The Wanfotang Grottos are located on the northern banks of
Daling River in Wanfotang Village, nine kilometers northwest of Yixian County,
Liaoning Province.
Built in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the carvings constitute the
biggest and oldest grotto group in Northeast China. Divided into two sections,
the grotto group has nine grottos in the east and seven in the west. The No.5
Grotto in the west has inscriptions from 499, the period of the Northern Wei
Dynasty. The grotto roof was carved with thousands of small Buddha. Among the
grottos in the west, the No.1 Grotto is the largest and oldest, although all of
its interior carvings have been eroded and can no longer be identified. The No.6
Grotto is very large, but its front has been destroyed, leaving only a
cross-legged Buddha statue behind. There are relief sculptures of small Buddha,
images of lotus flowers and flying Apsaras carved on the grotto walls and
ceilings in the west section.
While the grottos in the east have been severely damaged, there are wall
inscriptions about the construction of the grottos from 502 of the Northern Wei
Dynasty in the No.5 Grotto providing important records for the study of the
early Khitan ethnic group and references for the study of the history
of the Wanfotang Grottos.