日批在线视频_内射毛片内射国产夫妻_亚洲三级小视频_在线观看亚洲大片短视频_女性向h片资源在线观看_亚洲最大网

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Culture
Home / Culture / Heritage

Treasured legacy worth protecting

Work ensures Bingling grottoes continue to shine for future generations, Cheng Yuezhu and Ma Jingna report in Linxia, Gansu.

By Cheng Yuezhu and Ma Jingna | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2025-03-25 07:22
Share
Share - WeChat
Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing county, Gansu province, is set amid riverside mountains. CHINA DAILY

For those traveling to the venerable Bingling Temple Grottoes, the journey itself is an experience. The temple is in Yongjing county, Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture, Gansu province, just beside the Liujiaxia Reservoir on the upper reaches of the Yellow River.

The recommended way to reach the temple is to take a shuttle boat from one of the reservoir's piers, which allows visitors to see the natural spectacle of the clear green water of the Yellow River merging with the yellow murk of the Tao River.

As the boats draw near, the mountains on either side close in, revealing a red sandstone Danxia landscape. Because of the varied shapes of their peaks, the mountains are referred to as a "stone forest" and have inspired people to imagine them as characters with their own stories.

The natural setting made this an ideal site for Buddhist practitioners in search of solitude and tranquillity.

The mountains form the backdrop for Bingling Temple Grottoes. For more than a millennium, people carved stories and beliefs into the mountains with a level of craftsmanship on par with nature's grandeur.

"Cave 169 is the earliest known grotto in China with a precise historical inscription, written in the first year of the Jianhong era, which is today's 420," says Liu Zongchang, deputy director of the Bingling Temple Cultural Heritage Preservation and Research Institute's research office.

"It is an important chronological reference for the study of early Chinese grottoes. The style of sculpture and the imagery in the cave allow scholars to trace the route of the spread of Buddhism in ancient China."

For around a century, the cave was sealed off from the world. Both its construction by ancient craftsmen and rediscovery by experts in the last century were feats.

The cave is located in the cliffs above the temple's biggest Buddha statue, 40 meters above the riverbed. Visitors must climb several flights of wooden stairs beside the statue to reach it.

Unlike most grottoes deliberately carved out of the rock, this one began as a natural cave, with craftsmen modifying and reinforcing its walls, and carving niches where they saw fit.

Bingling Temple's Cave 169 was transformed from a natural cave in the cliffs. CHINA DAILY

"The wooden structures at Bingling Temple, including the walkway to Cave 169, were destroyed during the wars of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)," says Cao Xuewen, deputy director of the Bingling Temple Cultural Heritage Preservation and Research Institute.

It wasn't until after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 that efforts were made to restore the grottoes. In 1955, the institute was established for their preservation, and in 1961, the site was designated as a national key cultural heritage protection unit.

During the preliminary field study in 1951 and official investigation in 1952, experts were unable to reach Cave 169, and could only observe it through binoculars.

In 1963, the Gansu government assembled a team of leading archaeologists for a 50-day survey. With the help of nearby villagers and the temple's monks, the team erected ladders and put up ropes, and were able to climb into the isolated cave.

1 2 3 Next   >>|
Most Popular
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1994 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 一级免费毛片 | 91 禁| 日韩一区二区高清 | www四虎com| 亚洲高潮av | 欧美在线日韩在线 | 7799视频| 操她视频在线观看 | 香蕉性视频| 黄色片毛片 | 亚洲www在线| 欧美精品在线视频观看 | 黄色在线免费观看网站 | 下北阳光灿烂的日子 | 日韩一区二区视频在线 | 精品视频久久久久久 | 亚洲综合图区 | 亚洲欧美小视频 | 色图偷拍| 亚洲国产成人在线 | 播放一级黄色片 | 天天曰| 99在线精品视频免费观看20 | 永久免费看片在线观看 | 亚洲男人在线天堂 | 久久精品99久久久久久 | 91亚洲天堂 | 成人毛片在线视频 | 九九伦理| 一级片免费在线观看 | 91精品久久久久久久久 | 久久久网| 自拍av在线 | 99久久99久久精品国产片果冻 | 午夜影院在线 | 色淫av | 亚洲日本在线播放 | 99热这里只有精品99 | 超碰2020| 就操在线 | 免费国产一区二区三区 |