The Mogao Grottoes: Well-known Tourist Attraction Sites In China

The Mogao Grottoes Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Title Instructor Date The Mogao Grottoes Mogao caves are well-known tourist attraction sites in China with each year having numerous tourists coming from all over the world to visit. Mogao caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes are a mysterious place for Chinese people. In the past, Mogao caves played an important role in China. Nowadays, Mogao caves still is an invaluable asset (Larmer, 2010). In 1987, the Mogao Caves were inscribed on the World Heritage List. The location of Mogao caves is extremely special. When I mentioned this, you may have a question, what are some specials for Mogao caves location? Mogao Caves are located 25 kilometres southeast of the centre of Dunhuang. The oasis is strategically located at the crossroads of religious culture at the Silk Road in Gansu Province, China. Thus, the Mogao caves are also set in a historical place (Perlez, 2015). Dunhuang city was a border guard station established by the Emperor whose name is Han Wudi in Han Dynasty. The purpose of this build-up of this city was to prevent the Xiongnu which was the biggest enemy for Han Dynasty in 111 BC. In addition, Gansu became an important gateway to the west. Dunhuang, located in North-west of China, has another name for this city is which is the “ City of Dessert”, and this is how this city was recognized as a unique location. In the long historical period, Dunhuang was recognized as a centre for a lot of commerce and camel caravan (Pruch & Whitfield, 2008). The road for camel caravan is as well known as the Silk Road. Silk Road is filled with strongest colour of religion culture. As the formation of caves is closely related with the Buddhism, so it is under the influence of religion and culture, Mogao caves have a strong feature of religion with mystery. 1.What are some specials for Mogao caves location? Sculptures and murals that are brightly coloured are some of the special attributes of the Magao Grottoes, which are also referred as the Magao or Duhuang Caves, or the Thousand-Buddhas Caves. The silk paintings, manuscripts, murals, and countless sutras are some of the factors that drew worldwide attention to the Mogao Grottoes, attracting explorers to conduct studies on the Dunhuang (Muramatsu, Onishi & Kitamoto, 2010). With the discovery of thousands of priceless manuscripts in 1990s in the caves, Cave 16 was given the name “the Library Cave” while the manuscripts came to be known as the Dunhuang Manuscripts. Since the Library Cave was discovered, expedition teams from across the world have come to the Mogao Grottoes. However, some of the most famous relics have been moved from their original locations and taken to museums in other parts of the world, thus initiating the first ever global research on Dunhuanology fields. Another strategic point located at the Mogao Grottoes is the Silk Route, which is regarded as the crossroads of business and trade, which also include cultural, religious, and intellectual functions. The Mogao region has 492 cave sanctuaries and caves which makes the place famous for their wall paintings and statues that span more than 1,000 years of Buddhist art (unesco.org, 2018). The Mogao Caves, which borders the Dunhuang oasis and the Dachuan River, is richly endowed with numerous Buddhist art treasures. The Mogao Grottoes portray the historical value of the Buddhist art evolution along the northwest Chinese region. The works of art provide a vivid abundance of materials that depict numerous features of medieval culture, politics, religion, politics, culture, ethnic relations, arts, and the dressing code of the western China (Larmar 2010). The Dunhuang art represents a unique artistic style that shows a combination of Han artistic styles and tradition in China and how they have been assimilated from ancient Gandharan and Indian customs. These artworks also portray an integration of the arts from the ancient Tibetans, the Turks, and several other ethnic minorities in China. Most of the masterpieces reveal creations of aesthetic talent that is unparalleled. The unique artistic styles and the organizations of the caves is another special for the Mogao Caves location. Evidence suggests that the 492 caves have been constructed on five levels and they have produced over 2,000 painted sculptures, which are among numerous masterpieces of art in China. In addition, for more than 1,000 years, particularly during the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty (1276-1386) and Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), Mogao caves were of huge significance in artistic exchanges between India, China, and Central Asia (unesco.org, 2018). All of these artworks are some of the attractive features, which tourists can witness when they travel to the Mogao Grottoes. The paintings that are witnessed across the Mogao Grottoes act as exceptional evidence of the civilization of the Chinese ancient culture, particularly during the Tang, Sui and Song dynasties. Studies indicate that the Thousand-Buddha Caves stand out as some of the most famous examples of rock art sanctuary for the Buddhist people (Ku, 2012). All of these features are effectively displayed for people who travel to these regions, thus acting as an attraction site for visitors. Since the end of the 19th centuries until 1930, Buddhist monks used to occupy the Mogao Grottoes, and they managed to develop the rock art ensemble at Dunhuang. The Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute has been administering this Mogao rock art and it has managed to preserve it to portray the traditional monastic settlement. Furthermore, visiting the region implies that people are able to witness the rich history of the Mogao Grottoes. There is a powerful link between the Mogao caves and the historical background of the transcontinental relations as well as the expansion of Buddhism across Asia. Studies have also revealed that for numerous centuries, the Dunhuang oasis where Silk Road’s two branches intersect has benefited from the privilege of acting as a relay station for different kinds of goods that are traded across the Asian region (Larmar 2010). Furthermore, the region has acted as a region where different ideas have been exemplified by the Chinese people and other minor tribes, including the Hebrew scripts that were excavated in this region. It can be argued that the specials for Mogao caves location are mostly associated with the ancient works of art that can be viewed in this region, particularly when it comes to witnessing the ancient Chinese cultures that are on display (Ku, 2012). Furthermore, most visitors in the region are able to witness the diverse Buddhist cultures and traditions that were practiced by different dynasties and this acts as one of the most attractive factors for visitors. 2. How do Mogao caves relate to Buddhist culture? Since the Mogao Caves were first constructed in the 366AD, they have played an instrumental role in showing the Buddhist art and culture to the outside world, which dates back from 4th to the 14th centuries. The artworks represented in the 492 caves represents the culture of ancient Indian and Chinese Buddhists. Currently, the government has preserved 492 caves that house approximately 45,000 square meters of murals and over 2,000 painted sculptures (Muramatsu, Onishi & Kitamoto, 2010). In addition, Cave 302 represents the Sui dynasty and has some oldest scenes and representations of cultural exchanges that depict scenes of camels pulling carts along the Silk Road on their trading missions. Furthermore, Caves 23 and 156 are a representation of the Tang dynasty and they portray a number of warriors and a group of people working in the fields. Cave 61 represents the Song dynasty, which portrays the Mount Wutai landscape, which is celebrated as an example of early artistic Chinese cartography. Also depicted in these Mogao Grottoes are the artwork of rivers, mountains, temples, cities, caravans and roads that reveal the Buddhist culture. The visual art portrayed in the Mogao and Dunhuang caves is a representation of the fusion and tolerating of different cultures. The Buddhist culture continued to be influenced by the metropolitan China, India, and Central Asia, which continues to be integrated into the unique style of art (Larmar, 2010). Mogao Grottoes architecture can be categorized into three groups, which include the styles of construction that were motivated by different religious practices, the needs of the Buddha people, and the Central Asia and Indian influences in different time periods. The Meditation Cave plays an important role in illustrating the Buddhist culture. The meditation cell was designe...