Grottoes of Maijishan

(Local Name: Maijishan Shiku) The Grottoes of Maijishan (Maijishan Shiku), situated 300km/185mi southeast of Lanzhou on the outskirts of the little town of Tianshui, can be reached from Lanzhou by train. The 194 grottoes, which date from the 4th C onwards, were hewn out of two walls of rock and contain over 7000 sculptures and 1300 sq.m/14,000 sq.ft of frescos. Among the motives represented here there are Buddhistic themes and scenes from the political and everyday life of the era.