The Mogao Grottoes [Photo/ Chinaculture.org]

The Mogao Grottoes

Located on the eastern slope of Rattling Sand Mountain (Mingshashan), southeast of Dunhuang County in Gansu province, the Mogao Grottoes (also known as Thousand Buddha Cave) is one of three noted grottoes in China and also the largest, best preserved and richest treasure house of Buddhist art in the world.

But it is now overwhelmed with large numbers of tourists - 800,000 tourists a year. Moreover, due to its age-old history and the vulnerability of its frescoes, many those frescoes are fading and suffering from different kinds of chemical damage.

Now many caves inside the Mogao Grottoes are closed for long term restoration work. It is slow work. Restoring a palm-sized area takes an entire day.

We Recommend:

Dough figurines pinched for Chinese Valentines’ Day	A puppeteer and his puppet performance life	Toys in Palace