Longmen Grottoes
STONE SPLENDORS OF ANCIENT CHINA
Located about eight miles south of present-day Luoyang in Henan province, China, the Longmen Grottoes are a national and international treasure of art and history. The Grottoes resemble a network of honeycombs in the rock walls above the Yihe River. Spread out over a half mile, the carvings within the more than 2,000 caves and niches are dated as early as 493 CE. More than 100,000 stone statues, almost 3,000 stone tablets, and hundreds of bas-relief images of lotus blossoms, dancers, singers, and deities reflect the development of Chinese Buddhism between the 5th and 10th centuries. Most of the statues portray Buddha; some caves, like Wanfo, have more than 15,000 small statues depicting the Buddha chiseled into the rock walls. One cave, aptly named Prescription Cave, contains more than 150 medicinal recipes carved into the limestone walls.
Giant stone statues of a Bodhisattva and the Guardian of the Buddha at Longmen Grottoes, China.
The limestone makes for an easy carving material, but it is highly susceptible to wear and tear from the elements. The slightest amount of water trickling into a surface crack quickly erodes the intricately carved surfaces of the statues, rendering many beyond repair. After UNESCO designated the Grottoes a World Heritage site in late 2000, the Chinese government, along with many international institutions such as the Getty Foundation, increased their efforts to conserve and partially restore many of the damaged caves and statues. Without their continued efforts, many of these priceless works of art would be lost to future generations of travelers. —SBR