Longmen Grottoes: an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity (2)

The Middle Binyang Cave was built by Emperor Xuanwu to commemorate his father Xiaowen, and also his mother. It is said that 800,000 workers created it between 500 to 523. (People’s Daily Online/Kou Jie)

Though nature has eroded some of the statues over the centuries, it is human interference and vandalism that have damaged many of the caves. During the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese looted the site and took many of the statues back to Japan, many of which remain in Japanese museums today. Merchants from Western countries also cooperated with local criminals to cut many statues from their caves and smuggled them abroad. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the government started to issue laws and arranged for experts to protect the cultural relic, and restore it to its former glory.

In 2000, this magnificent cultural relic was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as “an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity,” for its perfection of an art form, and for its encapsulation of the cultural sophistication of Tang Dynasty.