Grottoes of the Thousand Buddha Temple

(Local Name: Bingling Si Shiku) The Grottoes of the Thousand Buddha Temple (Bingling Si Shiku) in the mountain of Xiaohishishan, about 90km/56mi west of Lanzhou and 35km/22mi southwest of Yongling, can be reached by bus. The cave complex was constructed in 420 but achieved eminence during the Tang dynasty (618-907). At the time of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) it was turned into a Tibetan monastery. The Chinese name ''Bingling'' is the transliteration of a Tibetan term, which means ''Thousand Buddhas'' or even ''Hundred Thousand Buddhas''. The temple site includes 34 grottoes and 149 niches with 679 stone sculptures, 82 clay statues - the largest statue is 27m/89ft, the smallest 20cm/8in high - and 900sq.m/9700sq