12. Yungang Grottoes
Tourists visit the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, north China's Shanxi Province, April 22, 2015. The Yungang Grottoes, listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2001, will witness a tourism peak as the May Day holiday is coming. (Photo: Xinhua/Yan Yan)
Located at the southern foot of the Wuzhou Mountain, some 16 km west of Datong city, Shanxi province, the Yungang Grottoes were built against the mountain and extend about one km (0.62 miles) from east to west.
Comprising 252 caves and 51,000 statues within a carved area of 18,000 square meters, Yungang Grottoes represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China during the 5th and 6th centuries.
The Five Caves created by Tan Yao, with their strict unity of layout and design, constitute a classical masterpiece of the first peak of Chinese Buddhist art.
Yungang Grottoes were added to the World Cultural Heritage List in December 2001.
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