World Cultural Heritage: Yungang Grottoes (4)

Cultural heritage value

The Yungang Grottoes, as a grand Buddhist sculpture group, highlights the characteristics of Buddhist sculpture craft during the Northern Wei Dynasty and vividly records the history of Buddhist arts in India and Central Asia such as Gandhara arts developing into Chinese Buddhist arts. It also reflects the process of Buddhist sculptures gradually becoming unreligious and national in China. Various Buddhist sculpture styles achieved unprecedented integration in the Yungang Grottoes and it has become the turning point of Chinese Buddhist sculpture art development. The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes and the sculptures of the Northern Wei Dynasty in the Longmen Grottoes were all affected by the Yungang Grottoes to varying degrees.

Therefore, the Yungang Grottoes possess typical Buddhist connotations and prominent artistic value in ancient times, and also meets the requirement of authenticity in cultural heritage. In addition, the Yungang Grottoes, as a holistic sculpture group, prominently displays the various styles and features of Buddhist culture during the Northern Wei Dynasty. As the Yungang Grottoes is in a good state of preservation without damage, it is able to fully reflect its geographical features and characteristics of the times. It also fully reflects the flourishing conditions of Buddhist culture during the Northern Wei Dynasty and possesses a kind of cultural integrity. Therefore, it meets the requirements of integrity as a cultural heritage.