Introduction to Mogao Grottoes Introduction to Mogao Grottoes

1. Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as Thousand Buddhas Cave, is located in Dunhuang at the west end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built during the period of Fu Jian, the king of the former Qin Dynasty in the Sixteen Kingdoms, and later went through the construction of the Northern Dynasties, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Xixia, Yuan Dynasty and other dynasties, forming a huge scale with 735 caves and 45,000 murals. With an area of ??2,415 square meters and 2,415 clay sculptures, it is the largest and richest Buddhist art site in the world.

2. In 1961, the Mogao Grottoes were announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were listed as a world cultural heritage.

3. The Mogao Grottoes, the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi are known as the three major grottoes in China. Later, the Jishan Grottoes in Maimai were called the four major grottoes. On August 31, 2019, the large-scale documentary "Dialogue between Mogao Wat and Angkor Wat" jointly produced by the Dunhuang Academy and other units premiered at the Dunhuang International Convention and Exhibition Center. The documentary takes the dialogue between Asian civilizations as its theme and shows people the wonderful connections between different civilizations with shared destiny, shared culture, and connected art.

4. In February 2020, in order to pay tribute to the medical workers who are fighting on the front line of the epidemic, the scenic spot will be open to all medical staff nationwide for free until the end of 2020 after resuming operations. On May 10, the Mogao Grottoes reopened.