The North Stone Cave Temple in Qingyang, Gansu

The North Stone Cave Temple was initiated and built by Xi Kangsheng, the governor of Jingzhou, in the second year of Yongping of the Northern Wei Dynasty (509 AD). Since its excavation in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the North Stone Cave Temple has been expanded and repaired through the Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, and Qing dynasties, forming a dense array of grottoes. The North Stone Cave Temple is one of the four major grottoes in Gansu, and together with the South Stone Cave located 15 kilometers east of Jingchuan County, it was founded by Xi Kangsheng, the governor of Jingzhou during the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is an important grotto on the northern route of the Silk Road and the sister grotto of the South Stone Cave Temple in Jingchuan. The North Stone Cave Temple is carved on a reddish-brown cliff that is 120 meters long and 20 meters high. It is divided into three levels, with 295 grottoes and 2125 statues of various sizes. On January 13, 1988, the North Stone Cave Temple was listed as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units by the State Council.