The Yungang Grottos lie at the foot of Wuzhou Mountain to the west of Datong City, Shanxi Province.
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The Yungang Grottos stretch continuously for as long as one kilometer. There are 53 extant caves, 110 niches and more than 51,000 small and big statues. The grottos are chiseled along the mountain, consisting of three parts: the east, the middle and the west. The whole group of the grottos is large in scale and exquisite in carving, which is one of the largest groups of grottos in China. The main part of the Yungang Grottos was first built from the Heping reign (460-465) of Emperor Wencheng in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) to the 18th year (494) of the Taihe reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the completion of other small niches lasted to the Zhengguang reign (520-525) of Emperor Xiaoming. In the famous geographical writings Commentary on the Waterways of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (386-581), it is recorded that drilling the rocks and blasting the mountains, building according the conditions of the rocks; it is so grand and splendid that they are rarely seen in the world; halls on the mountains and palaces above the waters face each other, while the temples are covered by fogs, which is the real description of the spectacular sceneries of the Yungang Grottos of that time.
The Yungang Grottos are famous for the rich and magnificent stone-carving statues. The biggest one in the grottos is 17 meters high, while the smallest is only several centimeters. The statues of all kinds are vivid and lifelike. The artistic style of the grottos has not only followed taht of the Qin and Han dynasties, but also assimilated the essences of the foreign art to create their particular characteristics. It has exerted profound impact on the arts of the later Sui and Tang dynasties, and possessed an important position in the history of Chinese art. The Yungang Grottos, the Dunhuang Grottos in Gansu Province and the Longmen Grottos in Henan Province are called the three most important grottos in China.
Of the Yungang Grottos, the Tanyao Five Grottos were chiseled earliest and was among the most magnificent ones. The sceneries in the No.5, No.6 and Wuhua Cave Grottos are in great diversity. And the grottos in the east and west part were chiseled later. The Tanyao Five Grottos are located in the middle of the Yungang Grottos from No. 16 to No. 20. According to the records of the Story of Shilao in the History of the Wei Dynasty, in the early years of Heping in the North Wei Dynasty, the famous monk named Tanyao at that time presented a memorial to Emperor Wencheng, requesting the carving of five grottos and sculpting of five figures of Buddha in the Wuzhou Village, molded on Emperor Daowu, Mingyuan, Taiwu, Jingmu and Wencheng . This is what we call Tanyao Five Grottos today. The No.16 Grotto is the statue of Sakyamuni, of 13.5 meters tall, with a comely face and spirited gesture. The No.17 is the sitting statue of Maitreya, with a height of 15.6 meters, and one big figure of Buddha on its two sides respectively. The No.18 is another statue of Sakyamuni with a height of 15.5 meters and the statues of his disciples. The No.19 is a sitting statue of Sakyamuni with a height of 16.7 meters, which is the second largest statue figure in the Yungang Grottos. The No.20 is a big statue of Buddha with a height of 13.75 meters, whose facial feature is extraordinarily attractive with a round face, thick lips and big ears. The No.20 Grotto represents the finest arts and craftsmanship among the Yungang Grottos and is the symbol of it.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
