🏔️ Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor: Bingling Cave-Temple Complex
Buddhist grotto complex in Gansu Province, northwestern China
📋 Fast Facts
- UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed 2014 as part of the Silk Roads inscription
- Location: Yongjing County, Gansu Province, northwestern China, on the Liujiaxia Reservoir
- Approximately 183 caves carved from sandstone cliff faces; earliest caves date to Western Qin Dynasty (4th–5th centuries CE)
- Contains over 700 Buddhist statues spanning Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, and later dynasties
The Bingling Cave-Temple Complex comprises a series of Buddhist grottoes carved into sandstone cliff faces overlooking the Liujiaxia Reservoir. Located in Yongjing County, Gansu Province, the site preserves one of China's significant records of Buddhist art and religious practice from the 4th century onward. The caves represent continuous occupation and artistic development across multiple dynasties, positioned along a key branch of the Silk Road that facilitated cultural and commercial ...