Yungang Grottoes（云岡石窟）

Yungang Grottoes

The Yungang Grottoes are ancient Chinese Buddhist temple grottoes, located 16 kilometers west of Datong in Shanxi Province. They were built on the north cliff of Wuzhou Mountain and extend about 1 km (0.62 miles) from east to west.

The historical records reveal that the grottoes were built during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-557) by an abbot, and are 1,500 years old. 45 major caves and 209 other caves cover a total area of 18,000 square meters. The caves feature 51,000 stone carvings, the highest one measuring 17 meters and the smallest one only 2 cm.

The Yungang Grottoes are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China. The other two are Longmen Grottoes in Henan Province and Mogao Grottoes in Gansu Province.

In 2001, the Yungang Grottoes were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Admission: 150 yuan (US$23.7)/person