I took an Asian Art History class with my youngest son, and we studied
these grottoes as a part of the segment on China and I immediately wanted to
go. They are even more impressive in
person, and could be part of a trek from Beijing to Xian to see the terracotta
warriors. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, so if you are trying to tick those off your travel to do list, that is another draw.
Buddhism came to China along
the Silk Road from India in the early 400s. In the Shanxi region of central
China, the monk Tan Yao and other Buddhists began carving sculpture-filled
caves around the capital city of Pingcheng (now Datong). Between 465 AD and
525, 45 caves, 252 shrines, and 51,000 sculptures were built. The carvings span
over one km along the side of the mountain.
The walls of the caves are lined with sculptures of Buddha
in different positions, though most feature the Sakyamuni, a young Buddha, in a
seated position. The sculptures range in size from barely two centimeters to
over 17 meters high.
Though the carvings are exposed to the elements, they have
been preserved by many efforts. The Liao Dynasty from 1049-1060 attempted to
correct some erosion. Additionally, after a fire 1621, the Qing Dynasty rebuilt
extensive parts of the sculptures. Lastly, the People’s Republic of China list
the grottoes as a key cultural site to be protected by the government. They
have stopped illegal construction around the caves and saved many grottoes near
collapse.
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