Yungang Grottoes | A 1500-year journey for a dialogue with the millennium-old grottoes

Visiting each of China's four major grottoes, I find each has its uniqueness. This time, I finally arrived at the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, and to my surprise, I was deeply impressed. The older I get, the more I enjoy learning about history and ancient relics. - The excavation of the grottoes began around 460-465 AD, and the process lasted for over 70 years. With the changes of the times, the grottoes also slowly underwent new transformations, with Buddha statues being sculpted based on contemporary figures. Initially, the statues were colorless, but later they became more and more exquisite, with a lot of colors added to them. The architectural style of wooden structures from the Northern Wei Dynasty was also extensively used in the grottoes, and extremely rare architectural elements such as 'herringbone arches, one dou and three sheng, herringbone arches, and flying apsaras can all be found here. • The grottoes also showcase the fusion of Eastern and Western art, perfectly reflecting the cultural prosperity of the Silk Road, such as the Cupid-shaped flying apsaras, which are very impressive. - 🌟Photo Spots 1. In front of the classic largest open-air Buddha. 2. Next to the open-air Buddha, there are stairs to climb up for a close-up side view of the Buddha. 3. There is a grotto filled with various small statues, a whole row of which is very shocking, and the carvings are very vivid and detailed. 4. The first grotto is quite spacious and also great for taking photos. Although it lacks color, the morning light shines through the holes and illuminates the interior.