Information or composition about Yungang Grottoes

The Yungang Grottoes are located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain, 17 kilometers away from the western suburbs of Datong City, Shanxi Province, northern China. The grottoes are carved into the mountain and stretch for 1 kilometer from east to west. There are 45 main caves, 252 large and small cave niches, and more than 51,000 stone statues. It is one of the largest ancient grottoes in China. Together with Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Luoyang Longmen Grottoes and Tianshui Maijishan Grottoes, it is also known as the Four Four Grottoes in China. A treasure trove of great grotto art.

In 1961, it was announced by the State Council as one of the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in the country. It was included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO on December 14, 2001, and was rated as a World Heritage Site by the National Tourism Administration on May 8, 2007. The first batch of national 5A tourist attractions.

Chinese name: Yungang Grottoes

Foreign name: Yungang Grottoes

Geographical location: 113?20’ east longitude, 40?04’ north latitude.

Attraction level: National 5A tourist attraction

Ticket price: 150 yuan

Famous attraction: Hanging Temple

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Historical evolution

Construction history

In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the excavation of Yungang Grottoes started from the beginning of Emperor Wencheng's reign (460) and continued until the fifth year of Emperor Xiaoming's Zhengguang (524) ), more than 60 years ago. After that, in the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui and early Tang Dynasties, Pingcheng was changed to Heng'an Town, Yunzhong County.

In the Tang Dynasty, according to the "Stele Record of the Reconstruction of the Great Grotto Temple in Wuzhou Mountain, Xijing" written by Cao Yan in the seventh year of Jin Huangtong (1147): "In the fifteenth year of Zhenguan (641), the guardian "Reconstruction"; the volume of "Ancient Qingliang Biography" written by Tang Huixiang (Ancient and Modern Scenic Spots 3) records that at that time, there was a Zen master Yan who "renovated the old statues of Xiaowen Grottoes in Heng'an... and finally completed the stone chamber in the fourth year of Xianheng (673)." After the early Tang Dynasty, Pingcheng showed a depressed situation, and the construction of Yungang Grottoes was affected by many factors. There were no major projects.

During the Liao and Jin Dynasties, during the Xingzong and Daozong periods of the Liao Dynasty, the Liao royal family carried out large-scale renovations to the Wuzhoushan Grotto Temple that lasted for ten years. Ten major temples were built in front of the grotto, including Tongle, Lingyan, Jingchong, Zhenguo, Huguo, Tiangong, Chongfu, Tongzi, Huayan and Tushita, and more than a thousand Buddha statues were renovated. . In the second year of Liao Baoda (1122), the Jin soldiers captured Datong, and "the temple was burned and looted, and all the buildings in Lingyan were wiped out" ("The Monument of the Reconstruction of Huayan Temple in Xijing during the Great Jin Dynasty"). In the third to sixth years of the Jin Dynasty (1143-1146), the abbot Master Hui Hui rebuilt the "Lingyan Pavilion" (today's attic outside the third cave). "Of course, the atmosphere of the mountain gate has been restored." ( "Golden Monument").

In the Yuan Dynasty, the Wuzhou Mountain Grottoes and Temples still existed.

In the Ming Dynasty, Datong Yungang was abandoned again. The name Yungang began during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. In the 17th year of Chongzhen in the late Ming Dynasty (1644), Li Zicheng's uprising army passed through Datong. Zhang Tianlin left his army to garrison. After that, the Qing army entered the customs and captured Datong. The Yungang temple was burned again and reduced to ashes. .

In the Qing Dynasty, the Yungang Temple was rebuilt in the eighth year of Shunzhi (1651). The existing wooden eaves and temples of Cave 5 and 6 were rebuilt at this time. In 1696, Emperor Kangxi returned to Luang to visit Yungang Temple in winter and wrote a plaque "Solemn Dharma" on it. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Yungang Grottoes were also repaired.

In modern times, after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the main caves of the Yungang Grottoes and the wooden structures in front of the caves (Caves 5, 6, and 7) are well preserved. In 1952, a special protection agency was set up, and the cultural relics of the grottoes were properly protected and open to the public.

Development Period

The Buddhist art of Yungang Grottoes can be divided into three stages: early, middle and late according to the development of grotto shape, statue content and style.

Early Grottoes: Cave 16 to Cave 20 today, also known as Tan Yao Five Grottoes. According to "Wei Shu·Shi Lao Zhi" (Volume 114): "In the early days of peace, Shi Xian died. Tan Yao replaced him and changed his name to Shamen Tong. In the early days, Tan Yao was ordered to go to Beijing from Zhongshan the next year after the restoration of the law. When the emperor came out, he was seen on the road. His horse held a robe in front of him. People at that time thought that the horse recognized a good person, and the emperor and his wife paid tribute to him as a teacher. Tan Yao Bai Emperor built a stone wall in the capital of Xiwu Prefecture, dug five caves, and carved a statue of Buddha. The first is seventy feet, the second is sixty feet, and the carvings are magnificent and are the best in the world. "The five caves described in the article were the famous eminent monk Tan Yao at that time. He chose the beautiful Wuzhou Mountain to dig the majestic Tan Yao Five Grottoes. , kicked off the excavation of Yungang Grottoes. Cave 16 to Cave 20 are the Tan Yao Five Cave, which symbolizes the emperor. The plane is horseshoe-shaped, with a domed roof and thousands of Buddhas carved on the outer wall.

The main statue is of the Third Buddha. The Buddha statue is tall, with a plump and round face, a high nose and deep eyes, and straight shoulders, showing a strong, vigorous and simple style of sculpture. Its carving techniques inherited and developed the excellent traditions of the Han Dynasty, absorbed and integrated the essence of ancient Indian Gandhara and Motuara art, and created a unique artistic style.

Mid-term Grottoes: It is the heyday of Yungang Grottoes carving, mainly including Cave 1 and Cave 2, Cave 5 and 6, Cave 7 and 8, Cave 9 and 10, and Cave 11 and 12. , Cave 13 and the unfinished Cave 3. This period (471-494) was the Xiaowen period before the Northern Wei Dynasty moved to Luo. It was the most stable and prosperous period in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Yungang Grottoes gathered outstanding talents from all over the country and used their national strength as a guarantee to carve out the grottoes. The more prosperous and exquisite large statues of Yungang Grottoes. Before Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital, all the large cave statues operated by the royal family had been completed, which took more than 40 years. In the middle period, the planes of caves were mostly square or rectangular. Some caves were carved with a central tower or had front and rear chambers. The walls were laid out with multiple layers up and down, divided into sections on the left and right. Most of the caves had flat caissons on the top. The themes and content of the statues are diverse, highlighting the status of Sakyamuni and Maitreya Buddha. The popular statues of Sakyamuni and the two multi-jeweled Buddhas sitting side by side are popular. There are Dharma protector gods, Ji Letian, the ranks of donors, and the Buddha's behavior, life, cause and condition, and Vimalakia. Asking stories, etc. The Buddha statues have a round and moderate appearance, especially the Buddha statues with robes and belts are popular. Many new themes and statue combinations have appeared, focusing on the image of the protector and various decorations. The mid-term grottoes were also a period of active reform and innovation, setting off the process of sinicizing Buddhist grotto art. The combination of these various factors gave rise to the so-called magnificent Taihe style. The main feature is the rapid development of the sinicization trend. The sinicization of grotto art began and was completed during this period. This period is the Yungang Middle Period Grottoes, which presents The carving art features of the caves with complex content and exquisite carvings are very different from those of the early grottoes. The sculptures pursue neat and gorgeous shapes. There are obvious Chinese characteristics from the shape of the caves to the content and style of the carvings.

Late Grottoes: After the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital to Luoyang (494), although the large-scale excavation activities of the Yungang Grottoes stopped, the trend of carving statues in the Yungang Grottoes spread among the middle and lower classes. And Yi people's believers made full use of Pingcheng's old skills to dig a large number of small and medium-sized caves in Yungang. The construction of such small caves and niches continued until the fifth year of Emperor Zhengguang of Xiaoming (524). Pingcheng, as the northern capital, was still the center of Buddhism in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Important land. At this time, the number of large caves decreased, and the cliff surface was covered with medium and small caves and niches from east to west. They are mainly distributed to the west of Cave 20, including Cave 4, Cave 14, Cave 15 and small niches on the cliff west of Cave 11. There are about 200 small and medium-sized caves. Most of the caves appear in the form of single caves, no longer in groups. The themes of the statues are mostly Sakyamuni and many treasures, or Maitreya on the top and Sakyamuni on the bottom. Buddha statues and Bodhisattvas have thin faces, long necks, narrow shoulders and tapered shoulders. This kind of statue was the result of the "Sinicization" reform implemented in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, and a fresh and elegant artistic image of "beautiful bones and clear statues" emerged, which became a prominent feature of Buddhist statues in the late Northern Wei Dynasty. Features. This feature and style is also reflected in the Longmen Grottoes of the Northern Wei Dynasty, which has had a profound impact on the development of Chinese cave temple art