There are numerous grottoes in China and the
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, the Yungang Grottoes, the Longmen Grottoes, the Kezir
Grottoes and the ancient Qiuci Grottoes are the most famous ones. With its large
scale, the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is surely a shining pearl on the Silk Road.
The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes was first built
in the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (the mid 4th century) and lasted a
very long time, with overhauling in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Researchers
have found over 2,400 painted sculptures and 45,000 square meters of frescoes.
All of them converged the cream of the East and the West. It is no doubt an
artistic treasure at the world level. The dancers' images are varied, ranging
from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). From
them we can have a glimpse of the dances of various historical periods. It is a
rare treasure of historical records.
The dancing images in grottoes originated
from the earthly world; it got distilled in the Buddhist pure land and then
returned to this world. A layer of myth and imagination was added in this
process, thus the dancing image was able to better express the Chinese nation's
aspiration after the beauty of dance.