When mentioning the grottoes, we often relate it with the Buddhism. In the spread process of the early Buddhism, all kinds of forms such as literature, art, music, cliff painting and statue were applied for the purpose of attracting more people to accept Buddhism and getting more followers, showing more contents and thoughts in Buddhism. Therefore, grottoes art is the important part of art in Buddhism, helping people to have better understanding to the development and changes of Chinese Buddhism.
About knowing more about Chinese grottoes, those foreign students who got internships in China are recommended to know Yungang Grottoes, which is located in the north of Shanxi province in China. It is said that the grottoes was constructed in the period of North Wei Dynasty. It was basically completed in the year of 494 when North Wei moved the capital city to Luoyang after the efforts of thousands of stone inscription craftsmen for more than 40 years. According to the record, it is the first grottoes excavated by imperial court in the history of China.
At present, there are 53 main caves existing in Yungang Grottoes, about more than one hundred niches and 5000 stone statues with different sizes and shapes. Most of caves and statues in Yungang Grottoes were excavated in North Wei period. With rich contents, various shapes and sizes, the inscription themes are mainly figures of Buddha and Buddhism stories. The first phase of project in Yungang Grottoes is the fifth grottoes in the west of Yungang Grottoes, being managed by an eminent monk in Wencheng Emperor Period.
If the foreign students have been there during the process when they went to study in China, they may know there is a statue of Sakyamuni in the central west twentieth cave. With the height of 13.7 meters, the stone quality is solid and preserved perfectly. The magnificent and gorgeous flame grains and sitting Buddha are the representatives in Yungang Grottoes.
The statues of Yungang Grottoes in the late period were inscribed by using the technique popular in the central time at that time. The face expressions of Buddha and Bodhisattva were more vividly than those in the early period, full of the style of human life. All of those expressions are the result of secularization and chinization of Buddhism art. Various forms of statues and images show the Buddhist Paradise in Buddhism, making it the ancient treasures of the Chinese civilization.