Also known as the "Cave of a Thousand Buddhas", is located 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City, Dazhanguo riverbed on the west bank of the cliffs of the eastern foothills of the Mingsha Mountain, is one of China's three major grottoes of the art of the treasury. Former Qin Fu Jian Jian Jian Yuan two years (366 AD) there are salmon music venerable traveled here, see the Mingsha Mountain on the golden light, like a thousand Buddhas, and then sprouted the heart of the excavation, and after the successive construction constantly, and then became a holy place of Buddhism.
China's cave art from India, India's traditional grottoes is mainly stone carving, and Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes because the rock quality is not suitable for carving, so the statue is mainly clay murals. The whole cave is generally before the round plastic, and then gradually fade into high plastic, shadow plastic, wall plastic, and finally to the background of the frescoes, the plastic, painting two kinds of art into one. Mogao Grottoes in the Tang Dynasty has more than 1,000 holes, the existing grottoes 492 holes, of which 32 holes in Wei Cave, 110 holes in Sui Cave, 247 holes in Tang Cave, 36 holes in the Cave of the Five Dynasties, 45 holes in Song Cave, 8 holes in the Yuan Cave, 45,000 square meters of mural paintings, colorful statues of 2,415 statues, the grottoes are divided into the upper and lower five floors, the caves have been found from the 4th century to the 14th century, which is now numbered "17" precious artifacts. In the cave now numbered "17" had found from the 4th century to the 14th century of the precious cultural relics 56,000 pieces, because of which the formation of Dunhuang science, in addition to the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute.
The Mogao Grottoes are the largest existing "treasure house of world art", and in December 1987 were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mogao Grottoes art is characterized by the organic combination of architecture, statues and murals. Grottoes are divided into Zen Grottoes, Hall Grottoes, Pagoda and Temple Grottoes, Dome Top Grottoes, Shadow Grottoes and other forms; colorful sculptures are divided into round sculptures, floating sculptures, shadow sculptures, good karma sculptures, etc.; murals are divided into venerable statue paintings, sutra paintings, story paintings, paintings of Buddhist monuments, architectural paintings, landscape paintings, paintings of offerings, animal paintings, decorative paintings and other contents, which systematically reflect the history and history of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Western Wei Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Fifth Generation, the Song Dynasty, the Western Xia Dynasty, the Yuan Dynasty, and other 10 dynasties and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. It has become a rare cultural treasure of mankind, reflecting more than ten dynasties and cultural exchanges between the East and the West.
Since the discovery of more than 50,000 volumes of religious and secular documents in the Mogao Grottoes on May 26, 1900, the art of Dunhuang has shaken the whole world, and "Dunhuang Studies" has become a global science. Donated by Japan, in the opposite side of the Mogao Grottoes, under the Three Dangerous Hills, built by the Dunhuang Research Institute Dunhuang Art Exhibition Center, imitated part of the original cave, so that tourists in the Mogao Grottoes viewing content more colorful.
The main image of the cave in the Northern Dynasties period is generally Shakyamuni or Maitreya, the main image on both sides of the two coercive Bodhisattva or a Buddha, two disciples, two Bodhisattva. The back of the statue is connected to the mural. The top and four walls of the cave are covered with murals. The top and upper part of the cave is mostly for the heavenly palace kabuki. The lower part of the night fork or decorative patterns. In addition to thousands of Buddha in the middle of the mural, mainly painted stories of Buddha, the story of this life and karma story. One of the story of the life of the dove, cut flesh, give up their bodies to feed the tiger, the nine-colored deer to give up their lives to save others. Sui and Tang for the Mogao Grottoes heyday, the Sui Dynasty, the style of 100 caves from the central tower of the Northern Dynasties to the center of the altar, the group like the same before. Tang appeared a Buddha, two disciples, two heavenly kings or a combination of two Rex. Statue also from the early "thin bones" modeling, back to the "rich and strong" look. Cave murals are mainly large scenes of the sayings of the figure and a simple map of the sutra. Mogao Grottoes largest statues are molded in the Tang Dynasty, the 96th Cave Buddha is the largest statue in the Mogao Grottoes. Tang dynasty mural is a variety of sutra change map, its scale is extremely grand, showing the magnificent picture of the kingdom of heaven. Cave statues have lost vitality in the Fifth Dynasty, the Song Dynasty into decline.
The art of Mogao Grottoes is the integration of architecture, colorful sculptures, murals as one of the integrated art. It is China's and the world's largest and best-preserved treasure trove of Buddhist art, which was included in the list of UNESCO's "World Heritage Sites" in 1991.
In the second year of Jianyuan of the former Qin Dynasty (366 A.D.), a monk named Lezun traveled to this place, and because he saw the golden light of Sanwei Mountain, which looked like a thousand Buddhas, and realized that this was the place of the Buddha, he chiseled and constructed the first Buddha Cave on the cliff wall. After the construction of successive generations, so far there are more than 700 caves of various types preserved from the Northern Liang to the Yuan Dynasty, mural paintings 50110 square meters, more than 2,700 colorful sculptures, Tang and Song dynasty wooden structure building 5, lotus pillar stone and paving bricks thousands of pieces, is a comprehensive art hall by the architecture, painting, sculpture, is the world's largest and best preserved treasury of Buddhist art, is known as the "Oriental Art Ming Dynasty". Known as the "Pearl of Oriental Art".
June 22, 1900 to look after the grottoes of the Taoist priest Wang Yuan recorded, known as Wang Daoshi, invited to write the scriptures of Yang in the cracks in the wall inserted lamps and grass, found that the wall is empty, and therefore found a secret room, (now numbered 17 caves, also known as the Cave of the Scriptures), the hole in the 4th to 11th centuries (the Western Jin Dynasty to the Song Dynasty) of the scriptures, history, son, set of various types of instruments and paintings, such as more than 40,000 pieces. Most of them were later robbed by foreign treasure thieves to more than ten countries and regions.
The Mogao Grottoes are a treasure trove of culture and art, including architecture, colorful sculptures and frescoes, covering the fields of art, history, economy, culture, religion and teaching of ancient societies, with precious historical, artistic and scientific values, which are the historical treasures of the Chinese nation and the excellent cultural heritage of mankind. 1961 was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council, and 1987 was listed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO. In 1961, it was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit by the State Council, and in 1987, it was listed in the World Cultural Heritage List by UNESCO.
Dunhuang 328 caves Tang Dynasty statues, the figure marked with a circle in the place, there was a bodhisattva, was stolen by the British, is now stored in the Boston Museum. You can still see a round pit left on the ground.
Cave 103 (Shengtang), a picture of the emperor, who came to listen to the teachings Cave 103 (Shengtang) successfully portrayed Vimalakirti, the vivid form of the Buddhist monk
Mogao Grottoes is one of the world's largest art treasures.
Theft of the Mogao Grottoes
In 1900, the Taoist priest Wang Yuanshu discovered the "Cave of the Sutras", which contained more than 40,000 pieces of scriptures, documents and artifacts. Since then, the Mogao Caves are even more remarkable.
1907, 1914, the British Stein twice looted the books, more than 10,000 pieces of cultural relics.
In 1908, the Frenchman Burghardt and selected from the Cave of the Tibetan scriptures in the boutique, plundered about 5,000 pieces.
In 1910, the cave of the hidden scriptures in the looting of the remaining written scriptures, most of which were transported to Beijing, handed over to the capital library collection.
1911 Japanese Orange Ruichao and Yoshikawa Koichiro from Wang Daoshi, get rid of about 600 pieces of scriptures.
In 1914, the Russian Oldenburg took a number of scriptures written from Dunhuang, and cave mapping, but also stole the 263rd cave murals.
In 1924, the Americans Wahlner with a special chemical glue, sticky uncovered 26 stolen Mogao Grottoes frescoes.
Tourist Notes
In order to protect the murals, when visiting the Mogao Caves, you can only use a flashlight to watch them, each tour guide brings a flashlight, and if you want to watch them better, you can bring your own flashlight with three batteries.
The year 2000 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Cave of the Hidden Scriptures.
Yungang Grottoes
●Heritage Type: Cultural Heritage
●Heritage Selection Criteria: Yungang Grottoes were inscribed on the World Heritage List according to the World Heritage Selection Criteria C(I)(II)(III)(IV).
●World Heritage Committee evaluation:
The Yungang Grottoes, located in Datong City, Shanxi Province, with 252 niches and more than 51,000 statues, represent outstanding Buddhist cave art in China from the 5th to the 6th centuries AD. Among them, the five caves of Tanya, with their rigorous and uniform layout design, are the classic masterpieces of the first peak period of Chinese Buddhist art.
● Grottoes Overview:
The Yungang Grottoes are located at the southern foot of Wuzhoushan Mountain, 16 kilometers west of Datong City, Shanxi Province, in northern China. The grottoes were first excavated in the second year of Xing'an of the Northern Wei Dynasty (453 A.D.), and most of them were completed before the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty was moved to Luoyang (494 A.D.), and the statue-making project continued until the Zhengguang period (520-525 A.D.). The grottoes are carved out of the mountain, stretching east and west for about 1 kilometer, with magnificent and rich contents. There are now 45 major caves, 252 large and small niches, and more than 51,000 stone statues, the largest of which reaches 17 meters, while the smallest is only a few centimeters. Caves in the Bodhisattva, Rex, flying image vivid and lively, the tower column on the carving exquisite and delicate, the upper bearing Qin and Han (221 BC ~ 220 AD) the essence of realism art, the lower opening of the Sui and Tang Dynasty (581 ~ 907 AD) Romantic color of the precedent, and the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang in Gansu Province, Henan Province Longmen Grottoes, and is known as the "three major groups of grottoes in China! ", is also one of the world-famous stone carving art treasury. Existing major caves forty-five, the size of more than 51,000 statues, one of the largest group of ancient grottoes in China, the State Council announced in 1961 as a national key cultural relics protection units, in 2001 was listed as a world cultural heritage.
The Yungang Grottoes are magnificent and colorful, known as the crown of Chinese rock art in the 5th century AD, and are known as the treasure trove of ancient Chinese carving art. According to the excavation time can be divided into early, middle and late three periods, different periods of the grottoes statue style also has its own characteristics. Early "Tanya five grottoes" magnificent, with a thick, pure and simple Western mood. The mid-term grottoes are carved, decorated with gorgeous known in the world, showing the complexity of the Northern Wei Dynasty art style, opulent and colorful. Late cave room size is small, but the characters are thin and handsome, proportionally moderate, is an example of northern China's grotto art and the origin of the "thin bones and clear like". In addition, the grottoes left in the music and dance and acrobatic carvings, is also a reflection of the popularity of the Buddhist ideology and the reflection of the social life of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Yungang Grottoes recorded the image of India and Central Asia Buddhist art to the development of Chinese Buddhist art historical trajectory, reflecting the gradual secularization of Buddhist statues in China, the process of nationalization. A variety of Buddhist art statue style in the Yungang Grottoes to realize the unprecedented integration, and the formation of the "Yungang mode" has become a turning point in the development of Chinese Buddhist art. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes in the Northern Wei Dynasty statues are varying degrees of influence by the Yungang Grottoes.
Yungang Grottoes is the beginning of the cave art "Chinese". Yungang Grottoes in the middle of the Chinese palace architectural style carving, and on this basis developed a Chinese-style Buddha niche, in the later generations of the construction of cave temples are widely used. Yungang late cave layout and decoration of the cave room, more prominently displayed a strong Chinese architectural, decorative style, reflecting the "Chineseization" of Buddhist art continues to deepen.
● Grotto History:
According to the literature, the Northern Wei Dynasty peace (460 to 471 years) by the famous monk Tanyao presided over, in the western suburbs of the capital Wujhousai, excavation of grottoes five, now numbered sixteenth to twentieth grottoes, is the earliest at that time, the so-called "five grottoes Tanyao". Other major caves, most of the completion of the Northern Wei dynasty Taihe eighteen years (494 AD) before Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital of Luoyang, from now on there are 1,500 years of history.
The Yungang Grottoes have a long history, large scale, rich content, fine carving, known as the miracle of Chinese art history. In the grottoes, there are different, lifelike figures, such as Buddha, Bodhisattvas, disciples and protectors of the sky, etc.; there is a simple style, a variety of imitation of wooden buildings; there are prominent themes, knife skillful Buddhist reliefs; there are rich, beautiful and exquisite decorative patterns; and China's ancient musical instruments such as konghou, paixiao, Wicker and pipa, etc., colorful and colorful, a wide range of.
In the carving techniques, inherited and developed the excellent tradition of carving art in China during the Qin and Han Dynasties, and absorbed and integrated the beneficial components of the art of Kendra, creating a unique style of art, leaving an important page in the history of sculpture in China. The Yungang Grottoes is not only an important image material for understanding and researching the ancient history, carving, architecture, music and religious beliefs of China, but also a physical evidence of the cultural exchanges between the East and the West and the friendly exchanges between the people in ancient times.
One thousand five hundred years, the Yungang Grottoes due to weathering, water erosion and earthquake damage is more serious, before the liberation of man-made broken ring, according to incomplete statistics, was stolen overseas Buddha's head, the Buddha statue was up to more than 1,400, axe chiseling remains, still in.
Since the founding of the country, under the care of the party and the government of the Yungang Grottoes many times carried out large-scale maintenance projects, so that the ancient art treasures have been properly protected.
Nowadays, the Yungang Grottoes have become an important place for people from all walks of life in China to visit as well as a tourist attraction for international friends.
● sub-cave introduction:
The first cave, the second cave two caves for the double cave, located in the eastern end of the Yungang Grottoes. Cave central carving out two square tower, the back wall like Maitreya, most of the four walls of the Buddha weathering and peeling, the south wall of the cave door carved on both sides of the Vimalayan, Manjushri, the lower part of the east wall of the Buddha after the story of the life of the story preserved in bas-relief more intact; two caves in the center of a square three-tiered tower, each layer of the four sides of the carving of the three pavilion-type niches, caves also carved out the five layers of small towers, the study of the Northern Wei Dynasty construction of the image of the information.
The third grotto, is the largest grotto in Yungang, in front of the broken wall is about 25 meters high, rumored to be Tanya translation building, the cave is divided into front and back room, the upper center of the front room cut out a Maitreya caves room, around the cut out of a pair of three-storey square tower. After the room south of the west side of the carving has a rounded face, muscle fullness, flower crown fine, clothing pattern smooth three statues, this Buddha is about 10 meters high, the two Bodhisattvas standing statue each 6.2 meters high. From the style of these three statues and carving techniques, may be the early Tang (seventh century AD) when the carving.
The fourth grotto, the center of the grotto carved a rectangular column, the north and south sides of the carving of six Buddha, east and west of the carving of three Buddha. South wall above the cave door with the Northern Wei Zhengguang chronicle (520 a.d. 525 years) bearing in mind that this is the Yungang Grottoes, the latest existing bearing in mind.
The fifth grotto, located in the center of the Yungang Grottoes, and the six grottoes for a group of double grottoes. Cave divided into the front and back room, the back room of the north wall of the main statue of the Third Buddha, the central sitting statue 17 meters high, is the largest statue of Buddha in the Yungang Grottoes. The four walls of the cave is full of carved niches, Buddha. On both sides of the archway, carved with two Buddha sitting on the Bodhi tree has been the top relief flying sky, beautiful lines. Two caves in front of the cave has five four-story pavilion, the existing building for the early Qing dynasty Shunzhi eight years (1651 AD) reconstruction.
The sixth cave, the cave plane nearly square, the center is a connection between the top of the cave two square tower column, about 15 meters high. Pagoda column called below the layer of niches, the south side of the carving of sitting Buddha, the west side of the carving of sitting Buddha, the north side of the carving of the release of Ying Duo Bao sitting statue, the east side of the carving of the cross-footed Maitreya statue. Pagoda column on both sides of the four sides of the niche and the cave east, south, two three walls and windows on both sides of the carving out of 33 depictions of Sakyamuni from the birth of the Buddha's biography of the story of the Buddha into the road in relief. This cave is a magnificent scale, richly decorated, refined techniques, is one of the most representative of the Yungang Grottoes.
The seventh grotto, the cave was built in front of a three-story wooden grotto roof, the cave is divided into two rooms before and after. The upper layer of the main wall of the back room is carved with a Bodhisattva sitting on a lion. East, west and south walls, covered with carved statues of Buddha, the south wall of the door arch on the six feed the Bodhisattva, the image of beautiful and realistic. Cave top relief flying sky, lively, each with a lotus flower as the center, circling and dancing, dancing.
The eighth cave, the cave on both sides of the five-headed six-armed peacock Hatomoro days, the east side of the carving of the three-headed eight-armed riding bulls of the day of the Moyi Shuru, this statue in Yungang is extremely rare.
The ninth cave, divided into the front and back of the two rooms, the front room door arch two columns for the octagonal, the room wall is carved with niches, music and dance, vivid statues, strong sense of movement.
Cave 10, and nine grottoes excavated at the same time, divided into two rooms before and after. The front room has a flying sky, beautiful, proportional and coordinated. The upper part of the window, the stone carving group of Buddha complex composition, exquisite and exquisite, striking.
The eleventh cave, the cave **** there is straight to the top of the square tower, carved on all sides of the Buddha. On the front, the Bodhisattva statue is well preserved. Cave wall around the niche full of carved statues and small Buddha.
Twelfth cave, the upper end of the wall carved with Kabuki celestial beings, holding strings and tubes, percussion instruments, look very different, vivid image. In their hands, reed pipe, konghou and other classical instruments are very precious, is the study of China's music is an important source of information.
The thirteenth cave, in the middle of the end of the seat of a cross-footed Maitreya Buddha, more than 12 meters high, the left arm and leg carved between an arm of the Rex statue, which is the only case in the Yungang Grottoes. South wall of the arch of the upper part of the seven Buddha statues, beautifully carved, elegant posture.
Cave 14, statues more divided, the upper part of the west wall, there are still part of the statue of the east side of the square Buddha column.
Fifteenth cave, carved with more than 10,000 small Buddha sitting statue, known as the Ten Thousand Buddha Cave.
The sixteenth cave, the sixteenth to twenty caves, the Yungang Grottoes is the earliest opening of the excavation of the five grottoes, commonly known as the "Tanya five grottoes." Sixteen caves for the plane is oval. In the middle of the main statue of Shakyamuni, 13.5 meters high, standing on a lotus seat, around the wall carved with thousands of Buddhas and Buddhist niches.
Cave XVII, the main image of the Three Buddhas, in the middle of the cross Maitreya sitting statue, 15.6 meters high. East and west walls are carved niches, east for the sitting statue, west for the standing statue. Ming window on the east side of the Northern Wei Taihe thirteen years (AD 489) niche, is the later supplementary carving.
Cave XVIII, in the middle of the statue up to 15 meters high, right arm exposed, wearing a thousand Buddha robe, carved fine, vivid and touching.
The nineteenth cave, the main image of the three statues, caves in the Sakya sitting statue, 16. 8 meters high, is the second largest in the Yungang Grottoes. Cave outside the east and west chiseled out two ear holes, each carved with a sitting statue of 8 meters.
The twentieth grotto, the front of the cave with about before the Liao Dynasty has collapsed, the statue is completely open air. Standing like three big Buddha, in the middle of the Shakyamuni sitting statue, 13.7 meters high, this like the face full, two shoulders broad, majestic modeling, the spirit of thick, for the Yungang Grottoes carving art masterpieces.
● Summary:
Throughout the group of Buddha, in this stretch of one kilometer of stone carving group, statues as large as ten meters, as small as a few centimeters of stone carvings, boulders across the stone carvings, full of eyes, a magnificent sight. Their form, the divine grace is moving. Some of them are sitting in the center, lifelike, or drums or bells, or holding a piccolo or singing and dancing, or holding a lute, facing the tourists. These statues, Flying Sky, feeders face, body, clothing patterns, are left on the ancient wisdom of the working people and hard work. These statues of the Buddha and musical instruments carved statues, but also clearly exudes the Persian color. This is the ancient people of our country and other countries friendly exchanges of historical testimony. Yungang Grottoes, is based on China's traditional carving art, absorbing and integrating the Indian Gandhara art and Persian art of the essence of the creative labor of the crystallization.
Longmen Grottoes ●Heritage Type: Cultural Heritage
●Heritage Selection Criteria: The Longmen Grottoes were inscribed on the World Heritage List in accordance with World Heritage Selection Criteria C(I)(II)(III).
●World Heritage Committee evaluation:
The grottoes and Buddhist niches in the Longmen region exhibit some of the largest and finest examples of plastic arts in China from the late Northern Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty (493-907 AD). These detailed works of art depicting religious themes in Buddhism represent the highest peak of Chinese stone carving art.
● Grottoes Overview:
Longmen GrottoesLongmen Grottoes, located 12 kilometers south of downtown Luoyang, is one of the three major grottoes in China, along with the Yungang Grottoes in Datong and the Thousand Buddha Caves Grottoes in Dunhuang.
Longmen Grottoes is a place of beautiful scenery, where two green mountains face each other in the east and west, and the Yishui River flows gently northward. From a distance, it looks like a natural doorway, so the ancient name "Yi Que". Now "Yi Que", since ancient times, has become the first landscape to visit Longmen. The Tang poet Bai Juyi once said: "The four suburbs of Luoyang landscape victory, Longmen first.
The Longmen Grottoes were first excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty before and after Emperor Xiaowen's Chandu Luoyang (494 A.D.), and have a history of more than 1,500 years. Later, through the East and West Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, to the Sui and Tang dynasties such as Song and continuous large-scale construction of more than 400 years. Densely spread on the cliffs of the east and west mountains of Yishui, more than 1,000 meters long in the north and south, there are more than 1,300 grottoes, 2345 Buddha caves and niches, more than 50 pagodas, and more than 100,000 statues of Buddha. The largest statue of Buddha is as high as 17.14 meters, and the smallest is only 2 centimeters. In addition, there are more than 3,600 inscriptions and inscriptions of statues through the ages, all of which reflect the high artistic attainments of the ancient laboring people of China. Among them, Binyang Zhongdong
, Fengxian Temple and Guyangdong are the most representative.
Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan Province are located in the southeast of Luoyang City, distributed on the cliffs on both sides of the Yishui River, up to 1 kilometer north and south. Longmen Grottoes were first excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty, has built more than 400 years. Existing grottoes more than 2300 niches, statues more than 100,000, is China's ancient carving art of the model work
Wei Grottoes - 495 AD Wei clan room Qiu Huicheng began to excavate Gouyang Cave in Longmen Mountain, 500 - 523 years Wei Xuanwu Emperor, Emperor Xiaoming of Wei successive excavation of Binyang Cave in the north of the three large grottoes in the south, Shiyang cave and Binyang Cave construction **. and the construction of Binyang cave *** fee labor more than 800,000, but also excavated the medicine hole and the Eastern Wei Dynasty excavated Lotus Cave and other grottoes. North Dynasty grottoes are in Longmen Mountain, Guyang Cave since Hui Cheng to the end of the Eastern Wei Dynasty more than 50 years of construction, showing more than Chinese art forms, Buddha posture from the Yungang Grottoes of the majestic and fearful change to the Longmen Grottoes of the gentle and approachable. Binyang in the hole in the main Buddha as a representative of the Buddha, the character face with a smile, Longmen Grottoes than the Yungang Grottoes show more Chinese art Buddha.
Tang Grottoes - the most prosperous period is the Tang Dynasty, accounting for more than 60% of the total number of grottoes, Wu Zetian reign of the grottoes excavated during the Tang Dynasty grottoes accounted for the majority of the Tang Dynasty grottoes, with her long time have Luoyang related. Fengxian Temple is the most representative of the Tang caves, the two bodhisattvas 70 feet, Gaya, Ananda, Vajra, God King each 50 feet high (Tang Dynasty length). The scale of the large, in the Longmen Grottoes called the first, has spent four years, Wu Zetian himself paid 20,000 guan.
The Dragon Gate twenty products is a precious fine art of calligraphy of the Wei Bei body. On behalf of the Wei Bei body, the character shape is upright and generous, the momentum is strong and powerful, is a typeface in the transition from the official script to the regular script, there are nineteen products in the Guyang Cave.
Binyang Cave has three caves, Binyang Central Cave is representative of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 ~ 512 AD). This cave took 24 years to build before and after, and is the longest one to be excavated. There are 11 big Buddha statues in the cave. The main wall of the cave carved main image of Sakyamuni, left and right side of the two disciples, Bodhisattvas, Buddha and Bodhisattvas face thin, eye large neck flat, clothing texture circumscribed carved, there are obvious traces of art in the Western region. The top of the cave is carved with flying sky, quite healthy and elegant. It is said that the two walls of the cave there is a relief "emperor and queen ritual Buddha map", chic shape, composition is wonderful, after being stolen chiseling, is now placed in the United States Museum in New York. The cave mouth of the Tang Prime Minister calligrapher Chu Suiliang book inscription, it is worth a glance.
Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave in the south of Binyang Cave, the cave is rich in carvings, the north and south of the stone wall carved full of small Buddha, many statues of Buddha only one inch, or a few centimeters high, counting more than 1,500. The main wall of the Bodhisattva Buddha sitting on the waist of the octagonal lotus seat. There are four warriors in the waistband, holding the lotus on their shoulders. The back wall is carved with 54 branches of lotus, each branch of the flower sits on a bodhisattva or a provider, the top of the wall relief Kabuki people, all graceful, realistic image. Along the mouth of the south wall there is a Guanyin Bodhisattva statue, hand-held vase lifting dust tail, body shape rounded full, beautiful posture, very God.
Fengxian Temple is the largest grotto in the Longmen Tang Dynasty grottoes, according to inscriptions, this cave was excavated in the Tang Dynasty Wu Zetian period, which lasted three years. Cave Buddha obviously embodies the Tang Dynasty Buddha art features, face shape fat, two ears down, form complete, peaceful, warm, friendly, extremely moving. Grottoes in the Rushena Buddha sitting for the Longmen Grottoes, the largest Buddha, body height 17.14 meters, head height 4 meters, ear length 1.9 meters, full-bodied, instrumentation, clothing lines smooth, with a high degree of artistic infectivity. Rushena Buddha statue on both sides and the two disciples Gaya and Ananda, the form of meek and pious, the two Bodhisattvas and good and cheerful. The heavenly king's hand rests on the pagoda, appearing stout and strong.
Vajra Rex statue than Rushena Buddha statue next to the Rex like more moving, is the Longmen Grottoes in the treasures, in 1953 to clean up the caves cum soil, in the extreme south hole near the discovery of the theft of chiseling and failed to remove the leftovers. Just see the vajra warrior two eyes protruding, angrily look ahead, second hand clenched fist, chest, hands, legs on the muscle high bulge. The whole statue modeling rough and bold, robust and powerful, imposing.
Guyang Cave is the earliest excavation in the Longmen Grottoes, one of the richest, but also another representative of the Northern Wei Dynasty caves. Guyang Cave has a lot of Buddha niche statues, these Buddha niche statues have inscriptions, recorded the name of the statue maker, the statue of the year and month and the reason, these are the study of the Northern Wei Dynasty calligraphy and carving art of precious information. Most of the milestones in the history of Chinese calligraphy, "Longmen Twenty Pieces", are concentrated here. "Longmen twenty products" represents the Wei style, the font is upright and generous, strong and powerful, is the essence of Longmen Grottoes inscription calligraphy art, has always been respected by the world.
There is also a prescription cave, engraved with 140 prescriptions, reflecting the achievements of China's ancient medicine. Carving some prescriptions on stone tablets or in caves, which are also found elsewhere, is an important way to pass on ancient medical achievements to future generations.
Longmen Grottoes also retains a large number of religious, art, calligraphy, music, clothing, medicine, architecture and Chinese and foreign transportation and other aspects of the physical history. Therefore, it is another large museum of stone carving art.
● cultural heritage value: China's cave art "milestone"
Dragon Gate Grottoes is a grand scale, magnificent, exquisite carving, rich in subject matter, known as one of the world's greatest treasures of classical art. It is its own systematic, unique sculpture art language, revealing the various laws and regulations of sculpture art creation. In it before the grotto art are more retained Gandhara and the components of the art of the Maoduo Luo, and Longmen Grottoes is far from bearing the Indian grotto art, close to following the Yungang Grottoes style, and the Wei and Jin Luoyang and the Southern Dynasties advanced and deep Han Chinese historical and cultural integration of excavation and become. So the Longmen Grottoes of the art of statuary at the beginning of the national aesthetic consciousness and form of enlightenment and the strong pursuit of the grottoes, so that the art of the grottoes showed a trend of Chinese, secularization, known as showing the change of China's grottoes art, "milestone".
Royal style
Dragon Gate Grottoes is the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, the royal aristocrats wishing to create the most concentrated place. Royal aristocrats have strong human and material conditions, they presided over the excavation of the grottoes must be large-scale, magnificent, bringing together the essence of the art of grottoes at the time, so Longmen Grottoes is very representative. The excavation of these caves is the embodiment of the royal will and behavior, with a strong national religious color, so the rise and fall of the Longmen Grottoes, not only reflects the 5 to 10 centuries of China's royal family reverence for Buddhism and religion of the changes in the prosperity and decline of the same time, from some sides also reflects some of the Chinese history of the political winds and clouds of the development of social and economic dynamics, and its significance is incomparable to the other grottoes.
Longmen twenty products
"Longmen twenty products" title from the Qing Dynasty, the so-called "Longmen twenty products" refers to the selection of Longmen Grottoes in the Northern Wei Dynasty in the twenty side of the statue of the inscription, which nineteen products in the Guyang Cave, a product in the Cixiang Cave. The "Longmen Twenty Pieces" is the essence of calligraphy art in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the calligraphy art it shows is developed and evolved on the basis of Han Dynasty Clerical Script and Jin Dynasty Clerical Script, with dignified and generous fonts, robust and simple, with the tone of Clerical Script as well as Regular Script, which is the representative of the "Wei Bei" style. It is a representative of the "Wei Bei" style, which has an extremely high status in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
In Yunnan, there is also a scenic area called Longmen Grottoes, but far less famous than Luoyang. It is located in Kunming Xishan Scenic Area, from the north of Sanqing Pavilion, south to Datian Pavilion, is the largest and most exquisite Taoist grottoes in Yunnan. "Longmen Scenic Spot" to "strange, absolute, dangerous, secluded" as the characteristics of Kunming's West Mountain, the first of many famous attractions, to the Kunming tourists have to go to visit. Therefore, there is a "not play the West Mountain is equal to not Kunming, not to Longmen just a trip to the West Mountain in vain," said.
China Longmen Grottoes network:
Maiji Mountain Grottoes
Maiji Mountain is located in Tianshui City, Gansu Province, about 45 kilometers southeast of China's Qinling Mountains, the western end of the Xiaolong Mountains in a peak, the height of the mountain is only 142 meters, but the mountain's shape is peculiar, the peaks of the lonely rise, as if the stacks of wheat, people will be called the Maiji Mountain. The southwest side of the peak for the cliffs, grottoes cut in the cliffs, some from the base of the mountain twenty to thirty meters, some up to seventy or eighty meters. In such a steep cliff cut hundreds of thousands of caves and Buddha, in China's grottoes is rare.
Maiji Mountain is surrounded by beautiful scenery, the mountains are densely covered with cypress and pine, wildflowers and grass. Climbed to the top of the mountain, looking into the distance, all sides are lush green mountains, only to see thousands of ravines, mountains, pines, like the sea, clouds and mist formation, the distant view of the near things intertwined together, constituting a beautiful picture, which is known as Tianshui, the first of the eight scenes of the "Maiji Smoke and Rain". In China's famous grottoes, the natural scenery to the Maiji Mountain for the best.
The Maiji Mountain Grottoes were built in 384 A.D. Later, after more than a dozen dynasties of continuous excavation, renovation, and became one of China's famous large-scale grottoes, but also world-famous art treasure trove. There are 194 existing caves, in which there are more than 7200 pieces of clay and stone sculptures from the 4th century to the 19th century, and more than 1,300 square meters of murals. Maijishan Grottoes is a distinctive feature of the cave location is extremely dangerous, most of the excavation in the cliffs above, between the caves all rely on the cliffs set up in the surface of the overhead trestle access. Tourists climbed on these winding overhead trestles, can not help but be thrilled. The ancients have praised these projects: "between the cliffs, engraved stone into the Buddha, thousands of niches and thousands of caves. Broken from manpower, suspected to be divine." Nearby the masses are also rumored to be "cut the South Mountain Chai, repairing the Maiji Cliff", "first 10,000 feet of Chai, after the Maiji Cliff," the proverbs. Visible at that time to excavate the cave, the construction of the trestle project of the arduous, ambitious.
Maiji Mountain grotto art, known for its exquisite clay art. Historian Fan Wenlan once praised the Maiji Mountain as "a large exhibition hall for displaying statues". If Dunhuang is a large mural museum, then, Maiji Mountain is a large sculpture museum. Here the statue, the big up to 15 meters high, the small only 20 centimeters, reflecting more than a thousand years in each era of the characteristics of the statue, systematically reflecting the art of clay sculpture in China and the evolution of the process. The clay sculptures here can be roughly divided into four categories: high floating sculptures that protrude from the wall, round sculptures that leave the wall completely, molded shadow sculptures and wall sculptures that are pasted on the wall. Among them, thousands of life-size round molding, very interesting life, is considered a treasure.
Maijishan statues have two distinctive features: a strong sense of nationalism and the tendency to secularization. In addition to the early works, from the Northern Wei Dynasty statues, almost all the Buddha statues are bowed down to look at the body, have a kind face, although the gods of heaven, but like the secular people, become the embodiment of people's good wishes. From the statue of the body shape and dress, but also gradually get rid of the influence of foreign art, reflecting the characteristics of the Han Chinese people.
Many of the caves in the Mecca Mountains are repaired into a unique "Cliff Court". In the East Cliff clay Buddha head 15 meters high at the seven Buddha Pavilion, is a typical Han-style cliff pavilion building, built on the cliffs more than 50 meters above the ground, excavated in the middle of the 6th century AD. Although the Maijishan Grottoes are mainly clay sculptures, there are also a certain number of stone carvings and murals. Maijishan Grottoes is listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit, the new frame and repair of more than 1,300 meters of overhead trestle, so that visitors can smoothly ascend to all the caves. Maijishan Grottoes statues of the tallest 16 meters, the smallest is only 10 centimeters. Among them, the 44th cave statue by the Japanese called "the Venus of the East". Western Qin 78 caves, 128 caves of the statue of the monk's clothes carefully painted patterns. Built in more than seventy meters high on the seven Buddha Pavilion statues handsome, aisle on the top of the remaining murals exquisite, which the west end of the top of the car and horse pedestrians figure, no matter from which angle to see the direction of the car and the horse are not the same direction, known as the domestic mural composition of the classic works.
△Transportation: in front of the train station in Maiji District, there is a daily line of 34 buses to Maiji Mountain, the ride is about 1 hour, every half hour.
△Tickets: Maijishan scenic area tickets 70 yuan, including scenic spots and grottoes tickets. 60 years old and above, the People's Liberation Army and students half price, remember to bring the old man card, ID card, soldier's ID card and student ID card.
△Opening time: 8:00 ~ 17:00
Special reminder: visit the grottoes prohibited to bring bags and cameras, there is a depository at the bottom of the mountain. As the Maiji Mountain is a humanistic landscape, it is recommended to ask the guide to explain the explanation.