|
 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. |
