At the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain 16 kilometers west to Datong, Shanxi Province, a colorful and new grottoes are hid among the groves ,which are praised as “One of the artistic peak in the world “by French President Pompidou.

The grottoes are chiseled（雕diāo）at the foot of the mountain, stretching about one kilometer from east to west. These are about 53 grottoes of  different sizes and more than 51000 Buddhist(佛教的fó jiào de) carves .It is one of the biggest grottoes   of China and is called the three artistic grottoes artistic treasure-house in China together with Qianfo cave in Dunhuang and Longmen grottoes in Luoyang.

It was first chiseled in the first year of Year Heping in Northern Wei and Monk Tan Yao at that time chiseled it for duty of Emperor Wencheng. Most of the grottoes were finished in the eighteenth year of Year Taihe in Northern Wei before the capital moved to Luoyang, which lasted for forty years. And there were more than 40000 people did the job. While the grottoes statue project lasted until the period of Emperor Zhengguang

The highest is 17 meters while the smallest is only several centimeters. The grottoes are very magnificent(壮丽的zhuànɡ lì de), Cave No.5 and Cave No.6 and Wuhua Cave are rich in content and can be called the essences（本质běn zhì）of the grottoes artistic.

The Yungang Grottoes are divided into three parts –east part, middle part and west part.

There are four caves in the east part, nine caves in the middle part. And forty caves in the west part .The Yungang grottoes inherited and developed the traditional art of Qin and Han Dynasty. It also absorbed the essence of foreign culture and created a unique style and served as a connecting link to the later Sui and Tang Dynasty on art. This occupies an important place in the Chinese artistic history.

Tan Yao’s Five caves

Tan Yao’s Five Caves are the first chiseled（开凿kāi záo）among the Yungang Grottoes and they are very magnificent .They are located in the middle of the Yungang Grottoes and there are Cave No.16、 Cave No.17、Cave No.18、Cave No 19and Cave No.20.Weizi-Buddhism and Taolsm Annals”, in the first years of Year Heping in Northern Wei, the famous Monk Tan Yao at that time presented a memorial to the Emperor Wencheng to chisel five caves in Wuzhou and carved five Buddhas shaped as Emperor Wei Daowu. Emperor Mingyuan, Emperor Taiwu, Emperor Jingmu and Emperor  Wencheng. And this is Tan Yao’s Five Caves today.

Wuhua Caves has Cave No.9、 Cave No.10、Cave No.11、Cave No 12 and Cave No.13. It has various of artistic styles. Wuhua Cave、Cave No 5 and Cave No.6 are the essences of the carving art in the Yungang Grottoes .And they also offer a lot

Of imaging  information to the research of art, history, calligraphy（书法shū fǎ）, music, architecture, etc.

The Yungang Grottoes –West Part

Most of the caves are in the west part and each has its own feature, acclaimed. Especially Cave No.16 to Cave No.20 in Tan Yao’s Five Caves, they are chiseled in a planned way under the direction of Tan Yao. It is said that this followed the order ,”the emperor is Tathagata.”. Tan Yao directed the five emperors’ figures since Emperor Tai Zu in Northern Wei to the cliff .on the Sakyamuni（释迦摩尼shì jiā mó ní）.  Cave No.16 Buddha is the youngest one and it is simulated(模仿mó fǎnɡ) the 20-year old and more Emperor Wencheng reigned then, And the Buddha is 13.5 meters high.

The Yungang Grottoes –East Part

Cave No.1 to Cave No.2 are double caves which are situated in the east of Yungang Grottoes. In the middle of Cave No.1, there carved two floors of square  tower pillar. At the back ,there was Maitreya（弥勒佛mí lè fó）. The Buddha around were mostly weathered, the carved Monaural(维摩文殊wéi mó wén shū) on two sides of the cave gate of the south wall and the Buddhist adopted story relief on the lower part of the east wall were well preserved. In the middle of Cave No.2, there was a three floors of square tower pillar .Each floor carved three attic niches around and also carved five-floor –tower on the inside walls which were the imaging information of the architecture in Northern Wei.

World Heritage Committee appraised: Located in Datong, Shanxi Province, the Yungang Grottoes have 252 niches and more than 51000 Buddhist cave art in China from 5 Century to 6 Century. Tan Yao’s Five Caves have a well-knit and united arrangement and they are the classical masterpieces in the first peak of Chinese Buddhist art.

keywords
1云岗Yúngǎng ：a city in China
2大同Dàtóng ：a city in China
3石窟shíkū ：grotto; rock cave