Yulin Grottoes are located 75 kilometers southeast of Anxi County in Gansu Province. They are the  branch of the Dunhuang art complex, also named Ten-thousand Buddha Valley. It is one of the important caves in Gansu Province, other art paradise in China. Yulin Grottoes consists of the existing Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, Yuan dynasties.
When the grottoes were created, there are 41 major caves and hundreds of others scattered around. It is not yet clear when the caves were first cut. Judging from the background and the cave formation, experts have determined that they were not begun later than the Mogao Grottoes.
Murals
Murals in these grottoes consist of huge scripture drawings, portraits of Buddha, rare animals and plants, and scenes of plowing, harvesting, weddings, banquets, chess, brewing, iron-smelting, music  and dancing.
Scripture drawings
The big scripture drawings on the southern and northern walls of cave 25, in composition, technique of expression, line drawing, coloring and human image reveal the artists' skillfulness and accuracy. They are authentic portrayals of the highly developed art of painting in the Tang Dynasty more than 1300 years ago and are praised as the essence of the Yulin Grottoes. In the drawing of the "Western Purelandn," the artist, with his great skill of condensation, described the various scenes in the grand, tranquil, and illusory Buddhist after-world.
Ivory Buddha
Yulin grottoes protect a very precious ivory Buddha which was evenly halved and carefully carved with hundreds of scripture drawings inside and Samantabhadra on an elephant with a treasure pagoda in his hands outside - all obviously in the Indian style. It was preserved for more than a thousand years before being transferred to the Palace Museum in Beijing. |
