The History in Murals: The Story of Mogao Grottoes and the Silk Road
The Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, are located on the southeast side of Dunhuang city. The grottoes were initially constructed during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the excavation of the grottoes spanned a thousand years, lasting until the end of the Yuan Dynasty. With an abundance of murals, grottoes, and cultural relics, it is a world-renowned Buddhist art site. Here, visitors can admire the vast and rich art of the grottoes and murals, and also learn about the thousand-year history of Buddhism in Dunhuang through explanations and film presentations, making it a must-visit destination for tourists in Dunhuang.
The current Mogao Grottoes scenic area consists of the Mogao Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center and the Mogao Grottoes themselves, with tickets sold as a combined package and not separately. Since September 11, 2014, the scenic area has implemented a reservation system for visits. Visitors must make reservations for tickets in advance by phone or online, and visit according to the reserved time slot. A maximum of 6,000 people are allowed to enter per day.
After making reservations and collecting tickets, visitors need to first go to the Mogao Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center (they cannot directly go to the grottoes, otherwise they will not be able to enter). They will watch two films about the Mogao Grottoes, each lasting 20 minutes. One is “Millennium Mogao,” which introduces the history and culture of the Mogao Grottoes, helping visitors gain a deeper understanding of them. The other is “Dream Buddha Palace,” a spherical screen film that showcases many grottoes that are currently not open to the public, which is extremely impressive.
After watching the films, visitors will take the scenic area’s shuttle bus to the grottoes. The scenic area provides guides, and visitors will enter the scenic area in groups under the guidance of the guides to visit each grotto. Generally, only 8-10 grottoes can be visited each time, with a visit duration of about an hour. The Mogao Grottoes are famous for their murals and sculptures, which are truly spectacular. Looking around the various caves within the Mogao Grottoes, one can see images of Buddhas, flying celestial beings, musicians, fairies, etc. painted everywhere. There are seated statues as tall as nine-story buildings, as well as small bodhisattvas just a few centimeters tall, numerous in quantity and diverse in form. Visitors can learn about them one by one under the guidance of the guides. After the visit, visitors need to take the scenic area’s shuttle bus back to the Digital Exhibition Center near the train station to end their tour.
