🇨🇳 China · Temple complex
Beishan Grottoes Dazu
Tang to Southern Song · Late Tang to Song Sichuan Buddhist (Wei Junjing to Zhao Zhifeng line)
UNESCO Beishan's 290-niche scholar's cliff 2 km north of Dazu with Song filial piety reliefs.
🇨🇳 China · Temple complex
Yungang West Cave 20
Northern Wei (Northern Dynasties) · Northern Wei royal Buddhist (Toba Wei imperial atelier under Tanyao)
13.7-m open-fronted seated Buddha of Yungang's Five Tanyao west series — most iconic Wei colossus.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Kizil Caves (Bezeklik precursor)
Six Dynasties to Tang ~300–800 CE · Tocharian Kuchean Buddhist with Gandharan influence
Kucha's 236 lapis-blue Jataka caves - China's earliest Buddhist grottoes on the Silk Road.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Dunhuang — Mogao Cave 96 Ancillary Corridor
Bronze to Iron Age (2000 BCE–300 CE) · Rock-cut tradition
Dunhuang — Mogao Cave 96 Ancillary Corridor in Gansu, Dunhuang, Mogao, China is a Bronze to Iron Age (2000 BCE–300 CE) rock_cut attributed to Rock-cut trad…
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Dazu Beishan Rock Carvings — Chongqing Northern Mountain Gallery
Late Tang to Southern Song (892 – 1178 CE) · Chinese Buddhist with Song gentry patron
Beishan 264 caves with 10k slender Song statues 892–1178 at Dazu north hill.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves
Gaochang to Yuan 500–1300 CE · Uyghur Buddhist (ancient Uyghur–Tocharian)
Turpan depression Uyghur Buddhist cliff with 77 donor-portrait caves below sea level.
🇨🇳 China · Temple complex
Bingling Temple Grottoes
Sixteen Kingdoms → Qing 420–1911 · Buddhist (Hexi Silk Road)
Yellow River gorge sanctuary of 183 caves and 694 statues cut into 60 m yellow sandstone cliff above reservoir since 420 CE (Western Qin) to Qing, famous for 27 m Maitreya Buddha (Tang) carved from…
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Gongxian (Gongyi) Grottoes — Stone Empress Mountain
Northern Wei to Song (Six Dynasties to Tang) · Northern Wei Tuoba Sinicized Buddhist; Tang Chinese
Northern Wei 5 caves 774 icons 503–520 with emperor–empress procession as Bodhisattva and Tang thousand Buddhas.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Xumishan (Sumeru Mountain) Grottoes — Guyuan
Northern Wei to Tang (Northern Dynasties 386–581 to Tang) · Northern Wei Tuoba Xianbei then Sui–Tang Han Chinese Buddhist; Guyuan Silk Road garrison
Ningxia 162 caves 5th–9th c. with 20.6-m Dafo Tang colossus tower and Northern Wei apsaras, Liupan Silk gate.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Kumtura Thousand Buddha Caves — Kucha
Kucha–Tocharian to Tang–Uyghur (5th–11th c.) · Tocharian Kuchan Buddhist (Sarvastivada Dharmaguptaka) later Uyghur Mahayana
Kucha 112 caves 450–1100 with diamond vault Maitreya and pipa musicians on Weigan gorge, Kizil's sister.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Binglingsi Upper Grottoes — Liujia Gorge Yellow River Cliffs
Sixteen Kingdoms to Ming · Western Qin, Northern Wei, Western Xia, Tibetan, Ming
Liujia Gorge 27-m Tang Maitreya and 420 CE Western Qin mandala caves above Yellow River reservoir, 183 caves.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Mati Si (Horse Hoof Temple) Grottoes
Sixteen Kingdoms to Yuan (420 – 1368 CE) · Northern Liang Han, Tuyuhun Xianbei, Tibetan, Uyghur, Western Xia Tangut, Mongol
Hexi cliff 31 conglomerate caves with 33 Heavens Pagoda and Gesar hoof legend, 420 CE–Yuan.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Xiangtangshan Grottoes — Echo Hall Mountains
Northern Dynasties to Tang (550 – 907 CE) · Northern Qi, Sui, Tang
Handan limestone 38 Northern Qi caves with 30-cm undercut floating drape 550–577 CE.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Tianlongshan Western Grottoes — Shanxi Western Cliff
Northern Dynasties to Tang · Northern Qi–Tang northern Shanxi Buddhist
Taiyuan Heavenly Dragon western 8-cave extension 560–750 with 1924 removal and scaffolding holes.
🇨🇳 China · Temple complex
Maijishan Western Cliff Grottoes
Sixteen Kingdoms to Song · Later Qin, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song
Sheer west face 80 m with 72 hanging grottoes on plank balconies — Maijishan postcard cliff.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Tianlongshan Grottoes — Heavenly Dragon Mountain
Northern Dynasties to Tang (550 – 907 CE) · Northern Qi, Sui, Tang (central Shanxi Buddhist)
Taiyuan 25 caves with Northern Qi wet-drape bodhisattvas 550–907 CE.
🇨🇳 China · Temple complex
Bingling Temple Upper Gorge Grottoes
Sixteen Kingdoms to Early Tang · Western Qin, Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang
8-km-upstream Western Qin cliff with 420 CE earliest murals above reservoir.
🇨🇳 China · Temple complex
Tianlongshan North Manshan Grottoes
Tang (post-An Lushan) · Late Tang Jiedushi patronised Buddhist
North spur 8-cave late Tang group with Tianlong's only caitya pillar and wet-drape naturalism.
🇨🇳 China · Temple complex
Mati Temple West Thousand Buddha Cliff
Sixteen Kingdoms to Tang · Hexi Buddhist (Xiliang, N Wei, Sui, Tang)
1.2-km-west thousand-niche vertical cliff with 1200 Buddhas and Tang malachite murals.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Bingling (Binglingsi) Grottoes
Sixteen Kingdoms to Ming ~420–1644 CE · Northwestern Chinese Buddhist (Western Qin to Tibetan)
Yellow River cliff grotto accessible only by boat, bearing China's earliest dated 420 CE inscription.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Yungang Grottoes — Western Caves Extension (Caves 26–40)
Northern Dynasties (Northern Wei late) · Tuoba Wei (Xianbei) Buddhist with Han artisan school
UNESCO Yungang western 15-cave zone 494–525 with central-pillar and collapsed colossus.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Matisi Grottoes — Southern Sunan Secondary Cliff
Sixteen Kingdoms to Tang (Northern Liang 420 peak) · Hexi Corridor mixed Han–Tibetan Buddhist (Juqu Mengxun lineage)
Mati Si southern 12-cave cliff 420 CE Thousand-Buddha with hoof-print legend and hanging plankway.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Kizil Caves — Western Valley Extension (Western Kizil)
Early Medieval Central Asian (Tocharian B) · Tocharian Buddhist (Kucha Kingdom) with Gandhara influence
Kucha Tocharian western 42-cave valley 400–700 CE diamond ceilings and lapis blue, German-removal archive.
🇨🇳 China · Rock-cut
Xiangtangshan South Caves — Fengfeng Echoing Hall Peak
Northern Dynasties to Tang · Northern Qi Xianbei-Han Buddhist
Handan south hill 3 limestone caves with 550 CE Amitabha Western Paradise (Freer) and central pillar, Northern Qi.