Dunhuang Travel Guide by Travel Agency in Dunhuang

The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes construction started in AD 366. The existing 492 grottoes contain 45,000 square metres of murals and more than 2,415 painted sculptures, which spanned 100 consecutive dynasties in more than 1,600 years.

The Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang is divided into north and south districts, totalling 735 grottoes in all. All the caves are linked by walkways and marked with the date of this carving and the dynasty. A visit to the Dunhuang Grottoes will give the visitor a complete and chronological picture of Buddhist art from the Eastern Jin through the Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui,Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Xixia,and Yuan dynasties-more than one thousand years of history. The murals in grottoes hewn during the Northern Dynasty depict events in the life of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.

The Dunhuang Grottoes, of which Mogao Grottoes, of which Mogao Grotto is the major group, are paramount not only for their artistry, but they also depict aspects of social life in various historical periods and the friendly contacts between China and other countries. The grottoes' valuable historical data has aroused the keen interest of historians, archaeologists and students of religion and art history both at home and abroad.

These artworks represent the pinnacle of ancient Chinese art and culture Most of them are related to religious and folklore stories. For its wealth of priceless artifacts, the Mogao Grottoes was among the first relic areas in China to have been listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1987. Since the grottoes were opened to tourists in 1979, they have attracted more than 3 million domestic and overseas visitors. The provincial government has long been working closely with relics experts from the State Bureau, trying to minimize the impact of weather conditions and tourists to the Mogao Grottoes. Extensive monitoring systems have been established in the in the grottoes to track the slights changes in indoor conditions. Strict rules have been set up to limit the number of tourists entering the grottoes in a specified period of time to prevent damage caused by sudden increases in humidity and carbon dioxide. The Dunhuang frescoes are gems of ancient Chinese art.