Longmen Grottoes -- Royal Grottoes on Cliff

Longmen Grottoes was built on a cliff in around 493 A.D., and was further extended during the following 400 years in the history of China. 

It contains thousands of caves with around 100, 000 stone statues (vary from over 17 meters to 2 centimeters high), and some sophisticated relief sculptures.

Some statues were religious, while others were in relation to the royal family at that time.

The Longmen Grottoes, therefore have important political, economical, religious, and cultural values.

Besides various statues and relief sculptures, calligraphy and inscription on stones, and more than 1000 years of prescriptions, it also contains art, painting, music, and costume elements from different dynasties in the history of China.

However, destructions by local and foreign people brought many losses to the grottoes, and the efforts to protect and recover the grottoes are still proceeding.