World Intangible Cultural Heritage – Historical Evolution of Dunhuang

Mogao Caves, located at the western end of the Hexi Corridor in Dunhuang, have a history of excavation spanning approximately 1000 years from the Sixteen Kingdoms period to the Yuan Dynasty. This unparalleled longevity in Chinese cave art makes it a brilliant treasury of ancient Chinese civilization and a crucial witness to the dialogue and exchange between different civilizations that once occurred along the ancient Silk Road. Currently, there are 735 caves in Mogao, with over 45,000 square meters of preserved murals, more than 2400 painted statues, and five Tang and Song wooden-structured cave roofs. It stands as a microcosm of the development and evolution of Chinese cave art, holding a sublime historical significance in the realm of cave art.

The caves are divided into two sections: the southern area with 492 caves serves as a place for Buddhist rituals in Mogao, while the northern area with 243 caves primarily functions as the residence for monks and artisans. The northern caves feature facilities for meditation and daily life, such as kang beds, flues, niches, and lamp stands, but most lack painted statues and murals

Dunhuang is located in the western part of Gansu Province, positioned at the western end of the Hexi Corridor in terms of natural geography. It borders Qinghai to the south and connects to Xinjiang to the west, serving as a crucial hub for east-west transportation since the Han Dynasty. In 111 BC, Emperor Wu of Han established Dunhuang as a frontier outpost to defend against the Xiongnu.

Since the opening of the Silk Road during the Han Dynasty, Dunhuang, as a vital town on the western frontier, became a hub for communication between the Central Plains and the Western Regions. It evolved into a commercial center along the Silk Road and a convergence point for various ethnicities and cultures. The historical roots of Dunhuang's cave art, including Buddhist culture and art, can be traced to this intersection of East and West.

The exact timeframe for the construction of the Mogao Caves varies in different historical records. The prevailing view among scholars is that in the second year of Jianyuan (366) of the Former Qin, the monk Le Zun initiated the excavation of caves at Mogao, and Master Fa Liang continued the construction. According to the "Li Junxiu Compassionate Buddha Shrine Stele" in the first year of the Shengli era of Wu Zhou (698), it is recorded, 'Mogao Cave, in the second year of Jianyuan (366 AD) of the Former Qin, there was a monk named Le Zun, practicing pure asceticism, with a tranquil mind. He once walked with a staff in the wilderness and, reaching this mountain, suddenly saw golden light, with the appearance of a thousand Buddhas. He then built one cave. Next, Master Fa Liang arrived from the east, built a cave beside Le Zun, and immediately started construction. The establishment of the monastery originated from these two monks.' By the Northern Liang period, a small community of monks had already formed in this area. Initially, these caves served as places for solitary meditation by hermit monks, but later they developed to serve nearby emerging monasteries.

Subsequently, members of the Northern Wei imperial family, Yuan Tai Rong (original name Yuan Rong) from the Northern Zhou aristocracy, and Yu Yi successively served as the governor of Guazhou (Dunhuang). Influenced by the trend of creating Buddhist images, the Mogao Caves began to flourish. During the Sui and early Tang periods, Dunhuang became a major commercial hub along the Silk Road and an important religious center. The Mogao Caves also entered their heyday, becoming a pilgrimage site for people from all directions. During this period, a large number of caves were constructed, including two large niches for statues. These caves, with meticulously crafted interiors and murals, were created for various purposes such as assisting meditation, serving as teaching tools for promoting Buddhist beliefs and stories to the illiterate, and more. Major caves were typically sponsored by Buddhist monks, local ruling elites, Central Plains emperors, and other patrons, while other caves were supported by merchants, military officers, and local residents (such as women's groups).

After the An Lushan Rebellion, in the second year of Jianzhong (781), Tibet occupied Shazhou (Dunhuang). Under the protection of the Tibetan ruler, the Mogao Caves continued to develop. In the second year of Dazhong (848), Zhang Yichao led a rebellion, recaptured the lost territories in the eleven western provinces, and submitted a memorial to return to the Tang Dynasty. During the late Tang period under the rule of the Zhang family's return to righteousness military regime, Zhang's family members and their prominent relatives continued to build at the Mogao Caves.

In the fourth year of Qianhua (914), Cao Yijin replaced the Zhang family in controlling the return to righteousness military regime, and the Cao family ruled over Guazhou (Anxi) and Shazhou (Dunhuang) for more than 120 years. They built new caves, extensively repainted and repaired existing caves and cave eaves, and created large-scale open-air murals on the cliff face, making the exterior of the Mogao Caves spectacular. In the Northern Song Jingyou era (1036) and the Southern Song Baoqing era (1227), this area was successively ruled by the Western Xia and Mongol regimes. Although construction and repairs continued, with the decline of the importance of the Silk Road and the economic downturn in Dunhuang, the Mogao Caves gradually declined. After the Yuan Dynasty, cave construction ceased.

In summary, the flourishing period of the Mogao Caves spanned from the Sixteen Kingdoms period, through the Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, Song, and Western Xia dynasties, and concluded in the Yuan Dynasty.