There are numerous grottoes in China and the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, the Yungang Grottoes, the Longmen Grottoes, the Kezir Grottoes and the ancient Qiuci Grottoes are the most famous ones. With its large scale, the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is surely a shining pearl on the Silk Road.
The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes was first built in the Sixteen Kingdoms Period (the mid 4thcentury) and lasted a very long time, with overhauling in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Researchers have found over 2,400 painted sculptures and 45,000 square meters of frescoes. All of them converged the cream of the East and the West. It is no doubt an artistic treasure at the world level. The dancers' images are varied, ranging from the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). From them we can have a glimpse of the dances of various historical periods. It is a rare treasure of historical records.
The dancing images in grottoes originated from the earthly world; it got distilled in the Buddhist pure land and then returned to this world. A layer of myth and imagination was added in this process, thus the dancing image was able to better express the Chinese nation's aspiration after the beauty of dance.
Email to Friends
Print
Save