A Dynasty Carved on Rocks

I was totally amazed when I first watched “Thousand-Hand Guanyin”， a dance staged by China Disabled People’s Art Troupe at the closing ceremony of Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and on many other significant occasions later. I thought I recognized where it came from. My hunch was confirmed when I was watching a talk show on television. The guest of the talk show was Zhang Jigang， choreographer of “Thousand-Hand Guanyin”. He revealed that he was from Shanxi Province. Yungang Grottos in the province in central China was a place he frequently visited for inspiration. The dance germinated and matured in his mind over a long period of time. The choreographer stated that the basic conception of the show was from the Buddhist statues in the grottos.

A few years ago I visited Mogao Grottos in Dunhuang at the invitation of a friend. I was shocked to see the fading of the past glory of these once splendid grottos. The dilapidated status saddened me. So when I received an invitation to visit Yungang Grottos， which ranks with Mogao Grottos in Dunhuang， I wondered if Yungang Grottos had suffered the similar devastation.

Sixteen kilometers south of Datong， a central city in Shanxi Province， stands Mount Wuzhou. The grottos are situated on a rocky face of the mount， stretching for about one kilometer from west to east.

Datong， about 300 kilometers south of Beijing， was the first capital of Northern Wei (386-534)， a dynasty that came out of nowhere to unify the northern China and adopted Buddhism. The grottos were created during the early period of the dynasty and were named after the peak Yungang in Mount Wuzhou.

Mount Wuzhou is by no means of great magnitude. It is just dozens of meters above sea level， but it looks extraordinarily spectacular. I followed the crowds and first visited the firth and sixth grottos. My misgivings dissipated. The stone sculptures in the twin caves astounded me， making me speechless. I sighed and found myself gawking at the awe-inspiring images.

The two grottos display a combined set of images. In the center of the back chamber sits a statue of Buddha measured 17 meters in height. It is the tallest statue in Yungang. The walls of the grotto are full of small statues and shrines. On the either side of the archway sits a statue， facing each other. Above the linden trees are fairies flying in the sky.

In front of the two grottos are a four-storied temple structure rebuilt in 1651 during the reign of Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

At present there are altogether 45 major grottos with more than 1，100 stone shrines of various size housing more than 50，000 stone sculptures. The best preserved are caves numbered from the fifth to the 20th and the rest were damaged to varying degrees either by the exposure to weathering or by vandalism.

The Northern Wei， a dynasty of Xianbei people， first established its capital in present-day Datong. It remained there for nearly 100 years before the dynasty moved its political center southward to Luoyang in present-day Henan Province. During this period of time， the Northern Wei at the height of its military power defeated its enemies. Buddhism flourished. Yungang Grottos were started. Other major grottos such as Mogao Grottos in Dunhuang， Mount Maiji Grottos in Tianshui， and Grottos in Mount Xiangtang were initiated within a range of 120 years before or after the start of Yungang Grottos.

Yungang Grottos play an influential part in the history of Chinese architecture for its pioneering status， well-preserved statues， and construction technologies. The grottos are typical of the architecture of the Northern Wei. The Yungang Grottos rank with Buddhist remains in Gandhara of India and Buddhist remains at Bamiyan of Afghanistan and rank with grottos in Dunhuang and Longmen as the three major ancient grottos in China.

Yungang Grottos give people dreams and allow them to travel back in time. The statues are spectacular not merely because of scale or carving sophistication but also because of its history of over 1，500 years. These statues witnessed the rise and fall of various dynasties. They testified to the upsurge and vanish of some ethnic peoples.

Yungang Grottos represent the Northern Wei Dynasty. These statues constitute a carved history of the Xianbei people which have vanished into history without any traces but the spectacular sculpture. The imperial house chose the religion and dedicated resources to the construction of these statues， completing them within a dynasty， a unique accomplishment in the history of China. Other major grottos spanned dynasties in construction.

When a Buddhist monk named Tan Yao came to Mount Wuzhou， the landscape was unspoiled wildness with a river bubbling quietly in front. After examining the topography， the monk decided that the terrain featured geomantic excellence. Under his leadership， a group of craftsmen began to build a temple in light of his design. Five giant statues of Buddha were sculpted on the cliff， in the images of the first five emperors of the dynasty. The project took more than 40，000 people and nearly 50 years to complete. Buddhist monks from Lion Kingdom (today’s Sri Lanka) participated in this great undertaking.

In 2001， Yungang Grottos were inscribed on the list of UNESCO world cultural heritage.□