Maijishan Grottoes 麦积山石窟

About Maijishan Grottoes

Stairs and narrow galleries connect openings high on the cliffs, while painted clay figures give the interiors their particular character. The sculptures range from monumental groups visible outside to more intimate figures within the caves. Looking between the east and west cliffs helps explain both the site’s layout and the challenge of preserving art in this exposed position.

Construction began in the Later Qin era (384-417 CE), with caves cut into the hill's purplish red sandstone cliffs. After the Ming dynasty the site fell into obscurity until 1940, when the Tianshui scholar Feng Guorui (冯国瑞) gathered records on it; his 1941 survey and subsequent book, the Maijishan Shiku Zhi (麦积山石窟志), drew wide attention after newspapers reported on it. Archaeologists from Beijing carried out the first modern exploration in 1952-53 and devised the cave numbering system still in use.

Unlike other major Chinese grotto sites, known chiefly for murals or stone carving, Maijishan is distinguished by its clay sculpture. The site comprises 194 rock-cut caves holding more than 7,200 Buddhist sculptures and over 1,000 square meters of murals, linked by tiered plank roads (栈道).

The grottoes were among the first group of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level (全国重点文物保护单位). In 2014 they were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the Maijishan Cave-Temple Complex, one of 33 points forming Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor. In 2001 they were grouped with Xianrenya (仙人崖), Shimen (石门), Quxi (曲溪) and the Jieting hot springs (街亭温泉) into the Maijishan Scenic Spots, entered on China's Tentative List for nomination as a combined natural and cultural heritage site.

What to look for

• The painted clay sculptures, the defining medium of Maijishan’s cave art.
• The stacked cliffside galleries connecting the east and west cave areas.

The surrounding area

A southeastern chapter of Buddhist sculpture, historic streets and distinctive chilli-dressed snacks.

Location & getting there

Getting to Maijishan Grottoes

Travel to the Maijishan scenic area at Caotan Village in Maiji Town, southeast of Tianshui. Tianshui South railway station is a practical place to arrange the onward tourist-bus or road transfer. Follow the reserved grotto route and the current instructions for reaching the cliff entrance.