"Mogao Grottoes is located on a strategic point of the silk road. It is not only a transit station for trade between the East and the west, but also a junction of religion, culture and knowledge. The 492 small grottoes and cave temples in Mogao Grottoes are famous for their statues and murals, showing the Buddhist art that has lasted for thousands of years. " The above is the evaluation made by the World Heritage Committee when the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang were listed in the world heritage list in 1987.

Mogao Grottoes, also known as "Thousand Buddha Caves", are located in the eastern foot of Mingsha mountain, 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. On the 1600-meter-long cliff in the north and south, there are five layers of grottoes up and down, with a maximum of 50 meters. Mogao Grottoes have a large scale, rich contents and a long history. There are 492 existing grottoes, 45000 square meters of murals and 2415 colored sculptures. The largest statue is 34.5 meters high, and the largest mural is about 50 square meters.

The Mogao Grottoes were built in the second year of the Qin Dynasty (366 A.D.) to the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 A.D.), during which nearly a thousand years of continuous excavation made Mogao Grottoes become a Buddhist art treasure house integrating the architectural art, mural art, color sculpture art and stone carving art of various periods. Architectural art mainly refers to various forms of grottoes, including Zen grottoes, hall grottoes, Pagoda Temple grottoes, dome roof grottoes, shadow grottoes, etc., reflecting the integration and development of various cultures. Mural art is the most quintessential part of Mogao Grottoes, an intuitive and rich cultural history, and also known as the "library on the wall". The art of color sculpture is mainly reflected in the statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, disciples, worshippers and other Buddhist figures. The main forms are round sculpture, floating sculpture and shadow sculpture. The styles are also different with the changes of the times. It is called "image history museum".

In 1900, the accidental discovery of "Sutra cave" in Mogao Grottoes made nearly 60000 precious cultural relics in the cave reappear. These collections span from the Wei and Jin Dynasties of the Three Kingdoms to the Northern Song Dynasty, including scriptures, documents, embroidery and portraits. This is of great research value for the supplement and collation of ancient Chinese documents. This great discovery, which shocked the world, gave birth to the famous "Dunhuang study", which has become an international prominent study.

Mogao Grottoes not only reflect the ancient Chinese religion and social life, but also show the outstanding wisdom and remarkable achievements of the working people of all ages, and become an excellent entrance for future generations to explore the world of their predecessors.

Time: May 25, 2020

Source: China Net