Understand
[edit]The 194 cave shrines of this "Gallery of Oriental Sculpture' on a perpendicular mountain cliff southeast of Tianshui, provide shelter for 7200 stone and clay figurines and 1300 m² of murals. The clay figures, crafted to the smallest detail and blending lifelike imagery with spiritual resonance, are paragons of ancient Chinese clay sculpture.
History
[edit]Landscape
[edit]Flora and fauna
[edit]Climate
[edit]Get in
[edit]Bus from Beidao district of Tianshui. From Tianshui South station, take bus 5 or 60 (¥7, about an hour, last return at 16:40). From Tianshui station, take bus 34 (¥5, about an hour, slightly longer hours of operation).
Fees and permits
[edit]Admission to the park is ¥90. If you don't want to walk 1.5km to the base of the cliff, you can pay ¥15 extra (return) to ride a shuttle golf cart.
Get around
[edit]You can pay for a shuttle to get you 1.5km closer to the base of the cliff. The grottoes themselves can only be accessed on foot, via a complex network of walkways and stairways.
See
[edit]- Colossal Buddhas - several colossal Buddhas grace the side of the mountain
- Gallery views - view from the galleries of the surrounding landscape
- Botanical gardens - plants brought from near and far