reminder:
The sunset landscape of Mingsha Mountain is very beautiful. It is best to visit Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring at dusk. good. The wind and sand on the mountain are very strong, so it is best to take some precautionary measures
Yadan National Geopark
Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark is currently the largest, most mature and most developed geological form in Asia. The Yadan landform community has great ornamental value. The scenic spot is divided into north and south areas, about 25 kilometers long from east to west, and about 18 kilometers wide from north to south, with a total area of ??more than 400 square kilometers. Dunhuang Yadan is majestic, exquisite in shape and rich in content. It is a rare geological wonder. At the same time, it is also an important scientific exploration site for geological, landform and ecological environment research. In November 2001, the Ministry of Land and Resources approved the establishment of Dunhuang Yadan National Geopark
Travel Guide
Tickets: 120 yuan (including 70 yuan for inter-district fare)
Transportation: Charter a car by yourself or choose to go to a travel agency to join a group tour for individual passengers, Yadan Bus
Yangguan
When people mention Yangguan, people will immediately think of the poem "Weicheng Morning Rain" "The dust is light, the guest house is green and the willows are new. I urge you to drink another glass of wine, and there will be no old friends when you leave Yangguan in the west." This masterpiece by Wang Wei, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, can be described as an eternal quatrain. It has been widely circulated after being sung with music.
Yangguan is located on the "Antique Beach" in Nanhu Township, 70 kilometers southwest of Dunhuang City in the Hexi Corridor. It was named Yangguan because it is located south of Yumen Pass. Yangguan was first built in the Yuanding period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It was "listed among four counties and occupied two passes" in Hexi, and Yangguan was one of the two passes. As the gateway to the Western Regions and an important pass on the southern route of the Silk Road, Yangguan was a strategic location that ancient military strategists fought for. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, with the decline of the Silk Road, Yangguan was gradually abandoned. The old "Dunhuang County Chronicle" listed Yumen Pass and Yangguan together as the "Two Pass Relics" and listed them as one of the eight scenic spots in Dunhuang.
Nowadays, the former Yangguan City has long since disappeared. There is only one Han Dynasty beacon site called Yangguan Ermu, which stands on Dundun Mountain for future generations to pay tribute to.
Travel guide
Tickets: 50 yuan, and full explanation service is provided
Transportation: There is an asphalt road connecting Dunhuang City to Yangguan. It costs about 100 yuan to charter a car. Because the scenic area is large, you can spend 20 yuan at the entrance of the scenic area to take a battery car to enter the scenic area
Yumen Pass
Yumen Pass, commonly known as Xiaofangpan City, is named after the beautiful jade from Khotan was imported to the Central Plains through this place. . Located in the city of Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, it was one of the two passes on the western frontier in the Han Dynasty. It was the only pass through which the ancient Silk Road left Dunhuang and entered the North and Middle Roads of the Western Regions. It has been the gateway from the Central Plains to the Western Regions since ancient times. Fifteen kilometers away from Yumen Pass, there is the ancient city of Hecang, which was the granary for the guards of Yumen Pass in the Han Dynasty. Only ruins remain, but the momentum of that year can still be seen. To travel from Dunhuang to Yumen Pass, you can only take the shortcut on the Gobi Desert
Travel Guide
Ticket: 40 yuan
Transportation: It is recommended to charter a car
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Self-driving: Drive along G215 from Dunhuang City for 34.1 kilometers, turn right, and after driving 58.4 kilometers, turn right, drive 20 meters, and pass the ruins of the Han Great Wall on the right for about 220 meters before reaching the Yumenguan ruins .
Car rental: It is about 90 kilometers from Dunhuang to Yumen Pass. It is connected by a desert highway and is basically passable by small cars. There is currently no direct public transportation, so it is recommended to charter a car or find a local travel agency. The cost of chartering a car is about 500 yuan.
Have you been to the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang? Do you think it's worth going there?
The Mogao Grottoes, located in Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, my country, are the largest and richest Buddhist temples in the world. They are also one of the three and four major grottoes in my country. They have a very high artistic value and tourism value. Every year, countless people come here from all over the world to travel here. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes has a long history, and its beauty is shocking and amazing. Personally, I think it's still worth a visit here. The following is a detailed introduction to the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang.
01. Geographical location
The Mogao Grottoes are located in Dunhuang City, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor in my country. As a relatively fully developed tourist attraction, the infrastructure construction near the Mogao Grottoes is relatively complete, and there are also related sightseeing buses to shuttle back and forth, which is very convenient. It’s not too expensive to take a taxi directly from the city. If you’re looking for an economical trip, you can also choose to take the bus. Overall, the transportation is very convenient.
02. Scenery Overview
The Mogao Grottoes are mysterious. The flying apsaras on the caisson, the thousand Buddhas on the top of the slope, the gentle Bodhisattva statues and the colorful murals on both sides are all enough to take photos. Heart-warming. Standing in the cave, silently admiring and feeling the profound historical and cultural heritage it contains, it is as if you have traveled back to thousands of years ago in an instant, which is breathtaking. Each cave is unique, with its own unique charm and scenery. Before stepping into the next cave, you can never imagine the surprise and shock that the next cave will bring you.
03. Things to do in Mogao Grottoes
In addition to admiring the magnificent and colorful murals, the architectural style and characteristics of the grottoes themselves, as well as the pagodas, are all worth stopping to admire. . Among them are many masterpieces of ancient architecture, which have very high research value. The more representative typical buildings include the nine-story building, the three-story building, and the Buddhist Scripture Cave, all of which are must-sees when visiting the Mogao Grottoes.
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes have very important historical value, artistic value and scientific and technological value, and are a treasure of all mankind. All in all, it is still worth a visit. If you have the chance in your lifetime, you must go and see it.
Information about Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as Thousand Buddhas Cave, is located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It was built in the pre-Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and has gone through the construction of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia, Yuan and other dynasties. It has formed a huge scale, with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and mud paintings. With 2,415 colorful sculptures, it is the largest and richest Buddhist art site in the world.
In 1961, the Mogao Grottoes were announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were listed as a world cultural heritage.
The Mogao Grottoes, together with the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, and the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu, are collectively known as the four major grottoes in China.
The one-thousand-year history of the construction of the Dunhuang Grottoes coincided with the long period of division and separatism in the Chinese history after the Han Dynasty. It moved towards national integration and the unification of the north and the south. It reached the peak of the Tang Dynasty and then declined from its peak. development period. During this period, it was the period of formation and development of the procedures, schools, categories, and theories of Chinese art. It was also the period when Buddhism and Buddhist art were introduced, and Chinese Buddhist theories and Buddhist sects were established and developed. Buddhist art became Chinese art. important categories, finally completing the period of Sinicization.
From the perspective of the categories of Chinese painting and art, the figure paintings, landscape paintings, animal paintings, and decorative pattern paintings in the Dunhuang Grottoes murals all have a history of thousands of years. They form their own system and have numerous characteristics. They can all become independent The history of figure painting, landscape painting, animal painting, and decorative pattern painting. In particular, it has preserved such rich examples of figure paintings, landscape paintings, animal paintings, and decorative patterns from before the Song Dynasty in China, that is, before the 10th century, which has never been seen in museum collections around the world.
There are more than 200 musical-themed caves in the Dunhuang murals, and there are many bands, musicians and musical instruments. According to statistics, there are more than 500 groups of different types of bands, and 40 types of musical instruments such as blowing, beating, pulling and playing. There are more than 4,500 pieces in total.
There are also music scores and other musical materials in the Dunhuang Scripture Cave documents. The rich music image data shows the continuous development and changes of Chinese music culture in the past thousand years. It provides valuable information for studying the history of Chinese music and the exchange of Chinese and Western music.
Introduction to Mogao Grottoes
Introduction to Mogao Grottoes
Although Mogao Grottoes have been invaded by nature and man-made damage over the long years, So far, there are 492 caves from ten dynasties including the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Xixia and Yuan, with more than 45,000 square meters of murals and 2,000 colorful statues. The greatest extant treasure trove of Buddhist art in the world. Below, I will introduce to you the tourist attractions of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. I hope it will be helpful to you!
Special reminder
Currently, only 10 grottoes and 2 exhibition centers can be visited in the Mogao Grottoes; during public holidays, 5 more grottoes can be visited.
Photography is prohibited inside the Mogao Grottoes; the caves are not open on rainy days; it is best to bring a flashlight when visiting (you can also rent it outside the scenic area).
It is best to visit the Mogao Grottoes in the early morning because there is a limit on the number of visitors and the light is better in the morning.
It is best to read an introduction to the Mogao Grottoes, otherwise it will be difficult to understand the mystery of the cave statues and murals.
Mogao Grottoes costs RMB 160 for domestic guests during peak season and RMB 180 for foreign guests (20 yuan of which is the guide fee)
RMB 80 for domestic guests and RMB 100 for foreign guests during off-season at Mogao Grottoes
The Mogao Grottoes are open from 9:00 to 17:00
You can take a taxi from Dunhuang to the Mogao Grottoes. The one-way fare is about 35 yuan, and the car is slightly more expensive. In addition, there are many minibuses and buses in Dunhuang that go directly to the Mogao Grottoes. If you stay late in the cave, you can take a minibus that picks up the staff after 6 o'clock for 5 yuan per person. If you go there in the peak season, you can take the green bus near Dunhuang Hotel directly, the fare is 2 yuan.
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
The inner wall of the Sutra Cave is painted with Bodhi trees, maids and other images. There is a low altar in the style of a Zen bed and a stone stele. The stele was written by the eminent monk Hong Bian. The Gaoshen Monument is a monument that records Hong Bian’s life deeds (as for Hong Bian’s statue, it was not originally found in the Sutra Cave, but was placed elsewhere because researchers found Hong Bian’s Buddhist name and a small bag of ashes inside the statue. , and placed the statue in the Sutra Cave).
The Mogao Grottoes Sutra Cave is a very important discovery in the history of Chinese archeology. Most of the unearthed documents are manuscripts and a few are engravings. About five-sixths of them are written in Chinese, and the rest are ancient Tibetan texts. Chinese, Sanskrit, Qilu, Sogdian, Khotan, Uighur, Kucha, etc. The contents of the documents are mainly Buddhist scriptures, in addition to Taoist scriptures, Confucian classics, novels, poems, historical records, cadastres, account books, calendars, deeds, letters, certificates, etc., many of which are unique and extinct copies. These have important historical data and scientific value for the study of the history of China and Central Asia, and thus formed a discipline - Dunhuang Studies - which focuses on the study of scripture cave documents and Dunhuang Grotto Art.
In 1900, more than 50,000 pieces of various documents and paintings from the Western Jin Dynasty to the Song Dynasty were discovered in the Sutra Cave (now Cave 17). The Mogao Grottoes are the largest, richest, most artistic, and best-preserved Buddhist cave temple in the world today. Chinese grotto art originated from India. Traditional Indian grotto statues are mainly stone sculptures. However, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang are not suitable for carving because of the rock quality, so the statues are mainly clay sculptures and murals. The entire cave generally has round sculptures in the front, and then gradually fades into tall sculptures, shadow sculptures, and wall sculptures. Finally, with murals as the background, the two arts of sculpture and painting are integrated.
There were more than a thousand caves in the Mogao Grottoes during the Tang Dynasty, and there are 492 existing caves, including 32 caves from the Wei Dynasty, 110 caves from the Sui Dynasty, 247 caves from the Tang Dynasty, 36 caves from the Five Dynasties, 45 caves from the Song Dynasty, and 45 caves from the Yuan Dynasty. There are 8 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 painted statues. The grottoes are divided into five floors. In the cave now numbered "17", 56,000 precious cultural relics from the 4th century to the 14th century were discovered, thus forming the Dunhuang Study. , and also houses the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute.
The Mogao Grottoes are the largest existing "world art treasure house" and were listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in December 1987. The characteristics of Mogao Grottoes art are reflected in the organic combination of architecture, statues and murals. The structure of the caves can be divided into Zen caves, palace caves, pagoda temple caves, dome caves, shadow caves, etc.; the colored sculptures can be divided into round sculptures, relief sculptures, shadow sculptures, good deeds sculptures, etc.; the mural types can be divided into portrait paintings, sutra paintings and so on. Paintings, story paintings, Buddhist historical site paintings, architectural paintings, landscape paintings, offering paintings, animal paintings, decorative paintings and other different contents systematically reflect the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Xixia, Yuan More than ten dynasties and various aspects of cultural exchanges between the East and the West have become rare cultural treasures for mankind.
The largest cave is more than 40 meters high and 30 meters square. The smallest one is not taller than a foot. The statues are all clay colored sculptures, including single and group statues. There are people in the middle of the Buddha statue, and disciples, Bodhisattvas, heavenly kings, and powerful men stand on both sides. The minimum is 3 bodies and the maximum is 11 bodies. The largest one is 33 meters and the smallest one is 10 centimeters. Most of the characters are expressed in exaggerated colors with different expressions. The contents of the murals include Buddha statues, Buddhist historical sites, sutras, myths, donors and other themes and decorative patterns. The oldest map, "Mount Wutai Map", is more than 40 square meters in size. From flowers and leaves, gods and Buddhas to "Travel of Zhang Yichao and his wife" which shows the activities of local historical figures at that time, the composition is exquisite and lifelike. The cave is magnificent and dazzling. If the pictures are arranged at a height of 2 meters, they can form a gallery with a length of 25 kilometers. It is the largest and richest grotto art treasure house in my country. Since the discovery of more than 50,000 volumes of religious and secular documents in the Mogao Grottoes in 1900, Dunhuang art has shocked the whole world. Due to ignorance, almost all these treasures were stolen abroad. Now, at the foot of Sanwei Mountain opposite the Mogao Grottoes, the Dunhuang Art Exhibition Center was built with donations from Japan and undertaken by the Dunhuang Academy. Parts of the original large caves were copied, making the viewing content of the Mogao Grottoes more colorful.
Introduction to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes tourist attractions
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Mogao Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, and Tianshui Mai in Gansu Jishan Grottoes are also known as the four major grottoes in China; while Mogao Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes and Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing are the four grottoes in China that are included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
The Mogao Grottoes were first built during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. According to the Tang Dynasty's "Li Kerang Rebuilt the Buddhist Niche Monument of the Mogao Grottoes", in the second year of Jianyuan of the former Qin Dynasty (366), the monk Le_ passed by this mountain and suddenly Seeing the golden light shining like ten thousand Buddhas appearing, he dug the first cave in the rock wall. After that, Zen Master Fa Liang and others continued to build a cave here to practice meditation, which was called "Mogao Cave", which means "high place in the desert". Later generations changed its name to "Mogao Grottoes" because "Mo" and "Mo" were interchangeable. During the Northern Wei, Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties, the rulers believed in Buddhism, and the construction of grottoes was supported by the princes and nobles, and developed rapidly. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with the prosperity of the Silk Road, the Mogao Grottoes became even more prosperous. At the time of Wu Zetian, there were more than a thousand caves. Therefore, later generations also called it "Thousand Buddha Cave". After the Anshi Rebellion, Dunhuang was successively occupied by the Tubo and Guiyi armies, but the statue-making activities were not greatly affected. During the Northern Song Dynasty, Western Xia Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, the Mogao Grottoes gradually declined, and only the cave chambers of the previous dynasties were mainly renovated, with very few new ones being built. After the Yuan Dynasty, with the abandonment of the Silk Road, the construction of the Mogao Grottoes also stopped and gradually disappeared from the world's sight. It was not until the 40th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1701) that people paid attention to it again.
Grottoes
The Mogao Grottoes are a large-scale grotto temple that integrates painting, sculpture and architectural art, with murals as the mainstay and statues as the supplement. Its main grotto shapes include Zen Grotto, Central Tower Grotto, Hall Grotto, Central Buddhist Altar Grotto, Four Walls and Three Niches Grotto, Big Statue Grotto, Nirvana Grotto, etc. The size of each cave varies greatly. The largest Cave 16 is 268 square meters, and the smallest Cave 37 is not more than a foot high. There were originally wooden temples outside the cave, connected by corridors and plank roads, but most of them no longer exist.
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Cave 96 is the tallest cave in the Mogao Grottoes, and its "nine-story" built with rock outside is the landmark building of the Mogao Grottoes. , 33 meters high.
It is a nine-story canopy, also called the "Beida Statue". It is located in the middle of the cliff cave and is as high as the top of the cliff. It is majestic and majestic. Its wooden structure is earthy red, with high eaves and well-proportioned outlines. There are bells attached to the eaves corners that sound in the wind. Among them is the seated Maitreya Buddha, which is 35.6 meters high and made of stone and clay sculptures. It is the third largest seated Buddha in China after the Leshan Giant Buddha and the Rongxian Giant Buddha. The space accommodating the Buddha is large in the lower part and small in the upper part, and the plane is square. There are two passages outside the building, which not only allow you to view the Buddha up close, but also serve as a source of light for the head and waist of the Buddha. The eaves of this cave existed before the first year of Wende in the Tang Dynasty (888). It had five floors at that time. It was rebuilt in the fourth year of Qiande in the Northern Song Dynasty (966) and in the Qing Dynasty and changed to four floors. It was rebuilt again in 1935 to form its current 9-story shape.
Murals
The Mogao Grottoes murals are painted on the four walls of the caves, on the top of the caves and in the Buddhist niches. There are seven categories of themes including donors and decorative patterns. In addition, there are many paintings showing various aspects of social life such as hunting, farming, textiles, transportation, war, construction, dance, weddings and funerals at that time. Some of these paintings are powerful and broad, while others are magnificent and gorgeous, reflecting the artistic styles and characteristics of different periods. Most of China's paintings before the Five Dynasties have been lost. The Mogao Grottoes murals provide important objects for the study of Chinese art history, and also provide extremely valuable images and patterns for the study of ancient Chinese customs. It is calculated that if these murals are arranged at a height of 2 meters, they can line up to 25 kilometers of galleries.
Sculpture
The soil on the cliff where the Mogao Grottoes are located is relatively soft and is not suitable for making stone sculptures. Therefore, except for the four giant Buddhas, which are stone-based clay sculptures, the rest of the statues in the Mogao Grottoes are made of clay. Wooden bone clay sculpture. The statues are all Buddhist gods and figures, arranged in various combinations such as single statues and group statues. The group statues generally have the Buddha in the center, with disciples, Bodhisattvas, kings of heaven, powerful men, etc. standing on both sides, ranging from three to as many as eleven. The forms of colored sculptures include round sculptures, relief sculptures, shadow sculptures, good karma sculptures, etc. These statues are exquisite and lifelike, rich in imagination and profound attainments, and they blend with the murals and complement each other.
The 492 caves with murals and sculptures in the Mogao Grottoes can be roughly divided into four periods: the Northern Dynasties, the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty, the Western Xia Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty.
There are 36 caves excavated in the Northern Dynasties, among which the earliest caves 268, 272 and 275 were probably built in the Northern Liang period. The main shapes of the caves are Zen Grotto, Central Tower Pillar Grotto and Hall Grotto. Colored sculptures include round sculptures and shadow sculptures. The contents of the murals include Buddha statues, Buddhist scripture stories, gods and monsters, donors, etc. The shadow sculptures of this period were mainly flying gods, supporting Bodhisattvas and thousands of Buddhas. The round sculptures were originally a combination of one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas, and later two disciples were added. The statue has a strong body, a dignified and tranquil expression, and a simple and heavy style. In the early stage of the murals, earthy red was used as the background color, and then colors such as green, green, and white were applied. The colors were warm and thick, the lines were simple and thick, and the characters were tall and straight, which has the characteristics of Western Buddhism. After the Western Wei Dynasty, the background color was mostly white, the tone became more elegant, the style was free and easy, and it had the style of the Central Plains. Typical caves include Cave 249, Cave 259, Cave 285, Cave 428, etc.
The Sui and Tang Dynasties were the heyday of the development of Mogao Grottoes, with more than 300 existing caves. The Zen caves and the central pillar cave gradually disappeared during this period, while at the same time, a large number of temple caves, Buddhist altar caves, four-wall three-niche caves, and statue caves appeared in large numbers, among which the palace caves were the largest. The statues are all round, with rich and plump shapes, and the style is more Central Plains. There are also tall statues that were not seen in previous generations. Most of the group statues are seven or nine. In the Sui Dynasty, there were mainly one Buddha, two disciples, two Bodhisattvas or four Bodhisattvas. In the Tang Dynasty, there were mainly one Buddha, two disciples, two Bodhisattvas and two heavenly kings. Some also added two powerful men. . The Mogao Grottoes murals of this period have rich themes, magnificent scenes, and magnificent colors, and their art skills have reached an unprecedented level. Their contents mainly include Buddha statues, sutras, Buddhist historical sites, Buddhist stories, and donors.
There are more than 100 caves from the Five Dynasties and Song Dynasties, most of which are renovated and repainted cave chambers from the previous dynasties. The main shapes are Buddhist altar caves and palace caves.
From the late Tang Dynasty to the Five Dynasties, the Zhang and Cao families who ruled Dunhuang believed in Buddhism and invested heavily in the Mogao Grottoes. Therefore, portraits of donors appeared in large numbers at this stage and were rich in content. Statues and murals both followed the style of the late Tang Dynasty, but towards the later period, their forms became more formulaic and the level of art techniques also declined. Typical caves of this period include Cave 61 and Cave 98. Among them, the map of Cave 61, "Mt. Wutai", is the largest mural in Mogao Grottoes. It is 5 meters high and 13.5 meters long. It depicts the mountains and rivers around Mount Wutai in Shanxi. The shapes, cities, temples, pavilions and pavilions are all magnificent.
There are 85 existing caves in the Mogao Grottoes from the Xixia and Yuan Dynasties. Xixia built 77 caves, most of which were renovated and repaired caves from the previous dynasty. The shape of the caves and mural sculptures basically followed the style of the previous dynasty. The image of the Uighur king appears in some caves in the middle Xixia period, which may be related to the Uighurs. In the late Xixia period, Tibetan Tantric content appeared in the murals. There were only 8 caves in the Yuan Dynasty, all of which were newly excavated. The shape of a round Buddhist altar in a square cave appeared. The murals and sculptures are basically related to Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. Typical caves include Cave 3, Cave 61 and Cave 465.
Sutra Cave
In 1900, Wang Yuan_, a Taoist priest who lived in the Mogao Grottoes, carried out large-scale cleaning in order to convert part of the cave that had been abandoned for a long time into a Taoist temple. When he was removing silt from Cave 16 (currently numbered), he accidentally discovered a small door on the wall of the north corridor. After opening it, a square cave room with a length of 2.6 meters, a width of 2.6 meters, and a height of 3 meters appeared. Cave 17) contains more than 50,000 documents, paper paintings, silk paintings, embroidery and other cultural relics from the 4th century to the 11th century (that is, the Sixteen Kingdoms to the Northern Song Dynasty). This is the famous "Sutra Collection Cave".
Introduction to Mogao Grottoes Attractions
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes was built in the second year of Qin Jianyuan (AD 366). It is a world-famous treasure house of Buddhist art with a history of more than 1,600 years. Unparalleled in the world. Although the Mogao Grottoes have been invaded by nature and man-made damage over the long years, they still preserve artifacts from the late Sixteen Kingdoms to the Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Xixia, Yuan and other dynasties. There are 492 caves, 2,415 painted sculptures, more than 45,000 square meters of murals, and 5 wooden structures in the Tang and Song Dynasties. It is the largest and best-preserved Buddhist art treasure cave in the world.
The art of Mogao Grottoes is a comprehensive art that integrates architecture, painted sculptures and murals. It is the largest and best-preserved Buddhist art treasure house in my country and in the world. In 1991, it was included in the "World Cultural Heritage" list by UNESCO. The Mogao Grottoes are a great palace of art and an encyclopedia of images. It uses a large number of murals with excellent skills to show people the social and historical picture of more than a thousand years from the fourth century to the fourteenth century AD. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as Thousand Buddha Cave, is located on the cliff of Dangquan River at the eastern foot of Mingsha Mountain, 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City, and is about 1,600 meters long from north to south.
In 1961, the State Council announced the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes as a national key cultural relic protection unit; in 1987, UNESCO included it in the World Cultural Heritage Protection Project. The art of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes includes four parts: architectural art, painted sculpture art, mural art and Dunhuang documents. It is a three-dimensional art integrating architecture, sculpture and painting. It is extremely rich in content.
On the basis of inheriting the fine artistic traditions of the Han nationality in the Central Plains and the fraternal nationalities in the Western Regions, ancient folk artists absorbed and melted foreign expression techniques and developed into Chinese national style Buddhist art with local Dunhuang characteristics. These large-scale and astonishing religious artworks provide a vast amount of precious information for the study of ancient Chinese politics, economy, culture, military, geography, religion, social life, ethnic relations, friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries, and cultural exchanges. They are an important resource for mankind. Eternal cultural treasures and spiritual wealth.
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Introduction to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes within 100 words
Chinese name: Mogao Grottoes; foreign name: Mogao Grottoes; geographical location; Dunhuang City, Gansu Province 25 kilometers southeast; opening hours: 8:00-18:00; ticket price: 200 yuan/person; famous attractions; Tibetan Scripture Cave, nine floors.
Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as Thousand Buddhas Cave, is located in Dunhuang at the west end of the Hexi Corridor. It was built in the pre-Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and has gone through the construction of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia, Yuan and other dynasties. It has formed a huge scale, with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and mud paintings. With 2,415 colorful sculptures, it is the largest and richest Buddhist art site in the world.
The Mogao Grottoes, together with the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, and the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu, are known as the four major grottoes in China. On August 31, 2019, the large-scale documentary "Dialogue between Mogao Wat and Angkor Wat" jointly produced by the Dunhuang Academy and other units premiered at the Dunhuang International Convention and Exhibition Center. The documentary takes the dialogue between Asian civilizations as its theme and shows people the wonderful connections between different civilizations with shared destiny, shared culture, and connected art.