Yungang Grottos


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  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos
  • yungang grottos

The Yungang Grottoes, in Datong city, Shanxi Province, with their 252 caves and 51,000 statues, represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China in the 5th and 6th centuries. The Five Caves created by Tan Yao, with their strict unity of layout and design, constitute a classical masterpiece of the first peak of Chinese Buddhist art.

The Yungang Grottoes got added in the UNESCO world heritage list in 2001, and it is the largest among the four most famous ancient Buddhist grotto complexes in China.

The other 3 Buddhist Grottoes being: Mogao Grottoes, Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu Province, and the Longmen Grottoes outside Luoyang City in Henan Province.
I have been lucky enough to visit 3 out the 4, with now only missing Longmen.

From my experience with visiting historical sites in China, Yungang Grottoes is one of the best -maintained sites in the whole country.

The entrance to the site is actually more than 10 -15 minutes walk away from the caves.

The Yungang Grottoes consist of 251 man-made caves and more than 51.000 Buddhist statues, yes you read correctly FIFTY ONE THOUSAND. With the smallest statue only being 2-centimer (0.78 Inches) tall while the biggest one being 17 meter (669 inches) tall.

It's said that the project that started in year 453 and took 50 years to complete had a workforce of 40.000 people with some of the Buddhist working on the site that were coming all the way from what is now Sri Lanka.

All main caves in Yungang are named with No. 1 to 20.  With No.16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 being the most impressive ones, and nr 5 having the biggest Buddha statue.

Most of the statues are very well preserved inside the caves, and you’re allowed to take photos inside most of them, but strictly no flash.


Brief

The massive Yungang Buddhist grottoes were cut from the mid-5th Century to early-6th Century AD.  Comprising 252 caves and niches and 51,000 statues within a carved area of 18,000 square meters, the Yungang Grottoes represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China. The Five Caves created by Tan Yao are a classical masterpiece of the first peak of Chinese art, with a strict unity of layout and design. The will of the State is reflected in Buddhist belief in China during the Northern Wei Dynasty since the Grottoes were built with Imperial instructions. While influenced by Buddhist cave art from South and Central Asia, Yungang Grottoes have also interpreted the Buddhist cave art with distinctive Chinese character and local spirit. As a result, Yungang Grottoes have played a vitally important role among early Oriental Buddhist grottoes and had a far-reaching impact on Buddhist cave art in China and East Asia.

Criterion (i): The assemblage of statuary of the Yungang Grottoes is a masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art.

Criterion (ii): The Yungang cave art represents the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial auspices.

Criterion (iii): The power and endurance of Buddhist belief in China are vividly illustrated by the Yungang grottoes.

Criterion (iv): The Buddhist tradition of religious cave art achieved its first major impact at Yungang, where it developed its own distinct character and artistic power.

Integrity

The statues housed in the caves and niches are in good condition and all of the caves and statues have not suffered major damage from vandalism and/or natural disasters. Restoration and repair had been made on deficient parts of some statues in the past. All the necessary attributes demonstrating the Outstanding Universal Value of Yungang Grottoes are contained within the boundary of the property area. The buffer zone provides a necessary safe area for the conservation of the Grottoes, the setting and the historic environment. These measures have enabled the Yungang Grottoes to serve as one of the greatest ancient stone carving art treasure houses in the world.

Authenticity

The location, caves and statues of the Yungang Grottoes have retained their historic appearance. The eaves of wooden pavilions of the caves and the related historical remains have kept the distinctive character of the times when they were constructed. The daily maintenance and conservation intervention have been conducted following the conservation principle of minimal intervention in design, materials, methodology, techniques and craftsmanship.

Protection and management requirements

The Yungang Grottoes were listed by the State Council among the first group of State Priority Protected Sites in 1961. A number of laws and regulations including the “Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics”, the “Regulations of Datong Municipality on Protection and Management of Yungang Grottoes” and the “Conservation Master Plan of Yungang Grottoes”, have  guaranteed the conservation and management of Yungang Grottoes.

A special organization (now known as the “Yungang Grottoes Research Academy”) and professional team have been established to carry out protection, monitoring and regular daily maintenance for the past six decades. The environmental improvement projects have been implemented in recent years at the surrounding villages based on the “Conservation Master Plan of Yungang Grottoes”, a commitment that the Chinese government has made in application for the inscription on the World Heritage List. Conservation intervention and maintenance have followed conservation principles, and some pilot protection programs have been carried out to counter the major threats including water seepage, rain erosion and weathering.


Entrance Fee: 150 RMB, Half price for students, with student ID.
Opening Hours: 8.30 – 17.00. (15. April – 31. October)
8.30 – 16.30. (1. November – 14. April)

Getting There

The Yungang Grottoes is located about 16km (9.94 miles) Southwest of Datong City.
A taxi will cost you about 40 RMB,
Or you can take public bus nr, 3-1, 3-2, 10 or 12 for 1 RMB.

Is it worth a visit? 6/10. You can´t leave Datong without visiting Yungang Grottoes if your already in Datong, but it’s not worth coming all the way just to see the caves.


Client’s Reviews

  • aekrfk

    aekrfk

    Reviewed 29thMay2019

    We travel a lot and this is a one of a kind attraction. Very interesting from the architecture, history, and religion perspective. Skip the new front part and get right to the Grottoes.

  • barbarabdavis

    barbarabdavis

    Reviewed 26thMay2019

    We decided to visit Datong the week before we left the US. Our travel agent, Travel China guide was able to make the change and we were thankful she did as the grottoes were a highlight of our trip.By making the change, we were further...More

  • yinic

    yinic

    Reviewed 16thMay2019

    This place has maintained so long is because several dynasties had used this grottos with their own images imposted onto the deities. But lots of erosion damaged.

  • 623allenh

    623allenh

    Reviewed 20thApril2019

    A long day trip from Beijing to visit the grottoes and Hengshan Hanging temples. The Grottoes were fascinating, built in 460 - 510 AD there are some 46 caves and over 50000 Buddha statues. Allow a good two - three hours to wander around, a...More

  • KodoDrummer

    KodoDrummer

    Reviewed 27thMarch2019

    The beautiful ancient sandstone-carved Buddhist statues. The more than 50,000 statues of 5th and 6th-century cave art show the richness of the faith of the people who once lived in the area. Some of the cave art is also beautifully coloured. Since 20011, the Grottoes...More

  • JacquelineYang

    JacquelineYang

    Reviewed 13thMarch2019

    Although some of the grottoes damaged for weathering, you can see different features of grottoes in different dynasty.

  • Cantaclaro80

    Cantaclaro80

    Reviewed 7thMarch2019

    I have visited many places but this was a biggiest suprise. When I entered to the first grottoe I stood there with a open mouthed...It was something I have never seen before and what I did not expect at all! We took a tour. But...More

  • Keith M

    Keith M

    Reviewed 25thJanuary2019

    If you have a need to be in Datong, these Yungang Grottoes are a must to see. Its huge and magnificent Buddhist temple carvings in the cliff faces. There are over 50 major caves and facades of Buddhist figures. These were created in the 5th...More

  • alexandras183

    alexandras183

    Reviewed 21stDecember2018

    We visited in December and the beauty & cold took all the pleasure away to be honest. We got out of there after one hour as at -9 it was freezing.

  • agoh69

    agoh69

    Reviewed 10thDecember2018

    One of the unesco sites in china you must come to visit near to Datong. There are so amazing to see so many of the Grottoes sculptures built since AD ! The park is about 2km in size with thousand of the grottoes still in...More

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