Mogao Grottoes


Located on the eastern slope of Singing Sand Hill (Mingshashan) southeast of Dunhuang County in Gansu
Province, the Mogao Grottoes is one of three noted grottoes in China and also the largest, best preserved and
richest treasure house of Buddhist art in the world. In 1987, UNESCO placed the Mogao Grottoes under the
protection of the world cultural heritage list.

The Sui Dynasty (518-618) was a golden age for Buddhism in Chinese history. And the Mogao Grottoes
experienced their heyday of construction during this dynasty. Born and brought up in a Buddhist nunnery, Emperor
Yang Jian, founder of the Sui Dynasty, was an enthusiastic Buddhist. After he united the whole country, he made
Buddhism the national religion. About 5,000 temples were built, thousands of Buddhist sculptures were carved,
and there were some 500,000 Buddhist monks and nuns. His son Emperor Yang Guang was also keen on
Buddhism.

In this period, a large number of grottoes were carved at Mogao. The most common form of grotto dating from this dynasty is the inverted conical
grotto. Generally, they show three major features. First, murals depicting how Buddhists underwent arduous training and endured humiliation for
progress in this life receded, and murals depicting easy ways to become a Buddha and attain Paradise began to occupy prominent positions in
the grottoes. Second, Avalokitesvara was no longer an accompanying figure for Sakyamuni Buddha. Instead, she was depicted separately and with
more grandeur. The appearance of the separate Avalokitesvara marked progress in China's Buddhism. Third, as secularization of Buddhist art
began to emerge, figures in murals in this period were more lifelike.


According to historical records, the carving of them was started in 366 AD and continued for about 1,000
years. Now, there are 492 grottoes in existence, with some 45,000 square m of murals and 2,400-odd
painted clay figures. The painted clay figures vary greatly in size, with the largest one being 33 m high and
the smallest only 10 cm. Painted clay sculptures and murals in the Mogao Grottoes have mainly Buddhist
themes, but they also include human figures, reflecting various societies and cultures of different times.
Besides, they also demonstrate painting styles of different times in layout, figure design, delineation and
coloring, as well as the integration of Chinese and Western arts.