Yungang Grottoes
The Yungang Grottoes, in the city of Datong in Shanxi Province, were carved between the mid-5th and early 6th centuries AD. Composed of 252 caves and niches and 51,000 statues on a carved area of 18,000 square meters, the grottoes represent the most outstanding achievement of Buddhist rock art in China.
History of Yungang Grottoes
The Five Caves created by Tan Yao are a classic masterpiece of the first summit of Chinese art, with strict unity of layout and design. The will of the state is reflected in Buddhist belief in China during the Northern Wei dynasty, as the grottoes were built under imperial instructions. Although influenced by the Buddhist rock art of South and Central Asia, the Yungang Grottoes have also interpreted Buddhist rock art with distinctive Chinese character and local spirit. As a result, the Yungang Grottoes have played a vital role among early Eastern Buddhist grottoes and have had a far-reaching impact on the Buddhist rock art of China and East Asia. The Yungang Grottoes vividly illustrate the power and resilience of Buddhist beliefs in China. The Buddhist tradition of religious rock art had its first major impact at Yungang, where it developed its own character and artistic power.
Highlights of Yungang Grottoes
The statues housed in the grottoes and niches are in good condition and all the grottoes and statues have not suffered significant damage from vandalism or natural disasters. The buffer zone provides a safe area necessary for the conservation of the grottoes, the surroundings and the historic environment. These measures have allowed the Yungang Grottoes to be one of the greatest treasures of stone carving art in the world. The Yungang Grottoes were included by the State Council in the first group of State Priority Protected Sites in 1961. Various laws and regulations, such as the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Protection of Cultural Relics", the "Regulations of the Datong Municipality on Protection and Management of Yungang Grottoes" and the "Conservation Master Plan of Yungang Grottoes", have ensured the conservation and management of Yungang Grottoes.
Protection of Yungang Grottoes
A special organization and professional team has been established to carry out protection, surveillance and regular daily maintenance for the past six decades. In recent years, environmental improvement projects have been carried out in surrounding villages based on the "Yungang Grottoes Conservation Master Plan", a commitment that the Chinese government made when applying for inscription on the Heritage List World. Intervention and maintenance have followed conservation principles, and some pilot protection programs have been carried out to counteract major threats such as water seepage, rain erosion and weathering. A special organization and professional team has been established to carry out protection, surveillance and regular daily maintenance for the past six decades.
Along with the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, the Yungang Grottoes are one of the three most important grottoes in China. The Yungang Grottoes were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011.
