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The Art
of Dunhuang Caves
 Although
it was only a small oasis town located in
the desert of northwestern China, Dunhuang
became the site of the largest complex of
ancient Chinese art. Particularly, the Mogao
Caves, which are located in the gobi-desert
25 kilometers away from the city, consist
of 492 caves with 25000 square meters wall
paintings and more than 3000 painted sculptures.
These well preserved caves span a period
of one thousand years, from the 4th to the
14th century, and visually represent with
vivid detail the culture of medieval China.
The discovery in 1900 of a secret library
cave, which was sealed around the mid-11th
century and remained untouched for nine
hundred years, has further made Dunhuang
an extremely important site for the studies
of medieval Chinese civilization. In addition
to the Mogao Caves, a few other sites of
Buddhist caves are located in the Dunhuang
region, including the Yulin Caves (42 caves),
Eastern Thousand Buddhas Caves (23 caves),
and Shuixiakou (8 caves) in Anxi county,
the Western Thousand Buddhas Caves (22 caves)
in Dunhuang, and the Five-temple Caves (6
caves) and One-temple Cave (2 caves) in
Subei county.
Despite a surge in tourism development,
the town still has a fairly relaxed feel
to it, and it's easy to kick back here for
a few days. There are several sights worth
visiting in the surrounding area, and the
town is just lively enough to keep you entertained.
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