The Kizil Caves embedded in the cliffs near Baicheng County in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The cliffs in which the Kizil Caves are embedded, near Baicheng County of Aksu Prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, emit a red glow under the sunlight. The color of the stone gives the caves its name, Kizil, which means red in the Uygur language.

The Kizil Caves, the largest cave network of its kind in the ancient kingdom of Kucha, form the most well-preserved grottoes in Xinjiang. With murals covering about 10,000 square meters, it is said to be a glorious art treasury second only to the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. The earliest caves date back to the third century, but in the eighth and ninth centuries, the Kizil Caves were largely abandoned.

The location of the Kucha Kingdom was significant in ancient transportation and communication routes, making it a center for politics, economy, and culture in China's Western Regions. Before it spread to central China, Buddhism first arrived in Xinjiang from India and was localized in China's Western Regions. Kucha was a center for this local form of Buddhism, but at the same time it was a bridge that gave this religion access to central China. In Buddhism, grotto frescoes often serve as a major art form to expound doctrines.

Cave paintings in Kucha boast rich contents that depict not only the reincarnations of Buddhas, but also common people's everyday life. Some experts claim that these caves constitute an encyclopedia on the Kucha culture. China's Western Regions were a melting pot for various cultures and art forms, which is why these murals are of an outstandingly high artistic level.

The grottoes at Kizil are considered to be the most impressive and remarkable of the Kucha period. They can be divided into two types – monks' residences and Buddhist halls. Monks' dormitories are linked by corridors. The rooms are equipped with stoves, heated brick beds, and other simple facilities. The Buddhist halls are venues for religious services and sermons. Caves of different constructions and purposes were built in systematic ways and formed units.

Grottoes with columns are an architectural feature of the Kizil Caves. On the front wall of the main cell in this kind of grotto can be seen the image of Sakyamuni. The stories of this Buddha and his reincarnations are painted on the two side walls and on the ceiling. Following a clockwise direction from the main cell to the rear cell, visitors will see frescoes depicting the Buddha's nirvana. Back towards the main cell in this direction, frescoes showing another Buddha Maitreya sutra can be seen on the wall above.