HERITAGE RECORD · 1039

Yungang Grottoes

云岗石窟

The official record, selection criteria and sourced cultural context.

World Heritage record

The Yungang Grottoes, in Datong city, Shanxi Province, with their 252 caves and 51,000 statues, represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China in 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.

Open the official UNESCO record ↗

Wikidata reference

QIDQ308805 ↗

Area348.75 ha

Administrative areaQ1070000

WikipediaYungang Grottoes ↗

Chinese Wikipedia雲岡石窟 ↗

Imported locally from Wikidata; it does not replace the UNESCO record or editorial copy.

Selection criteria

This property was inscribed under the following World Heritage Convention criteria.

(i)A masterpiece of human creative genius.

(ii)An important interchange of human values in architecture, technology, arts, town planning or landscape design.

(iii)A unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.

(iv)An outstanding example of a building, ensemble or landscape illustrating a significant stage in human history.

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