Datong Yungang Grottoes Travel Guide

Scenic spot introduction:

Datong Yungang Grottoes is one of the largest grottoes in my country. Together with Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Luoyang Longmen Grottoes and Maijishan Grottoes, it is also known as China's four major grotto art treasures. It is located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain in the western suburbs of Datong City, Shanxi Province. The grottoes are carved into the mountain and stretch for 1 kilometer from east to west. There are 45 main caves, 252 large and small cave niches, and more than 51,000 large and small statues. It is one of the largest ancient grotto groups in my country. 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.
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.
Among the stone sculptures that stretch for one kilometer, the statues range from more than ten meters in size to stone sculptures as small as a few centimeters. Huge boulders lie across it, and the stone sculptures are everywhere, making it a spectacular sight. The faces, bodies, and clothing lines of these Buddha statues in the grottoes, flying to the sky, and patrons all bear the wisdom and hardships of the ancient working people. 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.

Attractions distribution:

The Yungang Grottoes are divided into three parts: east, middle and west. The Buddhist niches in the grottoes are densely packed like honeycombs, and large, medium and small caves are densely embedded in half of Yungang. The eastern grottoes are mostly built for pagodas, so they are also called pagoda caves; the central grottoes are each divided into two chambers, front and back, with the main Buddha in the middle, and the cave walls and ceiling are covered with reliefs; the western grottoes are composed of small and medium-sized caves and small niches with additional carvings. Most of them were built in a later period, and most of them were works after the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang. Among the dozens of caves in Yungang, Tanyao Five Grottoes were the earliest to be excavated and the most magnificent. The fifth and sixth caves and Wuhua Cave are rich in content, magnificent and magnificent, and are the essence of Yungang art. Cave 9 to Cave 13 are extremely gorgeous due to the clay paintings and are commonly known as "Wuhua Cave".

Scenic spot qualifications:

National 5A scenic spot, world cultural heritage, national key cultural relics protection unit

Scenic spot features:

photography, buddhist resorts, religion, grottoes

Scenic spot map: