Set on the edge of the silk road, Gansu may seem like an unlikely to find an oasis of Buddhist arts and other historical sites. With towering dunes in the background, the grottoes here reflect the power of divine inspiration.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made an inspection tour of northwest China's Gansu Province and visited the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang City on Monday. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Mogao Grottoes are recognized as one of the most significant collections of Buddhist art in the world.
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes:
Follow the footsteps of President Xi and enjoy the Buddhist art treasures. Located at a strategic point along the ancient Silk Road, the Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand-Buddha Grottoes, are noted for its rich collection of over 1,000-year-old Buddhist statues and murals.
Dunhuang is a Chinese city that is surrounded by the Taklamakan Desert. The Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang is a shrine of Buddhist art treasures. Dunhuang culture is also known as Mogao Grottoes culture.
According to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) records, a monk named Lezun had a vision of a thousand Buddhas under showers of golden rays. Thus inspired, he started construction on the caves, which span 10 dynasties. The Mogao Grottoes are commonly known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas. With a large number of murals, grottoes, cultural relics to name just a few, it is a world-famous Buddhist art resort. Here you can enjoy the magnificent grottoes and mural art, and learn the history of Buddhism in Dunhuang through explanation and film display, which is the best option for tourists to visit Dunhuang.
continue to visit you will find that the caves are filled with Buddha statues, flying Apsaras, Kabuki music, fairies, and so on. There are not only sitting statues up to nine stories but also small Bodhisattvas of more than ten centimetres, it is quite numerous and in different shapes, which is worth to visit.
The Mogao Grottoes Scenic Spot is consists of two parts: the Mogao Grottoes Digital Display Center and the Mogao Grottoes. The two parts adopt a joint ticket system and are not sold separately. Since 11th September 2014, the system of booking visits has been implemented in scenic spots. Tourists have to book tickets by telephone or online. According to the booking period, they can visit the scenic spots with a limit of 6,000 people per day. The online booking address and details of the tickets can be found at http://www.mgk.org.cn/.
After booking and collecting the tickets, visitors have to go to the digital exhibition centre of Mogao Grottoes and watch two films about Mogao Grottoes for 20 minutes each. A "Millennium Mogao" is an introduction to the history and culture of Mogao Grottoes, it will help the tourists to have a better understanding of Mogao Grottoes. Another "Dream Buddha Palace" is a ball screen film that shows a lot of caves that are not open now.
The Digital Exhibition Centre:
To better preserve the age-old caves, modern technology has been adopted to realize the digitalization of the frescoes. Dunhuang Research Academy spent four years on a preservation project called "Digital Dunhuang." It gathers, processes and saves Dunhuang frescoes and painted sculptures with digital technology to achieve the permanent preservation of Dunhuang artworks.
At the Digital Exhibition Center, visitors can enjoy an immersive experience and witness the rebirth of the masterpieces. Two 30-minute films document the history of the Mogao Grottoes, the Silk Road and the exclusive cave interiors that are not normally open to visitors.
Best time to visit:
All seasons are appropriate.
Entrance ticket:
Peak season: Mogao Grottoes Visit Ticket: 200 RMB; Foreign Language: 220 RMB (Monday-Sunday, 1st May-31st October).
Off-season: Mogao Grottoes Visit Ticket: 100 RMB; Foreign Language: 120 RMB (Monday-Sunday, 1st November- 30th April ).
The digital exhibition centre: 50 yuan per person
Tips:
1. Transportation: Fly to Dunhuang Airport and the destination is about 25-minute drive from the airport.
2. In Mogao Grottoes, you are not allowed to use the torch and the mobile phones, The torch used by the commentator is a special cold light lamp, otherwise, it will have an impact on the murals. To protect cultural relics, please do not take pictures secretly! Camera flash can cause great damage to murals.
3. Caves are closed in severe weather, such as cloudy and rainy days or sandstorms.
4. Shuttle bus service is available between the caves and the Digital Exhibition Center.
Opening time:
Peak season: 1st May - 31st October (Monday-Sunday, 8.00 AM - 8.00 PM ).
Off-season: 1st November - 30th April (Monday-Sunday, 9.00 AM - 5.30 PM ).
