About Mogao Grottoes history:The grotto was first chiseled in 366 AD. According to legend, this area was marshland over 1000 years ago. A monk called Yue Zun dreamed of 1000 golden Buddhas when he was traveling home across this region and he decided to turned his dream into reality.

Over the next 1000 years, 16 dynasties rose and fell; artists of each period contributed. The construction work was completed during the Yuan dynasty and since ever, the grottos have stood there through natural erosion and war flames for hundreds of years. Today, 492 caves are still standing. Altogether there are 2,000 statues and over 45,000 separate murals.

In addition, murals of Buddha, Bodhisattva, kings of the paradise, mighty fighters, minor thousand-Buddha, and flying Buddhist angels, with the background of mountains and rivers, beatify the mystic grottos into an Buddhist world with wind blowing and clouds floating.

In fact, the Mogao Grottos value themselves more than art as most murals reflect the lives of those times. For example, there is a mural showing a scene of robbers robbing a foreign businessman. This picture has revealed the contact between China and the world.

From the paintings, it is easy to learn that music and dancing played important roles in people's life at that time. In addition, different nationalities clothing, man and woman, old and young, are all presented in the pictures.

The Dunhuang Grottos also store many scriptures, documents, and books, which are valuable to supplement or revise the antique literature. The colorful murals inside the Grottos provide precious historical information to study politics, economy, military actions, culture, art, religion, science, national history, foreign affairs, and cultural contact of ancient China. Therefore, coming to this barren land does not just mean to appreciate the ancient paintings.

That's why the Mogao Grottos have always been a wonderful attraction to tourist around the world for many years.