Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Buddha statue, Yungang Caves (
Click here
)
KRZYSZTOF DYDYNSKI/GETTY IMAGES ©
Chronic weathering has afflicted
Cave 7
(carved between AD 470 and 493)
and
Cave 8
, both scoured by the Shanxi winds. Atmospheric pollution has
also taken its toll.
Caves 16 to 20
are the earliest caves at Yungang, carved under the super-
vision of monk Tanyao. Examine the exceptional quality of the carvings in
Cave 18
; some of the faces are perfectly presented.
Cave 19
contains a vast
16.8m-high effigy of Sakyamuni. The Maitreya Buddha is a popular subject for
Yungang's sculptors, for example in the vast seated form in
Cave 17
and
Cave
