Yungang Caves

Why the Yungang Caves are special
Yungang Caves are China's greatest single venue of Buddhist statues. They were carved 1500 years ago.

Yungang Caves tips and insights
Number
A few interesting statistics illustrating Yungang's massive construction and artistic endeavors:

• Caves and statues
  Yungang Caves have 53 caves and 51,000 statues depicting Buddha and his life.
  
• Size
  Statue heights ranges in extremes from thumb size to 17 meters (55 feet).
  
• Workforce
  The cave complex and statuary were created by 40,000 workers.

Must-visit caves
Be sure to reserve ample time for these:

• Cave 5
  Extensively carved. This is the artistic glory of the Yungang caves.
  
• Cave 11
  Notable for its thousands of Buddhist carvings on the walls and ceilings.
  
• Cave 18
  The home of a tall Buddha statue.
  
• Cave 6
  Boasts a seated Buddha of giant proportions.
  
• Cave 20
  Houses the giant seated Buddha shown in the above photo. It is bathed in sun light because its wall collapsed, exposing the statue to the outdoors.

How to pronounce
Yungang: yoo'ng-gahng

Monks
Once, thousands of Buddhist monks lived within the Yungang Caves complex.
About the carving

• Peak period
  Most of the significant caves were carved out in the 5th century. Then, the serious carving was suddenly ceased as the realm moved its imperial seat to a distant city.
  
• Sandstone rock
  The grottoes and statues were physically easy to carve out because sandstone rock is a relatively soft stone, a sculptor's dream.
  
• Few of the statues are free standing
  Most statues were carved directly into the cave walls (the hollows created niches for the statues).

Nearest major city
The Yungang Caves lie 16 kilometers (10 miles) west of Datong in Shanxi province.