YUNGANG CAVES

History. The Yungang caves have the first traces of Buddhist sculpture in China. On this vast site of 348 hectares, there are 53 caves (attention, not all are open) for about 50,000 statues, arranged between the Ve ╚-○ VIe centuries, under the Tabghach dynasty of the North Wei.

Visit. In the heart of this vast park, which is more or less planted according to the seasons, you will spend cave cave and admire all your drunk caves and their no less imposing Buddhas carved inside. Caves 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 will be noted with interest. Digged from 460 to 465, these five caves are the oldest, just as simple and majestic, close to Central Asian models with gigantic Buddhas (13 to 17 m high). These sanctuaries protected in the thickness of the sandstone are sometimes exposed following the removal of some caves (like the 20) and then discover the breadth of the know-how of the monk-artists of the day who carved these Buddhas without discontinuance of the past and the future. Sometimes, you will also see sweeps dating from more or less distant periods, all intended to preserve the costs of these masterpieces over the centuries.

To note, this site is very well explained for foreign travelers (presence of signs with many translations in English for essential parts) and is easily served by taxi from the city center… This place inscribed in UNESCO's heritage heritage since 2001 is close to the caves of Mogao in Dunhuang and the caves of Longmen in Luoyang.