The Mogao Caves at Dunhuang

The Mogao Caves, commonly known as the Thousand-Buddha Caves, is located on the eastern slope of the Sounding Sand Hill, approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City. The complex consists of 735 existing caves, with over 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 2,000 painted sculptures, creating a multidimensional artistic space that combines cave architecture, murals, and sculptures. As the largest, longest-lasting, and best- preserved site within the Dunhuang Caves Complex, the Mogao Caves has been celebrated as "the largest art gallery in the world" and the "Louvre on the Orient". The entire cave system is divided into two main areas: The southern zone, where caves are adorned with murals and sculptures concentrated, serves as a worship area, while the northern zone caves mostly lack wall paintings or sculptures, and are primarily used by monks for meditation, daily living, and burial of the deceased.

Historical records indicate that the first cave of the Mogao Caves was excavated by Monk Yue Zun in 366 during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Subsequently, the caves were developed over a span of 11 different periods, including the Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Northern Song, Shazhou Uighur, Western Xia, and Yuan dynasties, shaping the complex into its present scale. The existing Mogao caves not only provide a complete artistic record of Chinese medieval art from the 5th to the 14th centuries but also serve as a significant witness to the Silk Road, vividly capturing the exchanges between China and various countries along the route, as well as aspects of ancient life. It survives not only as an outstanding legacy of China's rich traditional culture but also a testament to the wisdom of human civilization.

敦煌莫高窟

敦煌莫高窟，俗稱千佛洞，位于甘肅省敦煌市區東南25千米的鳴沙山東麓斷崖上。莫高窟現存洞窟735個、壁畫4.5萬多平方米、彩塑2000余身，是由石窟建筑、壁畫和彩塑三者結合的立體藝術。它是敦煌石窟群中規模最大、延續時間最長、保存最完好的一處石窟，被譽為“全世界最大的畫廊”“東方盧浮宮”。整個窟區分南北兩區，其中南區為禮佛區，有壁畫和彩塑的洞窟集中于此，北區多數洞窟都無壁畫和彩塑，主要是僧人禪修、生活和瘞埋死者的所在。

據記載，莫高窟第一個洞窟由僧人樂僔于前秦建元二年（366）開鑿。其后經北涼、北魏、西魏、北周、隋、唐、五代、北宋、沙州回鶻、西夏、元代共11個時代的相繼營建形成今天的規模。莫高窟現存洞窟不僅在藝術上完整地保存了5—14世紀的中國中古美術史，而且作為絲綢之路的重要見證者，以圖像方式形象地記錄了東西方交流與古人的生活。它既是中華優秀傳統文化的杰出作品，也是人類文明的智慧結晶。