Cave temples originated in India, and the excavation of grottoes in the mainland began around the 3rd century, flourished from the 5th to the 8th century, and as late as the 16th century. The mainland grotto temple is dominated by Buddhist grottoes, as well as other religious grottoes such as Taoism. According to the latest national special survey results of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, there are 2155 cave temples and 3831 Moya statues in the mainland, a total of 5986, which are concentrated in Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Henan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang and other places.
Among them, 10 important grotto temples and statues have been included in the World Heritage List, and they belong to 6 cultural heritage sites and 1 cultural and natural complex heritage. In the early days, most of them were declared separately, such as the Mogao Grottoes and the Longmen Grottoes; in the later period, they were often packaged, the most typical of which was the "Silk Road: Road Network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor", a large series of heritage, including the four grottoes of Gansu, Shaanxi and Xin.
The top ten cave temples on the mainland, which have become World Heritage Sites, are now listed as follows:
Mogao Caves
Included in 1987
Cultural heritage
Cave 285, with an ink inscription from the fourth year of the Western Wei Dynasty (538), is the earliest surviving cave in the Dunhuang Grottoes with an exact date of excavation
The Guanyin Bodhisattva of Cave 57, among the many Tang Dynasty bodhisattva images, this portrait is one of the best, and is praised as a beautiful bodhisattva
322 Caves Kokoro Moi
The great trend of the 45 caves is the perfect crystallization of the bodhisattva, ideals and artistic creations
Mogao Caves is one of the first six World Heritage Sites in mainland China, and it is also the first world heritage of the continent's first grotto temple category, which was included in the list to meet all six criteria of world cultural heritage.
Located in Dunhuang, a strategic point of the Silk Road, the Mogao Caves were not only a transit point for trade between the East and the West, but also a meeting place of religion, culture and knowledge. The Mogao Caves were built in the second year of the Former Qin Dynasty (366 AD). From the Sixteen Kingdoms period to the Yuan Dynasty, after thousands of years of continuous cave opening, a huge group of grottoes was formed in the 14th century. It is the largest and most abundant Buddhist art site in the world, with 735 caves preserved (492 of which contain murals and statues), and is famous for more than 2,200 painted statues and 45,000 square meters of murals.
Mogao Grottoes are also surrounded by a series of grottoes such as West Thousand Buddha Caves, Subei Five Temple Grottoes, Guazhou Yulin Grottoes, East Thousand Buddha Caves, etc., and it is expected that one day these Dunhuang Grottoes will become an extension of the Mogao Grottoes World Heritage, enjoying the same level of protection and attention as the Mogao Grottoes.
Leshan Giant Buddha
Included in 1996
Part of the composite heritage "Mount Emei-Leshan Giant Buddha"
Leshan Giant Buddha is located in Shizhong District, Leshan City, Sichuan Province, where the Minjiang, Tsingyi River and Dadu River meet, is the world's tallest stone Buddha statue, with a height of 71 meters, equivalent to the height of 25 floors. It has 1051 buns on the top of its head, a forehead width of 10 meters, a nose length of 5.6 meters, a neck height of 3 meters, a shoulder width of 28 meters, a finger length of 8.3 meters, an instep of the foot 8.5 meters wide, and even the fingernails can accommodate four people to play cards.
The Leshan Giant Buddha was built from 713 to 803 AD, which lasted 90 years, through three generations of builders, four emperors of the Tang Dynasty. The Giant Buddha is excavated on the red sandstone with loose texture and easy to weather, and after more than a thousand years of wind and rain, it still maintains a graceful Tang Dynasty style, in addition to the maintenance of the past generations, it is also thanks to the ingenious drainage and ventilation system designed by the Giant Buddha itself. Originally, there was a protected wooden pavilion outside the Big Buddha, but the Great Buddha Pavilion was destroyed during the Song and Yuan Dynasties and survived for more than 400 years. After that, the Leshan Giant Buddha was exposed between heaven and earth for more than 800 years until today.
Dazu stone carvings
Included in 1999
Beishan Fowan Statue No. 245 Guan Wuliangshou Buddhist Sutra Disguised Cave
The Restoration of Baoding Mountain Thousand Hands Kannon, which is the "No. 1 Project" for the protection of stone cultural relics in the mainland. The project is complete
Nanshan Tuyuan Mountain River Old Dream Dreams
Shimen Mountain Tuyuan Mountain River Old Dream Dreams
Stone Seal Mountain Tuyuan Mountain River Old Dream Dreams
Dazu Stone Carving is a general term for stone carvings in Dazu District, Chongqing. The statue was founded in the early Tang Dynasty, through the late Tang Dynasty, five generations, flourished in the two Song Dynasties, the theme of the collection of interpretation, Taoism, Confucianism "three religions" as a whole, with distinct secularization, life characteristics unique, known as the last monument in the history of Chinese grotto art, but also the world grotto art in the end of the 9th century to the middle of the 13th century the most brilliant and magnificent page.
In 1999, the most distinctive Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shimenshan and Shizhushan grottoes were packaged together as representatives of the "Dazu Stone Carvings" and successfully applied for heritage, even earlier than the Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes in the three major grottoes in China. It is not necessarily related to the fact that Chongqing has just been directly under its jurisdiction, but may be more related to the relatively complete preservation of Dazu stone carvings.
The Dazu stone carvings have been successfully applied for heritage, and the adjacent and no inferior Sichuan Anyue stone carvings must be envious. The stone carvings of Anyue and Dazu are a system, both cultural relics within a cultural circle, and the relationship is like sisters. However, today, whether in terms of fame or protection funds, Anyue stone carvings are slightly inferior.
Longmen Grottoes
Included in 2000
The Dragon Gate at nightfall
The largest cave in the Longmen Grottoes, Fengxian Temple, is home to the Great Buddha of Lushena
The Lux guarding the Great Buddha
Guyang Cave is the earliest cave opened in Longmen Grottoes, the longest time and the most abundant content, known as the "First Cave of Longmen Grottoes"
The Twenty Pins of Longmen are selected from the inscriptions of the statues of the Northern Wei Period of the Longmen Grottoes, and are representatives of the calligraphy of the Wei Tablets. The picture shows the "Cow Statue"
The Longmen Grottoes are located on Longmen Mountain and Xiangshan Mountain on the banks of the Yi River in the southern suburbs of Luoyang, and were built in the Northern Wei Dynasty (493). There are more than 2,300 caves, 2,800 inscriptions, more than 60 pagodas, and nearly 110,000 statues.
The grottoes and shrines of Longmen show the largest and most outstanding plastic arts from the late Northern Wei Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, representing the highest peak of Chinese stone carving art. As the capital of the late Northern Wei Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist cave statue style of Luoyang can be called a model of royal cave temple art, and has been imitated by artists everywhere. Its "Zhongyuan style" and "Datang style" influence spread throughout the country, and even spread far abroad, and has made important contributions to the innovation and development of plastic arts in China and Asia.
It is sad that since the construction of the Longmen Grottoes, it has been seriously damaged by man-made excavations. It was not until after the founding of New China that the cultural relics of the Longmen Grottoes began to be effectively maintained and managed. Today's tour of Longmen, although its style is far from being compared with the most prosperous, is still the most brilliant pearl in the ancient capital of Luoyang. The night tour of the Dragon Gate is particularly recommended.
Yungang Grottoes
Included in 2001
20 Cave Buddha
Cave 12 (Music Cave) at the top of the open window on the south wall
The most beautiful Buddha statue in Yungang in Cave 5
5 Cave Gate East Wall Two Buddha Tree Meditation Meditation
The Yungang Grottoes are located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain in the west of Datong City, Shanxi Province, stretching for about one kilometer from east to west. The grottoes were excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and there are 254 large and small niches, 45 main caves, and more than 51,000 statues.
As the first grotto in China to be excavated with royal authorization, the Yungang Grottoes reflect the political ambitions of the rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Compared with many grotto temples in the mainland, the Yungang Grottoes have the most western style and the most intense Hu feng hu rhyme. Among them, there are not only Indian, Central and Western Asian art elements, but also Greek and Roman architectural shapes, decorative patterns, portrait features, etc., reflecting the relationship with the world's major civilizations, which is unique in the treasure house of Chinese art and of great significance to the development of Chinese culture and art in later generations.
The popularity may not be as good as the Mogao Grottoes, and the convenience of transportation is not as good as the Longmen Grottoes, but for many tourists, including me, in Yungang, you can see both the solemn and majestic Buddha, and the colorful grotto decorations, and the travel experience is better.
Flying peak statue
Added in 2011
Cultural Heritage "Hangzhou West Lake Cultural Landscape"
The element "West Lake Cultural Historic Site" is represented
Fly to the peak of the first line of the sky cave mouth
Southern Song Dynasty Maitreya and eighteen arhats group portrait
On the left is the statue of Maitreya Buddha of the Yuan Dynasty, and on the right is the Yuan Dynasty Shakya Rulai
Blue-headed Guanyin
The Yuan Dynasty made a statue of the treasure god
Feilai Peak is located opposite the Lingyin Temple in the north mountainous area of Hangzhou's Xihu Lake. In the grotto and on the rock wall, there are more than 380 statues, which were first chiseled in the first year of Zhou Guangshun (951) after the fifth dynasty, and then the Song and Yuan dynasties were excavated, mostly in the Yuan Dynasty.
Feilaifeng Grottoes are excavated using natural caves or cliffs, and the main caves are Qinglin Cave, Jade Milk Cave, Longhong Cave and so on. Statues include Buddha, Bodhisattva, Heavenly King, Maitreya, Flying Heaven and so on. Many inscriptions of the Northern Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty can be used as a reference to the exact chronology. The style of the statue is soft, round, exquisitely carved and well preserved, and it is a representative work in the late southern statues.
It is worth mentioning that the "Feilaifeng Statue", a national key cultural relics protection unit, also includes a statue of Ciyunling in the mountains on the south bank of the West Lake, a statue of Yanxia Cave, and a statue of Tianlong Temple. However, these statues from the Five Dynasties period are not reflected in the elements of the "West Lake Cultural And Historical Site" as the statues of Feilaifeng.
Maijishan Grottoes
Included in 2014
Cultural Heritage "Silk Road: Road Network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" Religious Relics Heritage Site
The smile of the main Buddha on the main wall of Cave 44, a work of the Western Wei Dynasty (535-556 AD), is said to be a Buddha statue of King Yuanshu of Wudu imitating the face and image of his mother (Empress Yifu of the Western Wei Emperor YuanBaoju).
121 Cave Bodhisattva and disciples whispered to the Northern Wei Dynasty
Inside the 9th niche of Cave 133, "Oriental Smile" Xiao Shami Northern Wei
After Yungang, there was no longer a grotto on the mainland that could be applied for alone, even if it was as strong as Mai Jishan. In 2014, as one of the 33 heritage sites of the Silk Road, the Maijishan Grottoes became a World Heritage Site.
Maijishan Grottoes, located in Tianshui, Gansu Province, is a large grotto temple in the Hexi Corridor and its surrounding areas second only to the Mogao Grottoes, one of the representative grottoes of the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou Grottoes in the Chinese grotto heritage, and the further continuation and development of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes through the Sinicization of the Yungang Grottoes.
Maijishan Grottoes is an outstanding representative of the transmutation of Chinese Buddhist art at the end of the 5th to 6th centuries, with a total of 12182 existing statues and statues, of which 7866 are clay sculptures, which are treasures in the history of world clay sculpture art, and are known as "Oriental Sculpture Exhibition Hall".
Bingling Temple Grottoes
169 Cave North Wall Western Qin - Northern Wei statue
Cave 169, 20th niche, Buddha ascetic statue
64 Niches Tang Dynasty Bodhisattva Statue
10 Caves Tang Dynasty Statue of the Heavenly King
Located in Yongjing County, Linxia, Gansu Province, the Bingling Temple Grottoes are excavated in the 350-meter-long and 60-meter-high west cliff surface of the Dasi Ditch on the north bank of the Yellow River in Xiaojishi Mountain, which was first chiseled in the late 4th century (Western Qin), excavated in the 5th-10th centuries, and repaired by the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. There are 185 niches, 776 statues, and 912 square meters of murals.
The Bingling Temple Grottoes preserve a large number of caves from the 4th and 5th centuries (16 Kingdoms period), as well as murals and sculptures, which is typical evidence of the appearance of early Chinese grottoes when Buddhism was first introduced to Han China. Cave 169 has the inscription of the ink book "Jianhong YuanNian" (420), which is the earliest cave inscription known in the mainland.
The Statues and murals of the Northern Wei Grottoes such as Cave 125 and Cave 126 excavated in the late 5th century of the Bingling Temple Grottoes present the characteristics of the Central Plains art of "Qing Statue of Xiu Bone and Clothing Belt" popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, which are smooth and beautiful, kind and flexible, and are outstanding works of early Chinese Buddhist art.
Bingling Temple, together with the Mogao Grottoes and Maijishan Grottoes introduced above, and a number of important grottoes in Gansu, have been assigned to the unified management of the Dunhuang Research Institute.
Binxian Big Buddha Temple Grottoes
The Great Buddha Cave is the center of the temple and the largest cave in the temple. The main Buddha in the cave, Amitabha Buddha, is 20 meters high, and his whole body posture is naturally plump and his expression is detailed
On the lower left side of the backlight of the Great Buddha, there is an inscription inscribed "Made on November 13, 2011, the second year of the Tang Dynasty", and the grotto was excavated in the ninth year of Tang Wude, that is, in 618 AD, when the Tang Dynasty was first determined
On either side of the Great Buddha stand two bodhisattvas, each 17.6 meters high, on the right side is the Dashizhi Bodhisattva (above), and on the left is the Guanyin Bodhisattva
The Grottoes of the Great Buddha Temple in Binxian County, Shaanxi Province, were built in the second year of Tang Zhenguan (628). The grottoes are divided into five parts: the Great Buddha Grotto, the Thousand Buddhas Cave, the Luohan Cave, the Zhangba Buddha Grottoes and the Cultivation Grottoes, which are carved and carved into the caves by the mountains, with a total of more than 130 grottoes, 446 Buddhist shrines and more than 1980 statues.
The Grottoes of the Great Buddha Temple are an important relic of Chinese-style grotto art in the capital city of Chang'an and the surrounding areas during the Tang Dynasty, especially its Tang Dynasty Giant Buddha statue is the largest in Chang'an and surrounding areas, which embodies the spread of stone carved giant Buddha art from the west to the east and the popularity in guanzhong, showing the results of the sinicization of Buddhism in the process of east-west interactive transmission.
Kyzyl Caves (Kyzyl Thousand Buddha Caves)
Cave 8 Cave Shape System Central Pillar Cave
Cave 8 right yong road outer wall Turtle Zi offering
17 cave main room coupon top Ling Ge Bunsen story painting
The flying sky of the new 1 cave
The Kyzyl Grottoes are located in Baicheng County, Xinjiang. The overall direction of the grotto is east-west, stretching for about three kilometers. In 1953, there were 235 caves officially numbered, and they have been added continuously, and there are now a total of 269 numbered caves. There is still a batch of unnumbered caves, with a total of nearly 350 caves.
The Kyzyl Caves are the largest and largest group of caves in the Guizi Grottoes and have preserved the largest area of frescoes, and are typical representatives of the Guizi Grottoes. Built around the 3rd century AD and ending in the 8th to 9th centuries, it is the earliest large-scale grotto group excavated on the mainland.
In the vicissitudes of history, the Kyzyl Caves have been destroyed by nature and man, and the remaining sculptures are rare. In modern times, some foreign explorers and archaeologists have come one after another, stealing many exquisite murals and stealing many valuable cultural relics, causing immeasurable losses to the Kyzyl Grottoes and leaving regrets for eternity.
After sorting out the top ten, I found that there are actually not only the top ten, but also some omissions. For example, the relic site Lao Junyan statue and the Cao'an Mani Guang Buddha statue in the "Quanzhou: World Marine Trade Center of Song and Yuan China" that were successfully applied for last year are the precious Taoist and Manichaean stone carvings. However, because of its relatively small size, this article will not cover it.