China Travel Guide

Grotto refers to the temples that are built on mountainside or cliffs. It originated in India, where the practice of Buddhist doctrines are affected by the damp and hot climate in the South Asian subcontinent. Therefore, the ancient Indians built their temples and meditation rooms in caves where the summer was cool, and spring was warm. Later, the practice was introduced to China together with Buddhism; Chinese Buddhist disciples learned from the master and continued to build grottoes and caves everywhere. The excavation of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes started around the 3rd century (the Han Dynasty), became popular from the 5th to 8th centuries, and peaked in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). In the following times, the chiseling of caves continued but slowly until the 16th century (Ming Dynasty). It’s a process of learning, localization, and reforming a foreign art. The current grottoes are mainly scattered in Xinjiang (ancient western regions), western Gansu, Yellow River areas, and s...

The 5th and 7th centuries were the peaks of rock carvings originated from ancient India. When the 8th century came, Buddhism took a hit. Yet, the bas-reliefs on precipices of Dazu County, Chongqing, suddenly emerged. In the following five centuries, the Dazu Rock Carvings continued to grow into China's largest-scale grottoes. It became an outstanding example of Chinese grotto art in its later period.  The Dazu Rock Carvings represented by Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shizhuanshan, Shimenshan cliff sculptures are an essential part of Chinese grotto art and the most significant work of such kind during the 9th -13th century. They are in large scale, exquisitely carved, diversely themed, richly informative, and best-preserved. The sculptures here are not just about Buddhism but also about Taoism and Confucianism, providing sufficient evidence of how the three religions influenced Chinese society collectively. Therefore, Dazu Rock Carvings is the second Chinese grotto art included in...

Located at the westernmost part of the Hexi Corridor with Sanwei Mountain in the east, Mingsha Mountain in the south, desert in the west, and Taklimakan desert in the west, Dunhuang is a hub city connecting central China and the far western regions of Xinjiang . Since the opening of the ancient Silk Road, Dunhuang has been a city of key position in communications between central China and western areas. Now, it becomes one of the famous destinations for people seeking Silk Road experiences . Amazing Dunhuang 5 Strong Reasons for You to Visit Dunhuang Spectacular Gobi Desert and Oasis Scenery - Echoing Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake Have you ever enjoyed the spectacular sunset in the desert? Have you listened to the whisper of sand? Have you ridden an actual camel in the sand? You can do all those things in Echoing Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake. Just imagine riding a camel and march forward in the ever-singing desert with the sunset showering all around. What a...