Mogao Caves - A Treasure in the Desert

Information

The Mogao Caves, or Mogao Grottoes (also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas and Dunhuang Caves) form a system of 492 temples 25 km (15.5 miles) southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu province, China.

The Mogao Caves is one of the three famous ancient sculptural sites of China, along with Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes, are the best known of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes. The Mogao Caves became one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1987. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1,000 years. Construction of the Buddhist cave shrines began in 366 AD as places to store scriptures and art.

As the 20th century approached, a Taoist discovered a cave on the desolate Gobi in Northwest China. Within this cave were hidden more than 40,000 pieces of Buddhist scripture, embroideries, paintings and books on various subjects, such as religion, history, literature, art and life of the people in ancient feudal China. This came to be called the Dunhuang "Scripture-hiddenCave."

The discovery is important for the whole world as well as the Chinese nation. It revealed a treasure house of several thousand painted clay sculptures and over 40,000 sq. meters of exquisite frescoes, which are called the DunhuangMogaoCaves. As early as the 4th century A.D., the people in the area began excavating and painting the caves, an activity that continued for 1,000 years. Then the caves were abandoned for more than 400 years. Since they were rediscovered, they have displayed the glory of ancient Oriental artto the world. Innumerable scholars came to study and the Dunhuang caves became a branch of learning for many. Not only scholars appreciate the caves; Dunhuang has been a tourist attraction for many years as well.

If you go along the famous ancient Silk Road, you'll find Dunhuang at the western edge of the "Hexi Corridor." West of a riverbed in the southeast of Dunhuang is a steep cliff two kilometers long and about 16 meters high, shaded by willows. Here honeycombs of caves were built; these are the DunhuangMogaoCaves. Entering the caves, one will marvel at the lifelike painted Buddha statues and elegant frescoes. It is easy to imagine the pious and submissive way the disciples worshippedd the Buddha, and the prosperity of Buddhism at that time.

How were the MogaoCaves created? In the last years of the Western Han Dynasty, Buddhism spread from India to China. Its doctrine held that the human body mustperish, but the spirit will exist for ever and be reincarnated. According to Buddhist belief, if a person endures all the sufferings in this life, practises Buddhism and worships Buddha, he will gain happiness in the next life.

In the chaotic and disastrous years after the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Buddhism spread widely and was a spiritual support of the people. One day in 366 A.D., a monk named Le Zun wandered to Dunhuang. It was dusk. He looked up at the old SanweiMountain and saw a vision of thousands of Buddhas in myriads of golden rays. He decided to cut a cave in the cliff opposite the SanweiMountain. Thus was born the Dunhuang MogaoCaves.

With the increasing popularity of Buddhism and Buddhist art, more caves were cut on a larger and larger scale until this work reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty. Later, with the development of trade on the eastern sea, Dunhuang gradually lost its position as an important transport and trade center, and the cutting of the caves lessened. When Suzhou (today's Jiuquan) was closed by the government during the Ming Dynasty, Dunhuang was separated from the interior of the country and forgotten.

Over the centuries the caves have suffered from natural and man-made disasters, so that now only 492 of the DunhuangMogaoCaves remain, dating from the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, the Western Xia Dynasty, the Song dynasties and the Yuan Dynasty.

The largest number, 247 of the caves, date from the Tang Dynasty. The design of the caves varies, and depends on the different ideas of artisans from different periods. Some are rectangular, some square; some have a central pillar, some a huge fanshaped screen and some a terraced round altar in the center. It is said that the ingenious ancient artisans combined wooden structures with caves after they cut caves on the high cliffs, thus forming eaves and corridors. The eaves and corridors built during the Tang and Song dynasties are the oldest wooden structures extant in China and valuable for study. There are as many as 2,400 painted clay Buddha statues in the caves. Though some of them have been weather-worn, some are still well-preserved. When you look at these painted statues, you feel as if you are in a sculpture museum of ancient China. Though they were painting Buddhas, the sculptors used real people as models. Therefore, these sculptures are highly-valuable for the information they provide about the different eras. Statues from the Northern Wei Dynasty are tall, thin but strong and done in a simple style. Statues from the Sui Dynasty are plump and colorful; while statues from the Tang Dynasty, which marked the peak of Buddha sculpture, have well-proportioned heads and bodies, a change from the large-head and small-body style before the Sui Dynasty. They look benign, amiable and full of vigor.

The No. 194 Buddha statue in Cave is even more attractive. She half-opens her eyes, compresses her lips and smiles charmingly; her hair is gathered into a bun and her dress is dotted with flower patterns. She is magnificent and seems to be an embodiment of a Tang Dynasty woman. Artistry of painted sculpture had reached a high level in that period. After the Five Dynasties, however, painted sculptures, in spite of inheriting the form of the Tang Dynasty sculpture, looks somewhat stiff and simple.

The MogaoCaves can be considered an amazingly large art gallery. If the frescoes on the roof and the walls of the caves were connected, they would be 25 kilometers long, with rich contents and colors. The superb skills of ancient painters are demonstrated through their depiction of the stories in Buddhist scripture and of the historical stories of Sakyamuni as well as statues of various Buddhas and of the patrons who financed the building of the caves.

Frescoes from the Northern Wei Dynasty have rich colors and bold strokes; those from the Sui Dynasty have free lines and soft colors; those from the Tang Dynasty are grand, splendid and profound; those from the Five Dynasties are meticulous and smooth, done in folk style; those from the Song Dynasty are reserved and painted in cool colors; and those from the Yuan Dynasty are quiet and mysterious. They are a feast for the eyes. The pictures depict towering palaces, curling colored clouds, the graceful flying Apsaras, dancing willows, aquatic birds spreading their wings and blossoming lotus flowers which make you feel as if you were in a fairyland.

The frescoes depicting social life during the different periods are vivid and real, especially the pictures of the patrons, which are portraits of real people. The patrons include both aristocrats and common people, both men and women, both the old and the young, and both Chinese and foreigners.They are different in dress and appearance and provide precious data for the study of ancient Chinese costumes.

The discovery of the "Scripture-hiddenCaves" (the MogaoCaves) attracted the attention of scholars in different countries. Unfortunately, these historic relics were frequently looted and many of the precious Dunhuang art relics were lost. However, the term "Dunhuang art" not only refers to the MogaoCaves, but also includes the art of the WesternThousand-BuddhaCaves, the YulinCaves and the Lesser Thousand-Buddha Caves at Shuixiakou. Dunhuang is unlike any other place. Its mystery and splendor are eternal and unforgettable.

Northern Wei, Western Wei, & Northern Zhou Caves Sui Caves Tang Caves Post-Tang Caves

Getting there & Away
The Mogao Caves are 25km from Dunhuang, half an hour by bus.

Hotels in Dunhuang

Grand Sun Hotel

It is a quiet and comfortable place to relax after exploring Dunhuang's treasures. This twelve story, four-star hotel is just a few minutes north of Dunhuang's main roundabout.

The hotel houses various restaurants, as well as a cafe and bar. There is a gym, a snooker room, wet and dry saunas and a beauty salon. Also, in addition to the recreational facilities, the hotel also has a business center with conference rooms, which are an ideal choice for meetings and parties. The hotel has various rooms and suites, designed in both Chinese and Japanese styles. All the rooms are equipped with air-conditioning and satellite TV.

Star: 4-star
Opened 1997
Address: 5 North Shazhou Road (Shazhou Bei Lu) Dunhuang China
Number of rooms: 220

The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel

The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel is opened in 1995. Situated against the backdrop of the picturesque Mingsha Sand Dunes. All the work together to recapture the flavour of a bygone era with their simplicity and use of natural building materials. The hotel captures the spirit of the Tang Dynasty with its unique architectural design.

Star: 4-star
Opened 1995 Decorated in 2005
Address: Dunyue Road (Dunyue Lu) Dunhuang China
Number of rooms: 271