1. Introduction to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Dunhuang is located at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, at the intersection of Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces (regions). The city's total area is 3.12 square kilometers, of which the oasis area is 1,400 square kilometers, accounting for only 4.5% of the total area. It is surrounded by the Gobi Desert, so it is called the Gobi Oasis
Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as Thousand Buddha Cave, is located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built in the pre-Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and has been built by the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia, Yuan and other dynasties, forming a huge scale with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay sculptures. It is the largest and richest collection of Buddhist art in the world.
2. Architecture of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes were built in the pre-Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms. After the construction of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia and Yuan Dynasties, it has formed a huge scale, with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay sculptures and colored sculptures. It is the largest and richest collection of Buddhist art in the world. According to the Tang Dynasty book "Li Kerang Rebuilding the Buddhist Shrine Stele in Mogao Grottoes", in the second year of Jianyuan of the former Qin Dynasty (366), monk Lezun passed by this mountain and suddenly saw a golden light shining like a Buddha, so he dug a hole in the rock wall. A hole. After that, Zen Master Fa Liang and others continued to build a cave here for practice, which was called Desert High Cave, which means a highland in the desert. In later generations, because Mo and Mo were so common, they were renamed Mogao Grottoes. There is another saying: Buddhists say that building a Buddha cave has immeasurable merit, otherwise it would be impossible and impossible. The significance of Mogao Grottoes is that there is no higher achievement than building a Buddhist cave.
During the Northern Wei, Western Wei, and Northern Zhou dynasties, the rulers believed in Buddhism, and the construction of grottoes was supported by the nobles and developed rapidly.
In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with the prosperity of the Silk Road, the Mogao Grottoes became even more prosperous. There were more than a thousand caves during Wu Zetian's time. After the Anshi Rebellion, Dunhuang was successively occupied by the Tubo and Guiyi armies, but the statue-making activities were not greatly affected. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Western Xia Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, the Mogao Grottoes gradually declined. Only the previous caves were rebuilt, and few new ones were built.
3. Introduction to Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang
Mogao Grottoes can be called one of the largest art treasures in the world. There are more than 60,000 pieces of scriptures, silk paintings, embroideries, and bronze statues, recording the development of Buddhism in China from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Song and Yuan Dynasties. It gives us the opportunity to get close to the profound and profound culture of ancient China and admire the wisdom of the ancients.
1. Historical value:
The construction of the Dunhuang Grottoes and its historical process, the long history of Dunhuang, the influential local clans and surnames, the relationship between Dunhuang and surrounding ethnic groups and the Western Regions, There are no or very few records in history. There are thousands of portraits of patrons in the Dunhuang Grottoes, more than a thousand of which still have titles. Being able to understand many historical situations and clues will help to understand the Buddhist thoughts, sects, beliefs and spread of ancient Dunhuang and Hexi Corridor, the integration of Buddhism and traditional Chinese culture, and the process of the Sinicization of Buddhism.
2. Artistic value:
The figure paintings, landscape paintings, animal paintings, and decorative paintings in the Dunhuang Grottoes have a history of thousands of years, and are characterized by a large number of self-contained systems. They can all become independent histories of figure painting, landscape painting, animal painting, and decorative painting. In particular, it has preserved such rich examples of figure paintings, landscape paintings, animal paintings, and decorative patterns before the Song Dynasty in China, that is, before the 10th century. This is unprecedented in museums around the world. The Dunhuang manuscripts also contain music scores and other musical materials. Rich music image materials demonstrate the continuous development and changes of Chinese music culture in the past thousand years. It provides valuable information for the study of American music history and Chinese and Western music exchanges in China.
3. Scientific and technological value: As a hub for exchanges between China and the West, Dunhuang not only left scenes of commercial and tourism exchanges, but also left precious vehicle images on the murals. Wheelbarrows, harnesses, stirrups, horseshoe nails and other precious video materials. China has made unique contributions to world transportation. There are also statues and paintings from the Sui Dynasty to Xixia, as well as glass vessels painted on the hands and tables of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and disciples. There are bowls, cups, bowls, bottles, and plates, some are transparent, light blue, light green, and light brown. The shape, color and decoration all show Sasanian or Roman style, indicating that these glassware were imported from West Asia. The murals not only reflect the characteristics of ancient glass technology, but also reflect the glass trade between China and the West.
4. The geographical location of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Dunhuang is located at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, at the intersection of Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces (regions). The city has a total area of ??3.12 square kilometers, of which the oasis area is 1,400 square kilometers, accounting for only 4.5% of the total area. It is surrounded by the Gobi Desert, so it is called Gobi Oasis.
Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as Thousand Buddhas Cave, is located in Dunhuang at the west end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built in the pre-Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and has been built by the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Xixia, Yuan and other dynasties, forming a huge scale with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay sculptures. It is the largest and richest collection of Buddhist art in the world.
5. Dun_Mogao Grottoes
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes have experienced Hungary, France, Japan, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Sweden, South Korea, Italy, Germany, etc.
6. Introduction to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Through archaeological excavation and research, it is known that there are 248 existing caves on the cliff face in the North District, of which 243 are newly numbered caves. Together with the 487 caves in the southern area, the total number of existing caves in the Mogao Grottoes has increased to 735, and more than a thousand niches in the caves have been basically restored. The inscriptions in the Tang Dynasty.
7. Information about Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
There is no higher place than Mogao Grottoes. The Mogao Grottoes are more than 1,300 meters above sea level, located in the Gobi Desert. There is no higher place in the desert than it, so it is called Mogao Grottoes. This is how the Mogao Grottoes are named. It is located in Dunhuang, a desert at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor. Speaking of Mogao Grottoes, people will naturally think of Feitian and the Louvre in the East. The grotto is excavated on the cliff at the eastern foot of Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang, facing Dangquan, and to the east is the Sanwei Mountain, a branch of the Qilian Mountains. The total length from north to south is 1680 meters.
Current location The Mogao Grottoes were built in the 16th century. According to the Tang Dynasty book "Li Kerang Rebuilding the Buddhist Shrine Stele in Mogao Grottoes", in the second year of Jianyuan of the former Qin Dynasty (366), monk Lezun passed by this mountain and suddenly saw a golden light shining like a Buddha, so he dug a hole in the rock wall. A hole. After that, Zen Master Fa Liang and others continued to build a cave here for practice, which was called Desert High Cave, which means a highland in the desert. In later generations, because Mo and Mo were so common, they were renamed Mogao Grottoes. There is another saying: Buddhists say that building a Buddha cave has immeasurable merits, otherwise it would be impossible and impossible. The significance of Mogao Grottoes is that there is no higher achievement than building a Buddhist cave.
During the Northern Wei, Western Wei, and Northern Zhou dynasties, the rulers believed in Buddhism, and the construction of grottoes was supported by the nobles and developed rapidly.
In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with the prosperity of the Silk Road, the Mogao Grottoes became even more prosperous. There were more than a thousand caves during Wu Zetian's time. After the Anshi Rebellion, Dunhuang was successively occupied by the Tubo and Guiyi armies, but the statue-making activities were not greatly affected. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Western Xia Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, the Mogao Grottoes gradually declined. Only the previous caves were rebuilt, and few new ones were built.
After the Yuan Dynasty, Dunhuang stopped opening caves and gradually became deserted. In the seventh year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1528), Jiayuguan was closed and Dunhuang became a frontier nomadic land. In the fifty-seventh year of Emperor Kangxi's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1718), Xinjiang was pacified; in the first year of AD
In the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu's reign (1900), the Buddhist Scripture Cave was discovered that shocked the world. Unfortunately, in the specific historical context of the corruption and incompetence of the late Qing government and the invasion of China by Western powers, soon after the discovery of the Buddhist scripture cave relics, Western explorers such as the British Stan, the Frenchman Pelliot, the Japanese drunkard Tachibana, and the Russian Oldenburg successively When he came to Dunhuang, he defrauded a large number of Buddhist scripture cave relics from the Taoist king through unfair means, causing the scripture cave relics to be looted. Most of the relics were unfortunately scattered and hidden in Britain, France, Russia, Japan and other places.
8. The history of the Mogao Grottoes
The first cave of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang: It can be judged from the story of the Buddha's Simen, who was old, weak, sick and disabled.
The magnificent architecture, exquisite sculptures, elegant flying apsaras, and bouncing pipa of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes are all fascinating and breathtaking. Let us approach this mysterious cave together and appreciate and taste this large art treasure house.