Yan'an Grottoes: Thousands of Years of Buddhist Charms on the Silk Road

Yan'an, an important hub on the northern line of the Silk Road, is a concentrated area of ​​Shaanxi Grottoes, with 318 existing grottoes. Fan Zhongyan once praised it with the words: "He carved a mountain into a stone temple and built ten thousand Buddha statues. It is rare in the world, so it must be a divine work." In the past, Buddhist cave art spread eastward along with the camel bells of the Silk Road. Yan'an was located at a strategic point and cultural intersection, so caves were built along the river valley. Since the Northern Dynasties, through the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, caves were continuously opened, and the Song and Jin Dynasty caves were of particularly high attainments. The replica of the Buddha statue from the Zhongshan Grottoes in Zichang is on display at the Shaanxi History Museum. It is exquisite and represents the pinnacle of Song Dynasty grotto art. The Qingliangshan Grottoes originated in the late Northern Dynasties and reached their peak in the Northern Song Dynasty. They include three major caves, and currently there are 32 caves and two cliff carvings. The Wanfo Caves (Cave 11) of the Northern Song Dynasty is a screen-pillar-style Buddhist altar cave with nearly 10,000 statues of the Three Buddhas. It is a grand treasure of northern Shaanxi grotto art, carrying history and shining to this day.