The four major grottoes refer to the giant grotto art landscapes featuring Chinese Buddhist culture, including: Dunhuang (Mogao Grottoes), Datong (Yungang Grottoes), Luoyang (Longmen Grottoes), Tianshui (Maiji Grottoes) Mountain Grottoes) four major grottoes. It is a historical treasure of the traditional culture and art of the Han nationality in ancient China.
The Mogao Grottoes are the largest existing "treasure house of world art" 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 sites paintings in the dome caves, 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, More than ten dynasties, including Xixia and Yuan, and various aspects of cultural exchanges between the East and the West have become rare cultural treasures for mankind.
Since the discovery of more than 50,000 volumes of religious and secular documents in the Mogao Grottoes on May 26, 1900, Dunhuang art has shocked the entire world, and "Dunhuang Studies" has become a world-renowned scholar. With donations from Japan, the Dunhuang Art Exhibition Center was built by the Dunhuang Academy at the foot of Sanwei Mountain opposite the Mogao Grottoes, replicating parts of the original large cave to make the viewing content of the Mogao Grottoes more colorful.
The main statue in caves during the Northern Dynasties was usually Sakyamuni or Maitreya. On both sides of the main statue were two attendant Bodhisattvas or one Buddha, two disciples, and two Bodhisattvas. The back of the statue is often connected to the mural. The top and four walls of the cave are covered with murals. The top and upper parts are mostly composed of Tiangong music. The lower part is Yaksha or decorative pattern. In addition to Thousand Buddhas, the murals in the middle part mainly depict stories about Buddha's biography, life stories and karma stories. Among the Jataka stories are cutting meat to seek doves, sacrificing oneself to feed tigers, nine-colored deer sacrificing oneself to save others, etc. The Sui and Tang Dynasties were the heyday of the Mogao Grottoes. The style of the 100 caves in the Sui Dynasty was changed from the central tower style of the Northern Dynasties to the central Buddhist altar, with the same group of statues as before. In the Tang Dynasty, a combination of one Buddha, two disciples, two heavenly kings or two powerful men appeared. The statue has also returned to a "rich and strong" appearance from its early "skinny and delicate" appearance. The murals in the caves are mainly large-scale sermon diagrams and simple sutra transformation diagrams. The largest statues in the Mogao Grottoes were all sculpted in the Tang Dynasty. The Giant Buddha in Cave 96 is the largest statue in the Mogao Grottoes. The murals of the Tang Dynasty are a variety of sutra-changing pictures, which are extremely grand in scale and show the magnificent scenes of heaven. The grotto statues lost their vitality in the Five Dynasties and entered into decline from the Song Dynasty.
The art of Mogao Grottoes is a comprehensive art that integrates architecture, colored sculptures and murals. It is the largest and best-preserved Buddhist art treasure house in China and in the world.
Monk Folding Lezun
In the second year of Jianyuan of the former Qin Dynasty (AD 366), a monk named Lezun traveled here and saw the golden light of Sanwei Mountain. It looks like a thousand Buddhas. He realized that this was a Buddha place, so he built the first Buddhist cave on the cliff. After subsequent constructions in successive dynasties, it has preserved more than 700 caves of various types from the Northern Liang Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty, 50,110 square meters of murals, more than 2,700 colored sculptures, 5 wooden structures of the Tang and Song Dynasties, and thousands of lotus pillars and floor tiles. , is an extensive and profound comprehensive art palace composed of architecture, painting, and sculpture. It is the largest and best-preserved Buddhist art treasure house in the world, and is known as the "Pearl of Oriental Art."
Folding Taoist Wang
On June 22, 1900, Taoist Wang Yuanlu, who was in charge of the grottoes, and was known as Taoist Wang, invited Yang, who wrote the scriptures, to insert lamp grass in the cracks in the wall. At that time, they found that the inside of the wall was empty, so they discovered a secret room (now numbered Cave No. 17, also called the Sutra Cave). In the cave, there are scriptures, histories, chapters, and collections from the 4th to 11th centuries (Western Jin Dynasty to Song Dynasty). There are more than 40,000 pieces of documents and paintings. Most of them were later robbed by foreign treasure thieves and sent to more than ten countries and regions.
The Mogao Grottoes are a cultural and artistic treasure house that integrates architecture, painted sculptures, and murals. The content involves the art, history, economy, culture, religion, teaching and other fields of ancient society. It has precious historical, artistic, Scientific value is a historical treasure of the Chinese nation and an excellent cultural heritage of mankind. It was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit by the State Council in 1961, and was included in the World Cultural Heritage List by UNESCO in 1987.
The Tang Dynasty statues in Dunhuang Cave 328, the places marked with circles in the picture, were originally A Bodhisattva was stolen by the British and is now in the Boston Museum. A circular crater left on the ground can still be seen.
The picture of the emperor in Cave 103 (Prosperous Tang Dynasty), the emperor who came to listen to the Dharma. Cave 103 (Prosperous Tang Dynasty) successfully depicts the vivid form of Vimalakirti, a Buddhist monk
The Mogao Grottoes can be called one of the world's largest art treasures.
The theft of the Folding Mogao Grottoes
In the 26th year of Guangxu (1900 AD), the Taoist priest Wang Yuanlu discovered the The "Sutra Collection Cave" contains more than 60,000 ancient Chinese scriptures, documents, silk paintings, embroidery, bronze statues, etc. Since then, the Mogao Grottoes have become even more eye-catching.
In 1907 and 1914, Stein in England robbed more than 10,000 suicide notes and cultural relics twice.
In 1908, the Frenchman Pelliot selected the finest documents from the Scripture Cave and looted about 5,000 pieces.
In 1910, most of the remaining scriptures in the Buddhist Scripture Cave were transported to Beijing and handed over to the Capital Library for collection.
In 1911, the Japanese Tachibana Zuichao and Yoshikawa Koichiro took away about 600 scriptures from Taoist Wang.
In 1914, the Russian Oldenburg took another batch of scripture manuscripts from Dunhuang, conducted cave mapping, and also stole the murals in Cave 263.
In 1924, American Warner used special chemical glue to remove and steal 26 pieces of Mogao Grottoes murals, and also removed a Bodhisattva statue.
Travel Notes
In order to protect the murals, you can only use flashlights when visiting the Mogao Grottoes. Each tour guide brings a flashlight. If you want to see better, You can bring your own flashlight with three batteries. Also, please do not bring cameras inside to take photos. In order to protect the wisdom of the Chinese nation, please cooperate!
2010 is the 110th anniversary of the discovery of the Tibetan Scripture Cave.
Collapse and edit this paragraph Yungang Grottoes
Collapse heritage introduction
●Heritage type: Cultural heritage
●Heritage selection criteria: Yungang Grottoes It was selected into the World Heritage List according to the World Cultural Heritage Selection Criteria C(I)(II)(III)(IV).
●World Heritage Committee evaluation:
The Yungang Grottoes, located in Datong City, Shanxi Province, have 252 cave niches and more than 51,000 statues, representing the 5th to 6th centuries AD. China's outstanding Buddhist grotto art. Among them, the Tan Yao Five Grottoes have a rigorous and unified layout and design. They are classic masterpieces from the first peak period of Chinese Buddhist art.
Overview of the Folding Grottoes
The Yungang Grottoes are located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain, 16 kilometers west of Datong City, Shanxi Province, northern China. The grottoes were started in the second year of Xing'an in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 453), and most of them were completed before the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang (AD 494). The statue construction continued until the Zhengguang period (AD 520-525). The grottoes are carved into the mountains and stretch for about 1 kilometer from east to west. They are magnificent and rich in content. There are 45 main caves, 252 large and small niches, and more than 51,000 stone statues. The largest one is 17 meters long and the smallest one is only a few centimeters. The vivid images of Bodhisattvas, Hercules, and Flying Apsaras in the cave, and the exquisite carvings on the tower pillars, inherit the essence of realism art from the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BC to 220 AD), and start from the romanticism of the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581 to 907 AD). It is the first of its kind in the world and is known as one of the "three major grottoes in China" along with the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu and the Longmen Grottoes in Henan. It is also one of the world-famous treasures of stone carving art. There are forty-five main caves and more than 51,000 large and small statues. It is one of the largest ancient grottoes in China. In 1961, the State Council announced it as a national key cultural relics protection unit. In 2001, it was listed as a world cultural heritage.
The statues in Yungang Grottoes are magnificent and rich in content. They are the crown of Chinese stone carving art in the 5th century AD and are known as the treasure house of ancient Chinese carving art. According to the time of excavation, it can be divided into three phases: early, middle and late. The styles of grotto sculptures in different periods also have their own characteristics. The early "Tanyao Five Caves" were majestic and had a rich and simple Western sentiment. The grottoes in the middle period are famous for their exquisite carvings and gorgeous decorations, showing the complex, changeable and magnificent artistic style of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Although the caves in the late period are small in size, the figures are thin, handsome, and moderately proportioned. They are the model of grotto art in northern China and the origin of the "thin and clear statues" style. In addition, the music, dance and acrobatic sculptures left in the grottoes also reflect the popular Buddhist thought at that time and the social life of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
The Yungang Grottoes vividly record the historical trajectory of the development of Buddhist art from India and Central Asia to Chinese Buddhist art, reflecting the process of gradual secularization and nationalization of Buddhist statues in China. A variety of Buddhist artistic sculpture styles have achieved unprecedented integration in the Yungang Grottoes, and the resulting "Yungang Model" has become a turning point in the development of Chinese Buddhist art. The Northern Wei Dynasty statues in the Mogao Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes in Dunhuang were influenced by the Yungang Grottoes to varying degrees.
The Yungang Grottoes are the beginning of the "Sinicization" of grotto art. The Chinese palace architectural style carvings that appeared in the Yungang Grottoes in the middle period, and the Chinese-style Buddhist niches developed on this basis, were widely used in the construction of cave temples in later generations. The layout and decoration of the late Yungang Grottoes more prominently display the strong Chinese architectural and decorative style, reflecting the continuous deepening of the "Sinicization" of Buddhist art.
History of Folding Grottoes
According to literature, during the Heping Period of the Northern Wei Dynasty (460 to 471 AD), the famous monk Tan Yao presided over the construction of five grottoes in Wuzhou Fortress, the western suburbs of the capital. The caves now numbered from 16th to 20th were the earliest so-called "Tanyao Five Caves" excavated at that time. Most of the other major caves were completed before Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital to Luoyang in the 18th year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 494), which has a history of 1,500 years.
The Yungang Grottoes have a long history, are large in scale, rich in content, and have exquisite carvings. They are known as a miracle in the history of Chinese art. In the grottoes, there are various lifelike figures with different expressions, such as Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, disciples and heavenly protectors; there are imitation wood buildings with simple styles and various shapes; there are some with outstanding themes and skillful sword skills. There are Buddhist reliefs with rich compositions and beautiful and exquisite decorative patterns; there are also carvings of ancient Chinese musical instruments such as the harp, Paixiao, 筚篥 and pipa, etc., which are colorful and dazzling.
In terms of carving skills, it inherited and developed the excellent tradition of carving art in the Qin and Han Dynasties in China, and absorbed and integrated the beneficial elements of Gandhara art to create works of art with unique styles. It left an important page in the history of sculpture. The Yungang Grottoes are not only important visual materials for understanding and studying ancient Chinese history, sculpture, architecture, music and religious beliefs, but also physical evidence that traces ancient Sino-Western cultural exchanges and friendly exchanges between peoples.
Over the past 1,500 years, the Yungang Grottoes have been seriously damaged due to weathering, water erosion and earthquakes. They were also vandalized before liberation. According to incomplete statistics, Buddhist grottoes were stolen overseas. There are more than 1,400 heads and Buddha statues, and the traces of axe-cutting are still there to this day.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, with the care of the party and the government, large-scale maintenance projects have been carried out on the Yungang Grottoes many times, so that the ancient art treasure house has been properly protected.
Today, the Yungang Grottoes have become an important place for people from all walks of life in China to visit and a tourist destination that is admired and yearned for by international friends.
Introduction to Folding Grottoes
The first cave and the second cave are twin caves, located at the east end of Yungang Grottoes. A two-story square tower is carved in the center of the cave. The standing statue of Maitreya is on the back wall. Most of the Buddha statues on the four walls are weathered and eroded. Vimalakia and Manjusri are carved on both sides of the cave door on the south wall. The reliefs of the Buddha's Jataka stories on the lower back part of the east wall are relatively well preserved; In the center of the second cave is a square three-story tower with three pavilion-style Buddhist niches carved on the four sides of each floor. There is also a five-story small tower carved on the wall inside the cave. It is an image material for studying the architecture of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
The third cave is the largest grotto in Yungang. The broken wall in front is about 25 meters high. It is said to be the Tan Yao Translation Tower. A pair of three-story square towers were cut out on the left and right. On the south and west side of the back room, there are three statues carved with round faces, plump muscles, fine flower crowns and smooth clothing lines. The seated Buddha is about 10 meters high, and the two standing Bodhisattva statues are each 6.2 meters high. Judging from the style and carving techniques of these three statues, they may have been carved in the early Tang Dynasty (seventh century AD).
In the fourth cave, there is a rectangular pillar carved in the center of the cave, six Buddha statues on the north and south sides, and three Buddha statues on the east and west sides. Above the cave door on the south wall is an inscription from the Zhengguang Chronicle of the Northern Wei Dynasty (520-525 AD), which is the latest inscription in the Yungang Grottoes.
The fifth cave is located in the middle of Yungang Grottoes, and is a group of twin caves with the sixth cave. The cave is divided into front and back chambers. The main statue on the north wall of the back chamber is the Third Buddha. The central seated statue is 17 meters high and is the largest Buddha statue in Yungang Grottoes. The four walls of the cave are full of carved niches and Buddha statues. On both sides of the arch, there are two Buddhas sitting opposite each other on the Bodhi tree, and the top is embossed with flying sky, with beautiful lines. There are five four-story pavilions in front of the two caves. The existing buildings were rebuilt in the eighth year of Shunzhi in the early Qing Dynasty (1651 AD).
The sixth cave has a nearly square plane. In the center is a two-story square tower connected to the top of the cave, about 15 meters high. Below the tower pillar is called a large niche, with a seated Buddha statue carved on the south side, a reclining Buddha statue carved on the west side, a seated statue of Yingduobao opposite Shi Yingduobao on the north side, and a cross-legged Maitreya statue carved on the east side. On both sides of the large niches on the four sides of the tower pillars, on the east, south, two and three walls of the cave, and on both sides of the open windows, 33 reliefs depicting Buddhist stories from Sakyamuni's birth to enlightenment are carved. This cave is magnificent in scale, rich in carvings, and refined in technique. It is the most representative one among the Yungang Grottoes.
In the seventh cave, there is a three-story wooden eaves built in front of the cave, and the cave is divided into two rooms, front and rear. The upper level of the main wall of the back room is engraved with Bodhisattva sitting on a lion throne. The east, west and south walls are covered with carved Buddhist niches and statues. The six supporting Bodhisattvas on the door arch of the south wall have beautiful and lifelike images. The relief sculptures on the top of the cave are flying and flying, each with a lotus as the center, circling and dancing in a moving posture.
In the eighth cave, there are five-headed and six-armed Kumarados riding on peacocks on both sides of the cave. On the east side, there are three-headed and eight-armed Kumarajivas riding on bulls. This kind of statue is found in Yungang. Extremely rare.
The ninth cave is divided into two rooms, front and rear. The two arches of the front room are octagonal. The walls of the room are carved with Buddhist niches, musicians, and dancers. The statues are vivid and dynamic.
The tenth cave was excavated at the same time as the ninth cave and is divided into two rooms, front and rear. There is a flying sky in the front room, with graceful posture and coordinated proportions. On the upper part of the bright window, the stone carvings of Buddhas are complex, exquisite and eye-catching.
In the eleventh cave, there is a square tower pillar that reaches directly to the top of the cave, with Buddha statues carved on all sides. On the front, the Bodhisattva statue is well preserved. The niches on the walls around the cave are full of carved statues and small Buddhas.
In the twelfth cave, the top of the main wall is engraved with a musical figure holding string instruments and percussion instruments, with different expressions and vivid images. The panpipes, harp and other classical instruments in their hands are very precious and are important materials for the study of Chinese music.
In the Thirteenth Cave, there is a cross-legged Maitreya Buddha statue in the middle, more than 12 meters high. There is a statue of a strong man with an arm carved between his left arm and leg. This is the only example in Yungang Grottoes. The seven Buddha statues on the upper part of the door arch on the south wall are exquisitely carved and elegant in posture.
In Cave 14, the statues are mostly divided. On the upper part of the west wall, some of the remaining statues have square Buddha pillars on the east side.
The fifteenth cave has more than 10,000 small seated Buddha statues, which is known as the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave.
Cave 16, Cave 16 to Cave 20 are the first five caves opened in Yungang Grottoes, commonly known as "Tanyao Five Caves." Caves 16 are oval in plan. The main image of Sakyamuni in the center is 13.5 meters high, standing on a lotus pedestal. Thousands of Buddhas and Buddhist niches are carved on the surrounding walls.
In the seventeenth cave, the main image is the third Buddha, and in the middle is the seated image of Maitreya, 15.6 meters high. There are carved niches on the east and west walls, with seated statues in the east and standing statues in the west.
The Buddhist niche in the 13th year of Taihe in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 489) on the east side of the bright window was added later.
In the 18th cave, the neutral statue is more than 15 meters high, with its right arm exposed and wearing the cassock of a thousand Buddhas. The depiction is delicate, vivid and touching.
In the 19th cave, the main image is the statue of the third generation. The seated Sakyamuni statue in the cave is 16.8 meters high and is the second largest statue in the Yungang Grottoes. Two ear holes were cut out from the east and west sides of the cave, and an 8-meter-long seated figure was carved on each side.
In the 20th Cave, the front area of ??the cave collapsed about before the Liao Dynasty, and the statues were completely exposed. There are three standing statues of Buddhas. The seated Sakyamuni statue in the middle is 13.7 meters high. This statue has a plump face, broad shoulders, majestic shape and powerful spirit. It is a representative work of Yungang Grottoes carving art.
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Looking at the group of Buddhas, in this stone sculpture group that stretches for one kilometer, the statues are as large as more than ten meters, and as small as a few centimeters. Huge boulders lie across the way, and stone sculptures are everywhere. Awe-inspiring. Their forms are fascinating. Some are sitting in the middle, lifelike, playing drums or ringing bells, holding piccolos, singing and dancing, or holding pipa in their arms, facing tourists. The wisdom and hardships of the ancient Han working people can be seen in the faces, bodies, and clothing patterns of these Buddha statues, flying gods, and patrons. These Buddha statues and musician carvings also clearly reveal Persian colors. This is a historical testimony of the friendly exchanges between ancient Chinese people and other countries. The Yungang Grottoes are the result of creative work based on traditional Chinese sculpture art, absorbing and integrating the essence of Indian Gandhara art and Persian art.
Collapse edit this paragraph Longmen Grottoes
Collapse heritage introduction
●Heritage type: cultural heritage
●Heritage selection criteria: Longmen Grottoes It was selected into the World Heritage List according to the World Cultural Heritage Selection Criteria C(I)(II)(III).
●World Heritage Committee evaluation:
The grottoes and Buddhist niches in the Longmen area represent the largest and most outstanding grottoes from the late Northern Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty (493-907 AD) in China. plastic arts. These artistic works that describe religious themes in Buddhism in detail represent the highest peak of Chinese stone carving art.
Overview of the Folding Grottoes
Longmen Grottos is located 12 kilometers south of Luoyang City. It is as famous as the Maijishan Grottoes, Datong Yungang Grottoes, and Dunhuang Thousand Buddha Cave Grottoes in China. One of the four major grottoes.
Longmen is a place with beautiful scenery. There are two green mountains in the east and west facing each other, and the Yishui River flows slowly north. Looking from a distance, it looks like a natural gate, so it was called "Yique" in ancient times. The present "Yique" has become the first sight when visiting Longmen since ancient times. Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, once said: "The most beautiful scenery in the suburbs of Luoyang is Longmen."
The Longmen Grottoes were excavated around the time Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang (AD 494) and have a history of more than 1,500 years. Later, through the Eastern and Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song and other dynasties, large-scale construction continued for more than 400 years. It is densely spread on the cliffs of the east and west mountains of Yishui, with a length of more than 1,000 meters from north to south. There are more than 1,300 grottoes, 2,345 Buddhist caves and niches, more than 50 pagodas, and more than 100,000 Buddha statues. The largest Buddha statue is 17.14 meters high, and the smallest is only 2 centimeters. There are also more than 3,600 inscriptions on statues and inscriptions from past dynasties, all of which reflect the high artistic attainments of the working people of the Han nationality in ancient China. Among them, Binyang Middle Cave, Fengxian Temple and Guyang Cave are the most representative.
The Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan are located in the southeast of Luoyang City. They are distributed on the cliffs on both sides of the Yishui River, with a length of 1 km from north to south. The Longmen Grottoes were first excavated during the Northern Wei Dynasty and have been built for more than 400 years. There are more than 2,300 cave niches and more than 100,000 statues in existence. It is a model of ancient Chinese sculpture art
Wei Caves - In 495 AD, Wei Clan Qiu Huicheng began to dig Guyang Cave in Longmen Mountain. 500- -In 523, Emperor Xuanwu of Wei and Emperor Xiaoming of Wei successively excavated three large grottoes in the north, middle and south of Binyang Cave. The construction of Shiyang Cave and Binyang Cave cost more than 800,000 labor. They also excavated Yaofang Cave and the caves excavated in the Eastern Wei Dynasty. Lotus Cave and other grottoes. The grottoes of the Northern Dynasties are all in Longmen Mountain. The construction of Guyang Cave took more than 50 years from Huicheng to the end of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, showing many Chinese art forms. The posture of the Giant Buddha has also changed from the majestic and formidable of Yungang Grottoes to the gentle and approachable of Longmen Grottoes. The Buddha statues represented by the main Buddha in Binyang Zhongdong Cave have smiling faces. The Longmen Grottoes show more Chinese artistic Buddha statues than the Yungang Grottoes.
Tang Grottoes - the most prosperous period was the Tang Dynasty, accounting for more than 60% of the total number of grottoes. The grottoes excavated during Wu Zetian's reign accounted for the majority of the grottoes in the Tang Dynasty, which is related to her long-term stay in Luoyang. Fengxian Temple is the most representative Tang cave. The two Bodhisattvas are 70 feet tall, and Kassapa, Ananda, Vajra, and Shenwang are each 50 feet tall (the length of the Tang Dynasty). The scale is the largest among the Longmen Grottoes. It took four years and Wu Zetian spent 20,000 yuan himself.
Twenty pieces of Longmen are precious masterpieces of Wei stele style calligraphy art. It represents the Wei stele style, with a straight and generous shape and a strong and powerful momentum. It is a font in the transition from official script to regular script. There are nineteen characters in Guyang Cave.
There are three caves in Binyang Cave, and Binyang Middle Cave is a representative work of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-512 AD). This cave took 24 years to complete, making it the longest cave to be excavated. There are 11 large Buddha statues in the cave.
The main wall of the cave is carved with a statue of Sakyamuni, with disciples and Bodhisattvas standing on the left and right. The Buddha and Bodhisattvas have thin faces, large eyes and flat necks. The texture of their clothes is carefully carved, showing obvious traces of the art of the Western Regions. There is a flying sky sculpture on the top of the cave, which is strong and elegant. It is said that there is also a relief "Picture of Emperors and Empresses Paying Respect to Buddha" on the two walls of the cave entrance. It has a unique shape and beautiful composition. It was later stolen and is now placed in the New York Museum in the United States. The inscriptions written by the calligrapher Chu Suiliang, the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, at the entrance of the cave are worth a look.
The Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave is located to the south of Binyang Cave. The cave is rich in carvings. The north and south stone walls are covered with small Buddha statues. Many Buddha statues are only one inch or a few centimeters high, and there are more than 15,000 of them. The Bodhisattva statue on the front wall sits on an octagonal lotus seat with a girdle. There are four strong men on the waist, with lotus on their shoulders. The back wall is engraved with 54 lotus branches, each with a Bodhisattva or donor sitting on it. On the top of the wall are relief figures of musicians, all graceful and lifelike. There is also a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva on the south wall of the entrance. It is holding a pure bottle and holding a dust tail. Its body is round and plump, its posture is graceful, and it is very expressive.
Fengxian Temple is the largest grotto among the Tang Dynasty Grottoes in Longmen. According to the inscription, the cave was excavated during the Wu Zetian period of the Tang Dynasty and lasted three years. The Buddha statues in the cave clearly reflect the artistic characteristics of Buddhist statues in the Tang Dynasty. They have a plump face, drooping ears, and a perfect, serene, gentle, and friendly form, which is extremely touching. The seated statue of Lushena Buddha in the center of the grotto is the largest Buddha statue in the Longmen Grottoes. It is 17.14 meters tall, with a head height of 4 meters and an ear length of 1.9 meters. It has a plump shape, a majestic appearance, smooth clothing lines, and a high degree of artistic appeal. On both sides of the Lushena Buddha statue are two disciples, Kassapa and Ananda, who are docile and pious, and the two Bodhisattvas are kind and cheerful. The King of Heaven holds the pagoda in his hand, looking tall and strong.
The Vajra Hercules statue is more impressive than the Hercules statue next to the Lushena Buddha statue. It is a treasure in the Longmen Grottoes. In 1953, when the cave soil was being cleared, it was discovered near the Jinan Cave. It was stolen and chiseled. What was left behind failed to be transported away. I saw the Vajra Warrior's eyes bulging, glaring forward, clenching fists with both hands, and the muscles on his chest, hands, and legs bulging high. The whole statue is rough and bold in shape, strong and powerful, and impressive.
Guyang Cave is the earliest and richest cave among the Longmen Grottoes. It is also another representative cave of the Northern Wei Dynasty. There are many Buddhist niches and statues in Guyang Cave. Many of these Buddhist niches have inscriptions recording the name of the person who created the statue, the date and reason for the statue. These are precious materials for studying the calligraphy and sculpture art of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Most of the milestones in the history of Chinese calligraphy, the "Twenty Products of Longmen", are concentrated here. "Twenty Pins of Longmen" represents the style of the Wei stele, with its upright and generous fonts and strong momentum. It is the essence of the calligraphy art of Longmen Grottoes stele inscriptions and has always been respected by the world.
Maijishan Grottoes
Geographical Location
Maijishan Grottoes are located in the West Qinling Mountains on the south side of Maijishan Township, 50 kilometers southeast of Tianshui City, Gansu Province An isolated peak in the mountain range is named after its shape that resembles a stack of wheat. The Maijishan Grottoes were founded in the Later Qin Dynasty of the Sixteenth Kingdom (AD 384-AD 417), and were subsequently repaired and expanded. By the Sui Dynasty at the end of the sixth AD, they were basically completed and have been completely preserved to this day.
The Maiji Mountain Scenic Area covers an area of ??215 square kilometers, including the four major scenic spots of Maiji Mountain, Xianren Cliff, Shimen, Quxi and Jieting Ancient Town. The Maijishan Grottoes are a national key cultural relic protection unit and a national civilized scenic tourist area demonstration site. They are also a world-famous art treasure house and are known as the Oriental Sculpture Hall. On June 22, 2014, Maijishan was successfully applied for World Heritage.
Overview of the Grottoes
The scenery around Maiji Mountain is beautiful. The mountains are densely covered with cypresses, pines, and wild flowers and grass. Climbing to the top of the mountain, looking far into the distance, you can see lush green mountains on all sides. You can see thousands of mountains and valleys, mountains and mountains, green pines like the sea, clouds and mist, and the distant and near objects are intertwined, forming a beautiful picture. This picture has been called "Maiji Misty Rain" is known as the first of the eight scenic spots in Tianshui. Among the famous grottoes in China, Maiji Mountain has the best natural scenery.
The Maijishan Grottoes were built in 384 AD. After more than ten dynasties, they were continuously excavated and renovated, and have become one of the famous large-scale grottoes in China and a world-famous art treasure house. There are 194 existing caves, including more than 7,200 clay and stone sculptures from the 4th century to the 19th century, and more than 1,300 square meters of murals. A notable feature of the Maijishan Grottoes is that the caves are located in extremely dangerous locations. Most of them are excavated on cliffs, and the caves are all accessible by aerial plank roads erected on the cliff faces. Visitors can't help but feel thrilling when climbing these winding volleying plank roads. The ancients once praised these projects: "Between the cliffs, there are carved stones to become Buddhas, thousands of niches and caves. They were broken by human power, which is suspected to be magical work." There is also a rumor among the nearby people that "after cutting down the firewood of Nanshan, we built the Maiji Cliff", "First there are There is a proverb that behind a thousand feet of firewood is a pile of wheat. It can be seen that the project of digging caves and building plank roads was arduous and grand at that time.
The art of Maijishan Grottoes is famous both at home and abroad for its exquisite clay sculpture art. Historian Fan Wenlan once praised Maijishan as "a large exhibition hall displaying statues". If Dunhuang is a large mural hall, then Maijishan is a large sculpture hall. The large statues here are more than 15 meters high and the small ones are only more than 20 centimeters. They reflect the characteristics of statues in various eras over the past thousand years and systematically reflect the development and evolution of Chinese clay sculpture art. The clay sculptures here can be roughly divided into four categories: high-relief sculptures that protrude from the wall, round sculptures that are completely separated from the wall, and molded shadow sculptures and wall sculptures that are pasted on the wall. Among them, there are thousands of life-size round sculptures, which are full of life interest and are regarded as treasures.
The statues of Maijishan have two obvious characteristics: strong national consciousness and secularization trend. Except for the early works, starting from the statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty, almost all Buddha statues have a posture of bowing their heads and looking down, with amiable faces. Although they are gods in heaven, they are like secular people and have become the embodiment of people's good wishes. Judging from the body shape and clothing of the statues, they are gradually getting rid of the influence of foreign art and reflecting the characteristics of the Han nation.
Many of the caves in Maiji Mountain are built into unique "Ya Pavilions". The Seven Buddha Pavilion, which is 15 meters high on the head of the East Cliff Clay Buddha, is a typical Han-style cliff pavilion building in China. It is built on a cliff more than 50 meters above the ground and was excavated in the mid-6th century AD. Although the Maijishan Grottoes are mainly clay sculptures, there are also a certain number of stone carvings and murals. The Maijishan Grottoes are listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit. More than 1,300 meters of volleying plank roads have been newly built and repaired, allowing visitors to smoothly climb all the caves. The tallest statues in Maijishan Grottoes are 16 meters long, while the smallest ones are only over 10 centimeters. Among them, the statue in Cave 44 is called "Venus of the East" by the Japanese. The monks' robes of the statues in Cave 78 and Cave 128 of the Western Qin Dynasty are carefully painted with patterns. The statues on the Seven Buddha Pavilion, which is more than 70 meters high, are handsome, and the remaining murals on the top of the corridor are exquisite. Among them, the pictures of carriages and horses on the top of the west end are all going in different directions no matter which angle you look at. A classic work of domestic mural composition.
△Transportation: In front of the Maiji District Railway Station, there is a special tourist bus No. 34 that goes to Maiji Mountain every day. The journey takes about an hour and runs every half hour.
△Tickets: Tickets for Maiji Mountain Scenic Area are 70 yuan, including tickets for the scenic area and grottoes. Half price for those over 60 years old, People's Liberation Army and students. Remember to bring your senior citizen ID card, ID card, soldier ID card and student ID card.
△Opening hours: 8:00～17:00
Special reminder: It is forbidden to bring bags and cameras when visiting the grottoes. There is a storage room at the foot of the mountain. Since Maiji Mountain is a cultural landscape, it is recommended to ask a tour guide to explain it.
Folded topography
Maiji Mountain is a typical Danxia landform. The rocks are all purple-brown water-formed rocks. The mountain rises abruptly and has a single peak. Initially, there were many natural caves. . Its altitude is 1,742 meters, and the top of the mountain is 142 meters above the ground. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Maiji Mountain had become the summer palace of Kaixiao, a famous general in Tianshui. Here there are gloomy pines and cypresses, flying clouds, clouds of smoke, and long flowing blue water. "Half of the blue clouds, between the cliffs, are carved stone Buddhas with thousands of stone niches." It gathers the scenes of the Later Qin, Western Qin, Northern Wei, Western Wei, and Northern Zhou Dynasties. There are more than 7,200 statues and more than 1,300 square meters of murals from more than ten dynasties, including Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, distributed in 194 caves. All caves and niches are dug on the cliffs and are distributed on the east and west cliffs. There are 54 caves on the east cliff and 140 caves on the west cliff. A total of more than 7,200 clay and stone sculptures, stone and clay sculptures, and more than 1,300 square meters of murals. Most of the existing statues are original ones from the Northern Dynasties (the Northern and Southern Dynasties period refers to the regime in the north).
Like Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Datong Yungang Grottoes, and Luoyang Longmen Grottoes, it has precious artistic treasures. In terms of artistic characteristics, Dunhuang focuses on gorgeous murals, Yungang and Longmen are famous for their magnificent stone carvings, and Maiji Mountain is famous for its exquisite statues. As the Chinese sculptor Liu Kaiqu praised: Maiji Mountain is “a great sculpture gallery in the history of our country.
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