In northern China, in Shanxi province , is located the city of Datong ( capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty between 386-584), and 16 kilometers from the city, are the Yugang Shiku Caves .
The Yungang Grottoes are a series of 53 caves Buddhist niches and about 1200 more than 50. 000 stone statues, which are spread over an area of \u200b\u200b1 km square, south of the Wuzhou Mountain .
The construction of these marvelous grottoes began in 460. Was the brainchild of Emperor Wen Cheng , which restored Buddhism as religion, and Buddhist monk named Tan Yao as organizer of the creation of the caves.
The work completed about the year 494, when the Northern Wei Dynasty, decided to move the capital to Luoyang , which began with the creation of other caves Longmen Grottos. The Yungang Grottoes, the Longmen Grottoes , along with the Mogao Grottoes are sites with ancient sculptures, more famous in China.
The Yungang Grottoes, each cave has a main statue of Buddha. The largest has a height of 16'8 feet, while the smallest is 13.5 meters high, representing respectively the 5 emperors Northern Wei Dynasty. The cave number 18 is one of the most spectacular, since its center is a great Buddha, whose clothing has carved more than 1000 small Buddhas.
Compared with Mogao and Longmen Grottoes, Yungang those are the ones that were built by a single dynasty and reflect the first large-scale assimilation of Buddhist culture in China. Furthermore it combines Eastern and Western traditions.
The Yungang Grottoes, the largest group of caves preserved in China, being reported in 2001 , Heritage Site by UNESCO . Currently these wonderful caves are facing serious environmental pollution caused by exploitation and consumption of coal in Datong, which has been taken steps to ensure that future generations can also enjoy them.
