中国山西大同的云冈石窟 Yungang Grotto in Datong, Shanxi, China

WS 110：中国山西大同的云冈石窟 Yungang Grotto in Datong, Shanxi, China

云冈石窟位于山西省大同市西郊，是中国第一处由皇室显贵主持开凿的大型石窟。石窟依山开凿，绵延一公里， 现存主要洞窟达五十一个，窟龛两百五十二个，石雕造像五万余躯。是中国四大石窟之一，也是联合国教科文组织世界遗产。

北魏时，佛教蓬勃发展，开窟造像颇为盛行。昙曜法师得到文成帝许可，于公元453年开始， 开窟五所(今称为昙曜五窟)。公元494年，北魏迁都洛阳。开凿的热潮逐渐衰退，此后窟龛多由贵族官吏或平民为祈福超渡而建，多是小窟。总共挖掘了两百多个石窟，现存主要洞窟达五十一个。

我们在2013年到此一游。第一张照片是昙曜法师的塑像。第四、第五张照片所示的是第二十窟，为昙曜五窟之一，窟前石壁早已崩塌，造像完全露天。立像是三大佛，正中的释迦坐像，高1十三点七米，这尊佛像面部丰满，两肩宽厚，耳垂至肩，为云冈石窟雕刻艺术的代表作。第七张照片所示的是第十六窟。第八张照片所示的是第五窟和第六窟前的四层护墙。

北魏的皇室不是“汉族”，而是鲜卑族。一些鲜卑部落的脸型和服饰被纳入昙曜五窟中的图像中。第十六窟的佛好像打着领带。美国的尼克松总统于1972年来参观云岗石窟，他的导游是周恩来总理。据说周总理向美国总统指出，穿领带是中国古老的传统！当然故事的真伪无可考证。 

Yungang Grotto is located in Datong, a city in Shanxi Province. It is the first large-scale grotto excavated by order of the imperial family in China. There are 51 main caves, 252 cave niches and more than 51,000 stone statues, stretches for over 1 km on the hillside. It is one of the four largest grottoes in China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Buddhism flourished and cave sculptures were popular. The chief monk Tan Yao obtained permission from the emperor to excavate 5 caves (now called the Five Caves of Tan Yao) in 453 AD. In 494 AD, the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital to Luoyang. The enthusiasm for excavation gradually declined. After that, the cave niches were mostly excavated by noble officials or rich civilians, and most of them were small caves. A total of more than 200 caves have been excavated, and there are 51 main caves still standing.

We visited the grotto in 2013. The first photo is a statue of Tan Yao the chief monk. The 4th and 5th photos show Cave 20, one of the five Tan Yao caves. The seated Sakyamuni in the middle is 13.7 m high, a masterpiece of Yungang Grotto carving art. The 8th photo shows the 4-level protective wall in front of Cave 5 and Cave 6.

The royal family of the Northern Wei Dynasty was not the "Han" people but the Xianbei race. The face features and costumes of the Xianbei tribe were incorporated in the images in the Five Caves of Tan Yao. The Buddha in Cave 16, 7th photo, seems to be wearing a tie. President Nixon of the USA visited Yungang Grotto in 1972. His guide was Premier Zhou Enlai. It is said that Premier Zhou pointed out to President Nixon that wearing a tie is an ancient Chinese tradition! The authenticity of the story of course could not be verified.