Explore the Yungang Grottoes, the royal project with the shortest excavation time!

The Yungang Grottoes were carved from the first year of the Northern Wei Dynasty's Ping'an period (460 AD) to the Zhengguang period of Emperor Xiaoming (525 AD), making it the shortest-duration large-scale royal grotto project in Chinese history, a miracle in the history of grotto excavation both in China and abroad. The Yungang Grottoes were a large-scale stone grotto project undertaken by the entire nation during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and it is also the royal grotto with the shortest excavation time in China. Its artistic style influenced Buddhist grotto sculptures throughout northern China and also affected the early sculpture art of the Southern Dynasties. The Tan Yao Five Grottoes (Grottoes 16 to 20) are the early works of opening the mountain. They were carved by the Northern Wei Buddhist leader Tan Yao in the early years of Emperor Wencheng's Ping'an period, making them the earliest, largest, and most systematic group of caves in the Yungang Grottoes.