The Yungang Grottoes are a Buddhist cave complex cut into a cliff in the Shi Li river valley, at the base of the Wuzhou Shan mountains. They lie about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Datong, China. They were carved during the Northern Wei dynasty in three phases. The first, until 465, produced caves 16 to 20. The second, about 471 to 494, was imperial.
A private third phase ended in 525, when uprisings halted work. The cliff is about 2,600 feet (792 meters) long. The English article counts 53 major caves and about 1,100 minor ones, with about 51,000 niches holding Buddha statues.
Cave 6, built 465 to 494 under Emperor Xiao Wen, has a central stupa pillar and walls divided into two stories. UNESCO listed the site in 2001 and describes it as a fusion of Buddhist art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural traditions.
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