5A GRADE SCENIC SPOT
★★★★★
Mogao Caves
PRODUCER: XINGXIN
ENGLISH NAME: SISSI
NUMBER:26110032
THE CONTENTS
✧ Relevance as a tourist destination
✧ History
✧ Heritage attributes
✧ Special Local Snack
✧ Accommodation
Relevance as a tourist destination
The Mogao Caves or Mogao Grottoes , also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas , form a system of 492 temples 25 km southeast of the center of Dun Huang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gan Su province, China.
The caves may also be known as the Dun Huang Caves, however, this term also include other Buddhist cave sites in the Dun Huang area, such as the Western Thousand Buddha Caves, and the Yu Lin Caves farther away. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1,000 years.
Murals
The murals on the caves spanned a long period of history, from the 5th to the 14th century
The murals are largely of Buddhist theme, some however are of traditional mythical [‘miikl] themes（传统神话主题） and portraits（画像） of patrons （赞助人）
A distinct Dunhuang style （截然不同的的敦煌风格）however began to emerge（浮现） during Northern Wei Dynasty
Murals
The murals on the caves spanned a long period of history, from the 5th to the 14th century.
The murals are largely河道管理
of Buddhist theme, some however are of traditional mythical themes and portraits of patron.
A distinct Dun Huang style however began to emerge during Northern Wei Dynasty.
History
The construction of the Mogao Caves near Dun Huang is generally taken to have begun sometime in the fourth century AD.
According to a book written during the reign of Tang Empress Wu, Fokan Ji by Li Junxiu , a Buddhist monk named L Zn had a vision of a thousand Buddhas bathed in golden light at the site in 366 AD, inspiring him to build a cave here.
