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Chinese Grottoes Art
Strolling slowly along the rock path built on the cliff at the Western Hills,
one can visit Guyang Cave, Binyang Cave and Cave of Ten - Thousand Buddhas, each
with its own story; the statues carved in the Northern Wei Dynasty
(386-534A.D.), Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D.) and the southern and Northern
Dynasties (420-589A.D.) are different from one another. Most celebrated is the
image of Buddha Losana, which is 17.14 meters high in Fengxian Temple. The
statue has plump, elegant and gentle features. Flanking the Buddha Losana are
two disciples, two bodhisattvas, two heavenly kings, two warriors and two flying
devas. The dignified Buddha sitting in the center represents the almighty
emperor.
 Maijishan Mountain in Gansu
Province
Maijishan (Wheatstack Mountain), located on the northern side of the Qinling
Mountain Range and at a height of 1,742 m above sea level, gets its name from
its giant, haystack-like shape. The mountain's fame arises not just from its
appearance, but from the many Buddhist caves that are gouged into its
southwestern face. This is the fourth largest area of concentrated Buddhist
grottoes in China, after Dunhuang, Datong and Luoyang. The area around and on
the mountain is one of the most beautiful sights in Gansu for both stunning
natural, and impressive man-made, scenery. The mountain, studded with caves and
strapped by many winding walkways and spiral stairs, rises majestically from the
surrounding heavily wooded slopes, so any visitor here with a bit of time on
their hands could easily spend a few days hiking and admiring.
It is the Buddhist Grottoes (Maijishan shiku), some
dated from as early as the Northern Wei dynasty (386-534), that most visitors
come here to see. On arrival at the sight the most prominent sculpture is the 16
m Buddha that is carved high up on the mountain. The grottoes, all packed
together on the sheer, rocky cliff faces below and above this, look from afar
like chambers of a gargantuan beehive. On ascending the mountain, the grottoes
are divided into two sections, the western and eastern, since the central
section was almost completely destroyed by an eighth century earthquake. The
western section is probably the better, with statues and other Buddhist articles
dating mainly from the Northern Wei dynasty to the Tang (618-907). Just
ascending the mountain, on winding, rickety walkways and spiral stairs, with the
wooded mountain panorama below, is a breath of fresh air for even the most
unconvinced China traveler.
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