maiji mountain grottoes

maiji mountain grottoes, as one of the four large grotto groups in china, is located in the maiji mountain 45 kilometers southeast of tianshui city, gansu province. with a height of 142 meters, this mountain looks like a wheat stack. hence the name maijimountain (wheat stack mountain). jutting straight-up out of the surrounding landscape, maiji mountain was accessible by a series of stairs once joined to its side by logs thrust like pegs in holes carved out of the rock face. in modern times this series of wooden stairs has been replaced by metal ones and a new adhering material has been applied to the face of the mountain.

the caves at maiji shan are on the whole much smaller than those at dunhuang or other sites. many are simply large size niches and must be viewed externally. maiji mountain grottoes were first cut in the 5th century. there are 194 grottoes, over 7,000 sculptures, and about 1300 sqm mural paintings.

the sculptures show the development of the chinese clay sculpture art. the high-relief pieces and round pieces on and off the walls illustrate fine artistic accomplishment. the high and precipitous location of the maiji grottoes is rare among all existing grottoes in china. most are on stiff precipices and overhanging rocks, 20 to 30 or even 80 meters above the ground. the grottoes are linked by plank-built paths along the face of the cliffs. people have to go through the small paths to enter the " buddhistkingdom", and the experience itself is fascinating.