Mogao Grottoes

A must-see attraction when visiting Dunhuang. With a type B ticket of 100 yuan, you can go in and take pictures of the scene that internet celebrities check in. The extra caves and movies with the a ticket don't seem that important. Go in and feel the great achievement made possible by faith. A type B ticket is enough. It is recommended to watch a documentary or information about Mogao Grottoes before going, which will greatly increase the fun of the visit.

Welcome everyone to travel to our beautiful Guazhou. I receive tourists from all over the country all year round. I am warm and considerate, the service is reasonable, and the driver, supervisor and tour guide will bring you a pleasant journey.

In order to save money and time, it is recommended that you choose to charter a car from Guazhou. If you choose to charter a car, please take a regular taxi. This car has complete documents and insurance, so please rest assured to choose me.

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A trip that should have been made two years ago was finally realized this year. Mogao Grottoes was the top priority of my 8-day trip to Gansu. Since the grottoes moved their off-season to March 31 this year, I decided to schedule the trip to the end of March in order to see more caves and special caves. Fortunately, the weather in Dunhuang was very good for me. There was no strong wind and sand, and the temperature was very comfortable. After visiting the general caves, I also applied for special caves 45 and 220...! The original Tang Dynasty sculptures in Cave 45 and the Hu Xuan Dance murals and sutra transformation pictures in Cave 220 were a feast for my eyes. The people of Dunhuang are very warm and friendly. I will definitely come again if I have the chance!

I went to Mogao Grottoes on Sunday, March 17, 2019. It was raining. It was the off-season and there were not many people there. But I got off the train at 8:20 and took the bus from the station to the city. When I arrived at the ticket office at 8:30, there were already many people. However, I successfully bought a ticket for the 9:00 ticket.



Below is a record of the caves I visited and some simple notes after listening to the explanation (may be wrong). The last two caves were visited by me with the first group. When I stopped to take pictures, I found that some groups went to the caves I didn't visit, so I followed them to watch. It is said that this can only be done in the off-season. The exhibition center is worth a visit. There are imitation caves of the special caves, which are: 275, 285, 419, 276, 217, 29, 3.



The caves I visited were:

323 The only mural statue of Zhang Qian's diplomatic mission in the early Tang Dynasty Qing Dynasty

328 Early Tang Dynasty sculptures Sakyamuni, Ananda, Kasyapa, 2 attendants, 1 Bodhisattva, 1 child, 1 stolen mural, Xixia reconstruction, the most exquisite colored sculpture except Teku

332 The Three Buddhas with Herringbone-shaped Roofs on the Central Pagoda Column at the End of the Sui Dynasty

334 Eight Treasure Flowers in the Caisson of the Middle Tang Dynasty? (Not Lotus)

16-17 Late Tang Dynasty 17 for the Sutra Cave 16 Hong became a monk? The golden caisson is a dragon

55 Song Dynasty original sculpture wood stall clay sculpture mural double layer inner layer of a woman + name Cao family sponsor mural (see below)

63 Five Dynasties Wutai Mountain murals Large Cao family fourth generation Cao Garden built for the Uighur mother. Corridor murals Yuan Dynasty

96 The nine-story building during the Wu Zetian period is 35.5 meters tall, the third tallest building in China. He is wearing a dragon robe, and only his feet are from the Tang Dynasty.

103 The Buddhist Sutra of the Supreme Victory of the Buddha's Crown, a story painting from the Tang Dynasty, which was transmitted in this sutra. The blue-green landscape painting of the Three Distances Method was similar to that of the painter Li Sixun in the same period and in a similar style, but Li Sixun's paintings have been lost.

148 The Tang Dynasty Family Caves were renovated and the Buddha's color was restored, and 72 sculptures were added... Nirvana Cave

259 The Smiling Buddha of Mona Lisa in the Northern Wei and Song Dynasties

249 Western Wei Dynasty murals Indian Asura holding up the sun and moon with both hands Emperor Shi Tian Palace wind pocket rain thunder circle drum lightning god / handsome Buddha with beautiful bones and strong flying sky



Before I went there, I watched the documentary Dunhuang and Zhao Shengliang's "A Brief History of Dunhuang Grottoes Art", which I learned a lot from.

1. After visiting the Dunhuang Grottoes and the Mogao Grottoes, you may become interested in Dunhuang Studies or even fall in love with it.

2. Tickets need to be booked online in advance. If you don’t book or can’t book, you can only try your luck on site.

3. The best order of visiting is as follows: (1) Watch two movies at the Digital Center to learn about the history of Mogao Grottoes → (2) Take a bus to the Grottoes area, queue up to enter, and then take a tour of the grottoes → (3) After visiting the Sutra Cave Exhibition Hall, visit other grottoes that are not locked → (4) Go to the Academy History Exhibition Hall and the Art Museum. Don’t miss the Art Museum, which has detailed explanations of the murals → (5) After coming out, go to the Dunhuang Grottoes Art Conservation and Research Exhibition Center, which has replica grottoes → (6) Visit small attractions along the way and take the bus back.

4. The tour guide will take you to visit the grottoes. Each tour guide has a different route. In the peak season, you can book a ticket to visit 8 caves, and buy a ticket on site to visit 5 caves. In the off-season, you can visit 12 caves for the same price. The Sutra Cave is a must-see, and the tour guide often ends here.

5. The whole tour took 6 hours. After coming back, I read a few books about the Dunhuang Grottoes. I was amazed that the murals in the Dunhuang Grottoes are so comprehensive that they are like a history book of the Silk Road.

The area around Mogao Grottoes is mainly Gobi Desert, and it is also the area with underground water sources and lush vegetation! Where there is no water source, there is endless desert.

You are not allowed to take photos in the caves. Each mural or statue in the cave has its own story. I just don’t have the relevant knowledge in these areas, so I just listened to them as stories. But I was very impressed by the intricate and exquisite paintings on the walls, and the painters’ endurance to work hard for a long time. What was surprising was that when I walked into the cave from the scorching sun outside, my god! It was so refreshing! It had its own air conditioning effect! I finally believed that there really was a magical place that was warm in winter and cool in summer! Anyway, it was really cool in summer, very cool. Suddenly I wanted to go to the caves in Yan'an to see if they could also be so cool in summer?

As soon as I came out of the cave, I was baked by the scorching sun again. It was like a world of ice and fire.

The tickets for Mogao Grottoes are very tight during the peak season, and there are two types of tickets here: one is the emergency ticket, which needs to be purchased at the ticket office in Dunhuang city one day in advance. You need to show your ID card when buying the ticket. The ticket price is relatively cheap, but you can only visit 4 of the caves; the other ticket is the ordinary ticket, which needs to be booked in advance on the official website. You need to specify a date for the reservation, and you can go there on the same day. You can pick up the ticket with your ID card. The ticket price is relatively high, and you can see 8 caves;

Mogao Grottoes ticket booking official website: ***

Before visiting the Mogao Grottoes, you can go to the Mogao Grottoes Digital Display Center to watch a video, which will provide you with a lot of information and help you better understand the Mogao Grottoes. Then take the shuttle bus to the Mogao Grottoes to visit the caves. Remember not to take photos in the caves, and don't reach out to touch the walls.

The whole tour process was very standardized and orderly. With the reservation ticket, we watched two movies introducing Mogao Grottoes, and then a bus took us to Mogao Grottoes for a visit. On the way, we saw some undeveloped grottoes. We must make an appointment in advance to visit Mogao Grottoes. There will be a guide to take us to visit. We met a particularly attentive guide, which really taught us a lot and made the trip worthwhile! The craftsmanship of the craftsmen more than a thousand years ago amazes modern people. It is heartbreaking to hear that tens of thousands of treasures were robbed by imperialist invaders!

If you want to visit Mogao Grottoes, it is really recommended that you learn some information first, rather than just taking a quick tour.

(No photography allowed inside!!!)

The exterior of the Mogao Grottoes is plain, with a few trees and yellow sand all over the sky. But the caves contain Buddha statues and scriptures that span thousands of years, and there are even many well-preserved caves with gold foil on the ceilings and walls. I'm sorry that my language skills cannot express my feelings at this moment. My cognition has been broken again. I apologize for the tomb-raiding movies that I complained about, which often dug out magnificent buildings!

In the peak season, if you want to visit Mogao Grottoes, you need to make a reservation at least half a month in advance. We did not make a reservation in advance, but fortunately it was off-season, so we could just buy the ticket on site at the digital display center, which saved us a lot of trouble.

We watched a movie and a 360-degree sky dome movie in the digital exhibition center, then took a bus to the depths of the Gobi Desert. After driving 13 kilometers on the Gobi Desert, we arrived at the Mogao Grottoes.

There are so many caves in Mogao Grottoes that you can't see them all. You can only visit eight caves with a regular ticket. After waiting in line for more than half an hour, after entering the gate, the nine-story building, the iconic building of Mogao Grottoes, appeared in front of you.

The most stunning cave is Cave 61. This cave was highlighted in the dome movie. When I arrived at the site, there was a long queue in the cave. I finally squeezed in, looked up, and was instantly shocked.

The cave is a hall cave with a bucket-shaped roof. The four heavenly kings are painted in the four corner niches below the bucket-shaped roof. The east wall and the lower east side of the north and south walls are painted with the portraits of the Uighur princess, the Khotan princess, and the Cao family's female donor. The altar in the center of the main room is a horseshoe-shaped altar with a back screen. Only the tail of the lion statue ridden by the main statue of Manjusri remains on the back screen.

There is no need to say much about the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. Why don't you visit them when you are here? The ticket is similar to the Potala Palace. It is the off-season. We made an appointment the day before for the next day. The ticket price is 180. It is also hard to get a ticket in the peak season. Not all caves in Mogao Grottoes can be visited. Each cave is now completely closed and locked. 4-11 is the peak season of Mogao Grottoes. The ticket price includes 6 caves with explanations. It seems that you can visit more in the off-season.

It is recommended to watch some documentaries about Dunhuang before going to Mogao Grottoes to prepare in advance.

Taking photos is not allowed inside the Mogao Grottoes, but I took a few photos outside. There were dusty days during the past few days in Dunhuang, and today the sky finally faded a little and a faint blue could be seen.

Mogao Grottoes in winter is the most beautiful! The thick snow, shining in the sunlight, looks like white sugar scattered all over the ground! Without the hustle and bustle of summer tourists and the noisy hawking in other scenic spots, it is indeed the best season to visit! And there are 4 more caves open than in summer! Unfortunately, I, who know a lot about Buddhist scriptures, can't see any difference. I just feel that I have little knowledge and need to read more books!

Compared with Crescent Lake and Mingsha Mountain, it is more like a bonus for visiting Mogao Grottoes. It is not very attractive. It mainly has various recreational projects, but unfortunately they are all closed in winter! So if you want to learn about humanities and history, come in winter! For attractions that are more entertaining than knowledge, it is better to go when the weather is hot, at least it is not cold!

Mogao Grottoes has a unique position in my country's Buddhism and history. The caves were excavated in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and stopped in the Yuan Dynasty. Since the Song Dynasty, the area around Mogao Grottoes has gradually become deserted. After the Ming Dynasty, it began to be forgotten. It was unexpectedly rediscovered in the late Qing Dynasty. The current Mogao Grottoes scenic area requires advance reservations. The digital display center and the grottoes do not sell tickets separately. Tourists need to follow the guide to enter, and each group seems to be able to visit only six grottoes. The Buddha statues, murals and cultural relics in Mogao Grottoes cover a wide range and have many stories. Many experts come to study Mogao Grottoes. It is best to do your homework before entering, otherwise you will miss the key points.

First go to the Channel Video Center, buy tickets to watch the video exhibition, two sets of dome movies, great. Then there will be a bus to pick everyone up to the cave area, and there will be explanations, a team of about 15 people, very good. No photos are allowed in the cave, you can only experience it yourself ~ When I went there, it was off-season, not many people, if it is peak season, you need to make an appointment in advance.

After crossing the bridge, you will reach the Mogao Grottoes. We lined up to get headphones and followed the guide in batches. We only entered a few caves. The others were locked and we couldn't enter. The guide would explain each cave. People like me can't describe the wonders in the caves at all. We can only say that they are amazing. The murals are first covered with a layer of grass, then mud is applied on it, and then painted on the mud. The skeleton of the statue is made of wood, tied with grass, applied with mud, and then painted. The robe looks like the real thing, with very smooth lines, looks very textured, and the colors are very beautiful. I saw the legendary flying murals. Since I couldn't see it in detail on the top, I could only see the general outline. The top of each cave is very different and beautiful. I also saw the largest Buddha statue, which is really super big! Photography is not allowed in the caves, only outside.

Remember to book your Mogao Grottoes tickets in advance on the official website because there are flow restrictions.

Before I visited the Mogao Grottoes, I only knew that it was spectacular and heartbreaking. After the visit, it is really hard to express in words. Maybe I cannot study it in depth, but listening to the tour guide's narration is really shocking.

I am very glad that I came to visit Mogao Grottoes and visited eight caves. However, the time for each visit was not fixed. I was not allowed to take pictures and could not stay for too long. Even staying a little longer would cause damage to Mogao Grottoes. Even the wind entering the caves would have an impact. I could only hold it in the palm of my hand.

Since it is off-season, you can just buy the ticket directly. In the peak season, you need to make an online reservation 15 days in advance. When visiting Mogao Grottoes, it is customary to watch two short movies first. The first one talks about the historical background of the Silk Road and the first cave excavation by Monk Le Zun; the second one is to watch an introduction to the exquisite murals and sculptures in the grottoes in the Dome Hall. The suggestion I saw on the Internet is to find a seat close to the back exit in the first theater, leave after watching, and go directly to the Dome Hall to occupy a good seat. This suggestion is really good.

The staff of Mogao Grottoes decides which caves to visit. We visited caves 328, 331, 320, 335 (336, 337), 334, 17, 269, 237, 259, 96, and 148. The classics include the early Tang Dynasty colored sculptures, the meditation Buddha, the Sutra Cave, the first Buddha, the flying fairy, and the Nirvana Buddha. Because tourists are not allowed to take photos in Mogao Grottoes, it is recommended to bring paper and pen to record the cave numbers you visit, so that you can check the information and experience it carefully when you come back.

It was pitch dark in the caves, and I could only see the murals and colored sculptures clearly with the help of the guide's flashlight. My first reaction when I saw them was disbelief: Is this the Mogao Grottoes that I have been thinking about for more than ten or twenty years? Have I really come here? My second reaction was that I saw the most familiar stranger, because I have seen them too many times in picture albums, documentaries, and books. Those lines and colors, those postures and expressions, seemed like old friends who had known each other for a long time.

Soon we followed the tour guide to visit these caves.

Super! Not! Over! Addictive! Completely! Not! Enough!

The Mogao Grottoes Cultural Relics Protection and Exhibition Center is definitely worth a visit. It has 5 restored caves that are very realistic and highly recommended.

Before leaving, we bought a picture album published by the Dunhuang Academy, as well as a flying fairy refrigerator magnet, a three-rabbit brooch, and a nine-colored deer bookmark. With such a magnificent art treasure house, I think the cultural and creative products of Mogao Grottoes should be much more than they are now; the deeper the love, the more severe the blame. Come on, contemporary creators.

Mogao Grottoes Winter Tour Guide: Valid from 2018 to April 2019, it seems to be changed again next year

The first show was at 9:30 in the morning, the second show was at 11:30, and the third show was at 14:30. I recommend watching the first two shows because I finished watching the movie at 14:30. I arrived at Mogao Grottoes around 15:45 to see the caves for a while. I didn't have time to visit the Mogao Grottoes Exhibition Center. Because of the need for protection, everyone is not allowed to see each cave in detail. So those who want to see it carefully can only go to the Mogao Grottoes Exhibition Center. There are many replica caves that are lifelike and tell many stories of Mogao Grottoes. I strongly recommend it. We watched the 14:30 show at that time and then spent another day to visit Mogao Grottoes (but I followed two guides and saw the Nine-Colored Deer Northern Wei Grottoes, the 61 Grottoes where the Wutai Mountain Foguang Temple is located, etc.)

There are two waves of special caves every day. The first wave is at 11:30 and the reservation is at 12:00 (I don’t remember clearly). The second wave is at 14:00 and the reservation is at 14:30. I didn’t see the idol in Cave 156, Zhang Yichao’s army marching map, because of the time. . . .

Tickets can be purchased three days in advance. For example, the second time I went, I bought a ticket for 9:30 the next morning. I chose not to watch the movie and went to the ticket check at 10:15 and got on the bus directly.

Finally, you can enter the exhibition center without buying a ticket and drive directly to the entrance of Mogao Grottoes

The murals and statues in the cave revolve around the world of Buddha. The whole wall is swaying in the wind, and it seems to be the land of bliss, with heavenly music, flowers raining down from the sky, and beautiful songs and dances.

It makes people sigh.

Note: Do not take photos in the caves!!!

After visiting the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, I was indeed upset, angry, unwilling, and even in tears. The ancients carved thousands of years of wisdom and understanding of human beauty into this small space, but at the end of the 19th century, due to the arrogance and ignorance of local government officials, they even laughed at the documents in the cave, saying that they were not as good as he wrote.

After visiting Mogao Grottoes, I felt mixed emotions, heavy and relieved. I witnessed its splendor, its misfortune and devastation, and then saw the rise of Dunhuang studies. Dunhuang culture has spread to every corner of the world. It is China's cultural heritage and the world's cultural heritage. Judging from the reaction of the Qing government at that time (the documents in the Sutra Cave were transported from Dunhuang to Beijing on horse-drawn carriages covered with straw mats, and some were lost and destroyed along the way. In order to make up the number of copies, the escorts in Beijing tore the scriptures and silk paintings into several copies, and the degree of destruction was shocking), it is also a comfort that the Dunhuang cultural relics have been properly protected when they arrived abroad.

However, today that our country is strong, we still hope that the things left by our ancestors that have been lost overseas can return home smoothly.

Now let's talk about the tickets for Mogao Grottoes! The national treasure-level Mogao Grottoes tells a thousand-year history. In view of the preciousness and fragility of the cultural relics in Mogao Grottoes, Mogao Grottoes implements a real-name visit and reservation system. The normal number of tickets for visiting each day is 6,000. You need to make a real-name reservation online in advance. The reservation website is the official website of Mogao Grottoes. You can make a reservation one month in advance. During the peak season, it can be really hard to get a ticket. I went in to make a reservation exactly one month in advance at 8 am. Summer vacation is really a peak tourist season. 6,000 tickets are sold out in seconds! I really didn't make a reservation. As smart as I am, I immediately switched to Fliggy. The travel agency also has some tickets bundled with "See You Again Dunhuang" or "Dunhuang Festival". I immediately booked 3 tickets and felt relieved.

During the peak season, there are 15,000 emergency tickets available every day for tourists who have not booked normal tickets. But in fact, this emergency ticket can only visit two caves, and there are no explanations or digital movies. The experience is much worse. But in the peak season of July and August, these 15,000 tickets are sold out in seconds!

We booked a visit at 8am. After arriving early, we needed to exchange tickets with the ticket purchase SMS and ID card, and then went to the digital cinema to watch two digital films to learn about the past and present of Dunhuang. In Mr. Wang Zhi's book "Journey to the West: 30,000 Miles", it describes the contribution made by Mr. Fan Jinshi, the former director of Mogao Grottoes, to the research and digitization of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Only after experiencing it can we feel Mr. Fan Jinshi's painstaking efforts. Later, we asked the guide who led us. Mr. Fan Jinshi has resigned as the director, but still lives in Dunhuang, paying attention to Dunhuang and Mogao Grottoes.

After watching the movie, we took a bus to visit the caves. Each group of 20 people was led by a guide to visit 6 caves. The caves visited by each group would be different, but they would all be composed of representative caves from various periods, which is to ensure that visitors can visit representative caves from the Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and other periods, and appreciate the mystery and perfection of Mogao Grottoes. After the tour of the six caves, you can visit the two most famous caves, the reclining Buddha and the nine-story Buddha statue. There are all other exhibits in the scenic area for viewing, but we didn't visit them because we were a little tight on time.

Taking photos and recording videos is strictly prohibited in the caves. If you want to get close to the mystery and history of the carvings and murals in the caves, you can only come and see it in person. Really, gazing at these ancient monuments that have stood for thousands of years, the exquisite carvings and murals embody the wisdom of hundreds and thousands of years of people. Even a small flying image in the corner is lifelike and wonderful. No matter how far you come from to see them, it is worth it. Mogao Grottoes, a glance for a thousand years.

In the barren Gobi Desert, there was a thousand-year-old knocking sound. This is another oasis in the desert, a spiritual oasis of faith and art. The grottoes bring together the essence of the most glorious Tang Dynasty in the history of Chinese civilization. Even though a thousand years have passed in an instant, the splendor of the Tang Dynasty seems to still remain in the grottoes. Each grotto is a door that has traveled through thousands of years.

I don't know whether the famous Mogao Grottoes are really worth a visit, or how many people can understand them. At least I think if you have no understanding of history and the environment at that time, then visiting is just a cursory visit, and your experience is just what others say. The result is that even if you are bored, you have to pretend to be very good and extremely pleased. So, if you don't understand, please come back after you understand, and you will have different gains and insights.

Thousands of years of history are all concentrated in these dozens of caves. Whether it is flying apsaras, Buddha statues, or patterns telling stories, they all tell people about the past that has never been carved. There are also three free exhibition halls in Mogao Grottoes, namely the Dunhuang Grottoes Cultural Relics Research and Exhibition Center, the Echoes of 1650 Civilization, and the Dunhuang Academy Academician Exhibition Hall. The content is very exciting, so don't miss it.

Key points - there were not many people when we went there. . So the experience was very good, and the girl had a lot of fun. At that time, the prices of food and accommodation in Dunhuang were not expensive. But I heard from a friend who went there a while ago that there were too many people and the prices of housing were high. You had to queue up to ride a camel at Mingsha Mountain, and there were long queues and time limits at Mogao Grottoes. The experience was not good. . . It seems that a lot of things will change when there are too many tourists in a place.

Note: You need to buy tickets for Mogao Grottoes online in advance. Please check the ticketing status on the official website first.

Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, are located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built during the Former Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and has been built over the course of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Western Xia, and Yuan dynasties. It has become a huge site with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay sculptures. It is the largest and most content-rich Buddhist art site in the world.

Many people come to Gansu just to see the famous Mogao Grottoes. It is hard to buy tickets during the peak season. Although you can only visit 8-12 caves, this art treasure house has been protected by the efforts of several generations. Chang Shuhong, Zhang Daqian, Chang Shana, etc. are all figures that cannot be ignored in the modern history of Mogao Grottoes.

Many of the Tang Dynasty murals in Mogao Grottoes have murals from the Northern Wei Dynasty underneath them, and there are even murals from the Northern Liang Dynasty underneath the Northern Wei Dynasty murals. It is precisely because the caves are already full and there is no space left for future generations that the murals are layered on top of each other. The paintings on the walls outside the Mogao Grottoes seem to have flowed out from inside, so you can imagine how rich the murals inside are.

Taking photos is not allowed in the caves, and you must abide by the rules. Let me briefly talk about the visiting process. Because Mogao Grottoes has a high artistic appreciation value, which means that a poor student like me cannot understand it by myself, so the scenic area assigns a tour guide to each group of ten people, and you can wear headphones and follow along to visit 8 to 10 caves. The stories inside sound very intriguing, and the exquisiteness of the remaining murals is beyond my words. It is hard to imagine how much knowledge you will gain by reading hundreds of caves, so I also plan to buy a book and study it carefully. After all, I didn’t know until I came here that the "Flying Apsaras" in my favorite "Dunhuang Flying Apsaras" stamps are only the lowest level of gods, who are responsible for scattering flowers when the Buddha preaches.

In addition to a wide range of books and video products, there is also a cultural and creative store in Mogao Grottoes.

If you want to come here to see its beauty, you must book tickets in advance on the official website. (Remember to book in advance, because the popularity here is beyond your imagination. If you come late, you will miss it.) Although there are several types of tickets, each person can only see about 8 caves at most. The reason is that whenever you enter the cave, the gas you exhale and the light source required for viewing will damage the murals, so don't feel it's not worth it or regretful. Having said that, 8 caves are really enough for you to visit, because you will know when you go there that there are so many people here that you have to wait in line no matter which cave you follow the guide to enter.

If you are lucky enough to have successfully booked the ticket, you can drive to the Mogao Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center in Dunhuang on the same day at the specified time to watch two documentary films. After that, you can take the shuttle bus to the long-awaited Mogao Grottoes. Any form of filming is prohibited inside the grottoes.

The nine-story building of Mogao Grottoes is open to the public, so don't miss it.

We took the shuttle bus to Mogao Grottoes. We lined up to enter. Each person was given a headset. There were probably less than 20 people led by one tour guide? Oh, I forgot again. . .

If you buy tickets normally, you can be taken to visit 8 caves at random, but I specifically asked about how many caves are open at present, but I forgot. Hahaha. I only remember that they were so beautiful, so magical, the colors were so beautiful, great, great, the ancient people were so great.

What is lost can never be regained.

I was quite angry when I heard about the Sutra Repository. That guy is such an idiot.

The tickets for Mogao Grottoes are booked on the official WeChat public account one month in advance, and you must arrive at the visitor center half an hour before the time shown on the ticket to exchange the tickets. First, watch two movies, one about the origin and history of Mogao Grottoes, and one dome movie about the treasures in Mogao Grottoes. Then take the scenic sightseeing bus to Mogao Grottoes. After arriving, form a team to enter the cave, with a team of about 30 people. A total of eight caves will be visited. In addition to the four fixed large caves, the remaining four general caves are random, and special caves require additional money. The entire scenic area is well planned, gradually deepened, and well-organized. The guides are also telling everyone as cultural communicators.

The cultural and creative products surrounding Mogao Grottoes are also very interesting, with artistic images coming to life on paper. They are regarded as the conscience of the industry along with the products surrounding the Forbidden City.

Mogao Grottoes is to China what the Renaissance was to Europe, and even more significant. After a thousand years of excavation, hidden in the cliffs, it has become a holy light of protection on the Silk Road. The monks' yearning for the Buddhist world, the people's desire for a peaceful and prosperous era, and the craftsmen's pursuit of artistic attainments, from religion and politics to the mundane, are all laid out in these more than 700 caves. Although it is incomplete, it is still one of the greatest art treasures of mankind.

The meditating Buddha in Cave 259 blooms a charming smile as the light and shadow change; in Cave 257, the pure and genuine Nine-Colored Deer is still teaching more people to be kind; the countless dancers with graceful postures and vivid images in the murals are called Flying Apsaras.

The Mogao Grottoes scenic area consists of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes Digital Display Center and the Mogao Grottoes. After getting the ticket, enter the digital display center to watch two movies to learn about the development of Buddhism in Dunhuang over the past thousand years, as well as the discovery, destruction, repair, maintenance and inheritance of the Mogao Grottoes. It shows the influence of Buddhist culture on China and the status of the Mogao Grottoes in the world heritage. The video is very well made and the content is very shocking. It is more exciting than the short films I watched online before. A lot of knowledge in the video is rarely mentioned in books. It not only enhances the understanding of knowledge, but also awes the Buddhist culture in the Dunhuang desert for thousands of years, and also has more expectations for the mysterious caves that are about to be visited. It should be noted that the copyright of the film is protected, and photography and videography are not allowed throughout the process. Protecting copyright starts with you and me!

We were allowed to enter the cinema after 9 o'clock to watch a 20-minute film about the history of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. At the beginning of the movie, it seemed that there were not many people, but soon the hall was filled up one after another. The merchant camel caravan, the monk Le Zun, and the war scenes kept appearing, which felt like a blockbuster. After moving to the dome cinema at the back to watch the digital display of the murals and statues in the Mogao Grottoes, we took the scenic bus one by one to visit the Mogao Grottoes more than 20 miles away. I felt that the 90 yuan ticket was really worth it.

In order to protect the murals from fading and leaving them to future generations, most people who visit the caves are not allowed to take photos. They only take photos of the caves from outside.

I bought the tickets on the official website of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Because there are so many tourists, they have divided the time periods into different time periods. You can queue up to visit at the time period you choose. There is a large parking lot at the entrance, and you have to pay for parking. There is a self-service ticket machine at the entrance, and you can get the ticket with your ID card. Mogao Grottoes is worth seeing!!! It is also the best place to learn about Dunhuang!!!

The caves are filled with paintings of Buddha, flying apsaras, musicians, fairies, etc. There are seated statues as high as nine stories high, as well as small Bodhisattvas of a dozen centimeters. There are numerous of them in various shapes and forms, and you can learn about them one by one by following the explanation.

Now, some of the original large caves have been replicated at the foot of Sanwei Mountain opposite the Mogao Grottoes, making the viewing experience for tourists in the Mogao Grottoes more colorful.

When I entered the digital center, I found that there were already many people queuing up. It was unexpectedly crowded.

Staff will guide you into the theater to watch a film introducing the history of Dunhuang, so you can get a preliminary understanding of the history of Dunhuang. There are many theaters, which divide the tourists very well. After watching the film, you will enter a spherical theater and watch the 180° digital display of Mogao Grottoes while lying half-lying. Those caves that are very classic, very beautiful, and very valuable for research but cannot be displayed to the public are displayed to us in this digital way. According to the staff, the digital display will gradually increase, and the on-site visits will gradually decrease to protect the cultural relics.

The caves of the Tang Dynasty are the most exquisite in both statues and murals. Just looking at the digital display is shocking!

After watching the digital display, we followed the staff's instructions and took the scenic area's sightseeing bus to visit the Mogao Grottoes. There were many people and buses, which kept going back and forth between the digital center and the main caves, and there was a long distance between them.

When we arrived at Mogao Grottoes, although we couldn’t see the entire picture, the Thousand Buddha Caves standing in a row were enough to fill us with awe before we even visited them!

Arrived at the entrance, line up according to the guidance of the staff and wait for the guide to lead everyone to visit. Each group has a fixed number of people, and the guides take different routes for diversion, so what kind of caves you can see on the day of the visit is purely random. Several large caves with signs are visited. Of course, each route is very beautiful and worth feeling with heart, and they are all shocking enough! The beautiful guide gave everyone headphones, adjusted to the same frequency, lined up to enter, and followed the tour guide sister.

The tour of Mogao Grottoes lasted for one hour. It included the Sleeping Buddha, the Big Buddha, the Sutra Library, the Thousand Buddha murals, and Buddha statues from various dynasties. It was a process of understanding history and also a close dialogue with history.

I booked a full ticket for Mogao Grottoes online 20 days in advance. I was really impressed by my wit and VIP call. Mogao Grottoes is really worth visiting. I was impressed by the power and magic of culture and the profoundness of Buddhism. The guide said that the caves open to the public are different every time I come to Mogao Grottoes. I think I will have to come to Mogao Grottoes next time I come to Dunhuang.

After booking online, you need to pick up the physical ticket on site by SMS. We do not accept on-site ticket purchases~

After visiting the digital display center, you need to take a tourist bus to the Mogao Grottoes Scenic Area, which takes about 15 minutes.

There is a dry river in front of the cave.

After that, we lined up to enter the door, with about 20 people in a group and one guide. We were very lucky to meet the guide lady here. The whole process was detailed and interesting, not boring at all.

There are more than 700 caves in Mogao Grottoes, but only dozens of them are actually open to the public. Except for the most famous ones, each group of caves has different attractions to visit.

What impressed me most were the Nirvana statue in Cave 148, the 33-meter-high Maitreya Buddha statue (Wu Zetian) in Cave 16, the largest Cave 16 (Scripture Cave), and the Wutai Mountain murals in Cave 61. Whether it is to understand Buddhist culture or appreciate the artistic styles of different periods, it is very worthwhile.

After watching the Nirvana statue, I felt like an old cadre that all living beings

It is hard to imagine how the ancients carved caves and holes on these sandstone cliffs, leaving behind such solid buildings, clay statues and so many vivid murals.

I understand the meaning of "Mogao Grottoes, the highest in the world". Here, rich colors are piled up, and thousands of years of wind and sand have accumulated. It supports the power of endless faith and tells the rise and fall of dynasties.

Dunhuang, the home of mankind, and Mogao, a thousand-year-old mountain.

10086 likes! One of the most worthwhile visits of this trip.

Tourists choose "reservation channel" or "emergency channel" according to the tickets they bought and then line up in turn. The tour guides of the Dunhuang Research Institute give Bluetooth headsets to each tourist in the reservation channel and lead the tourists in the reservation channel to visit 8 of the 70 caves currently open, of which 4 are caves open to the public. The other four caves are determined by the actual situation of tourists on site, the temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide content and other cultural relics protection factors. The tour guides receive notifications in the wireless headsets and then lead the team to visit the designated caves. The tour guides have gentle voices and elegant temperaments. They are very professional and dedicated. They patiently and meticulously tell the story of Dunhuang to the tourists who come here, and lead tourists to quietly feel the beauty of Chinese art for nearly a thousand years. From November to April of the following year, the climate in the northwest is cold, which is the off-season for tourism in Mogao Grottoes. The ticket price is halved to only 100. Tourists who have made reservations can visit 12 caves, and the explanation time is 2.5 hours. It is really enviable, because Mogao Grottoes has left too many surprises for the world, and there are too many things that need to be appreciated carefully. You are not allowed to take photos when visiting the Mogao Grottoes, so during the three-hour visit, I was able to fully experience the comfort and peace of Dunhuang, a city deeply nourished by Buddhist culture.

There are guides to lead the tour in the real caves. Each person will be given a headset and follow the guide to visit each cave one by one. After coming out, the door of the cave will be locked. After the tour, it is forbidden to move alone.

There is a river at the entrance of Mogao Grottoes. The stone walls of Mogao Grottoes are made up of the accumulated sand and stones left by the erosion of the river, not the kind of mountain rocks that we usually see.

Outside the grottoes, the small door outside will be locked after the visit. Individuals are not allowed to visit here. If you want to take pictures, take them quickly. If you walk away, they will be gone and you can't come back. Taking pictures indoors is prohibited.

From a distance, it looks a bit like Yulin Grottoes. But there are many more caves than Yulin Grottoes. When you line up to enter at the Nine-Storey Pagoda, the tour guide lady will give each tourist a Bluetooth headset. Follow the tour guide to see the caves and listen to the lady's explanation. I heard that there are 12 tour guide routes in total. It is best to follow the tour guide lady you belong to. Bluetooth headsets have channels.

In addition to the classic Cave 16, Cave 17 (Cave of Scriptures), Cave 96 (Nine-story Building) and Cave 158, we were fortunate to visit Cave 257 of "The Deer King's Birth Story", which is the mural story of the animation "The Nine-Colored Deer". It is a bit hard to imagine that the murals are so well preserved and the colors are still bright. In order to delay the oxidation of the murals, electronic products and photography are not allowed inside the caves. However, for various reasons, there are still tourists who "click and click" and keep dissuading, using mobile phones or SLR cameras to record. So assuming that light is harmful to murals and the light exposure time of murals needs to be controlled, why can't non-flash recording tools be used for recording? I think the official is still explaining it. In fact, I am a little puzzled. Do you think it is difficult to control the flash settings of tourists?

Photography is allowed outside the caves. Three caves still have eaves, and some caves still have murals on their exteriors. Upon closer inspection, the murals are not only exquisite, but also have a small amount of color. I heard that they were also sponsored by Cui, the wife of the governor of the Five Dynasties. It's been a thousand years, but they are still very exquisite.

In addition to the main scenic area of Mogao Grottoes, there is also an exhibition center and museum next to it, which has some cave replicas and some cave statue craftsmanship explanations. You can take a look if you have time. There is a small shop area outside Mogao Grottoes, which has fast food, soy milk, cultural and creative products, fruits, apricot peel water, etc. After you are satisfied, you can take a shuttle bus back to the digital center. The entire Mogao Grottoes Museum is considered to be the end of the tour.

Friends who want to go to Mogao Grottoes should remember to book early tickets, preferably the ones around 9 am, which are also the easiest to be sold out. Because at that time, when entering the caves, you can see the moment when the sun shines on the murals. The beautiful scenery is really like a movie scene: walking into the caves, the murals in the caves slowly show their beauty... At the same time, entering and leaving early can also avoid the hot midday sun in Dunhuang.

Here's a little tip: You can enter the Mogao Grottoes early as long as you have a ticket. I don't know if you can change from afternoon to morning, but it's still possible to enter about an hour earlier.

The whole tour process is very orderly. The number of tourists entering Mogao Grottoes every day and every hour is limited. After checking in, you will first watch two movies to introduce Mogao Grottoes in detail, so that you can have a certain historical background when appreciating this miracle. After watching, the relevant staff will guide the tourists who watch the same time period to take the bus in the area to the entrance of the scenic area of Mogao Grottoes. After getting off the bus, tourists will move around on their own, and finally arrive at the ticket gate to enter Mogao Grottoes, queue up to enter, and distribute the explanation machine in order. According to the order of queuing, a certain number of tourists (about 20) will be grouped into a group. Each group will be led by an interpreter, and the explanation machine of the entire group will be tuned to one channel, so that you can clearly hear the detailed explanation without crossing the signal with other groups. At present, Mogao Grottoes has a total of 40 caves open. Each interpreter is randomly assigned a bunch of keys every day, and can lead the group members to watch 8 caves of different sizes. The reason for this is that due to the improper protection in the past, the surface of the murals and Buddha statues in Mogao Grottoes is peeling off more and more seriously. The most important factor is sunlight, so each cave is locked and the cave is dark. In order to protect the cave itself, the guide only uses a flashlight to illuminate it slightly during the explanation. Taking pictures is not allowed in the cave, so please calm down and follow your guide to devote yourself to the process of understanding this historical site, feel the shock it brings you again and again, and experience a journey of spiritual sublimation.

I went to Mogao Grottoes in August this year, and I should have written a review a long time ago, but there is so much content in Mogao Grottoes that I hesitated and put it off until now.

Basically, it's all about the process: exchange tickets, watch two movies, take a car, and go to the physical cave. The second dream Buddha palace in the movie is worth seeing. The author saves words to describe the physical cave in detail:

The physical caves open include 40 general caves, 20 adjustment caves, and 10 special caves.

Special Caves: They used to be open in the off-season (except July and August), but now they can only be seen in groups of ten or more (I feel like I didn't have the chance), so I won't talk about it below. Note: The Adjustment Caves are only open in the peak season, but only 8 caves are open in the peak season) There are actually fixed routes for visiting (my tour route is 329 (Early Tang), 332 (Early Tang), 17, 420 (Sui), 428 (Northern Zhou), 61 (Five Dynasties), 96, 148), basically one is visited in each period, but regardless of the peak and off-season, 16+17 (counted as one) (Scripture Cave), 96 (Peking University Statue), 148 (Nirvana Cave) are fixed (it is estimated that the reservation ticket will change 96 to 130 in the future) and as for those who only bought emergency tickets, they are fixed The caves are 94, 96, 100, and 148, so you won't see caves 94 and 100 when booking tickets (these two caves are late and lack content, but are large). Here are the best caves recommended: 103 (Mogao Grottoes Sutra Transformation is second only to 217 and 172) 172 (so good that there is no need to say more) 323 (a cave story painting, Zhang Qian's Journey to the West) 328 (the statues are second only to 45, but I personally think that the statues in Mogao Grottoes are generally average, not as good as Maiji Mountain) 390 (one of the many representatives of the early Tang Dynasty) 419 (one of the many representatives of the Sui Dynasty) The other adjustment caves are relatively average

Common cave masterpieces: 12 (late Tang masterpieces), 55 (the best of Song Dynasty), 61 (the last glory of Mogao Grottoes, the official cave, Wutai Mountain map) 231 and 237 (representatives of the middle Tang Dynasty in Mogao Grottoes) 249 (personal favorite, because the SS-level 285 is not open, here is the same style, the representative of the Western Wei Dynasty, only this Western Wei Dynasty is open) 257 (the Nine-Colored Deer of the Northern Wei Dynasty) 259 (fine statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty) 292 and 397 and 420 and 427 (many representatives of the Sui Dynasty) 329 (the most classic flying fairy and the most beautiful caisson that transcends the many representatives of the early Tang Dynasty) 332 (the all-round cave of the early Tang Dynasty is rich in content and comes with nirvana) 335 (one of the many representatives of the early Tang Dynasty) 428 (the largest among the early grottoes, the classic self-sacrifice to feed the tiger, the official cave of the Northern Zhou Dynasty) 296 (the chance of opening is small, the Northern Zhou Grottoes that inherited the style of 249 are very different from the style of 428) 445 (not bad among the grottoes of the prosperous Tang Dynasty)

Generally speaking, the majority of Mogao Grottoes are from the Sui and early Tang dynasties. The prosperous Tang dynasty does not account for the largest number but is the most famous. The grottoes that can be seen are mainly from the Sui and early Tang dynasties, but the most valuable ones are the early grottoes that are open (not to mention the special grottoes): Northern Wei: 251, 257 and 259 Western Wei: 249 Northern Zhou: 428, 296 (? It is estimated that they will be closed after 130). It is more valuable to see these grottoes. After the late Tang, Five Dynasties and Song dynasties, they generally regressed (in fact, the formatting lacked innovation). In fact, although the Mogao Grottoes are a thousand years old, most of what can be seen are from the Sui and Tang dynasties.

In the art palace of Mogao Grottoes, we can read meaningful poems, appreciate rhythmic dance music, and savor eternal myths.

If you want to know the historical value of Mogao Grottoes, it is best to read relevant information in advance. Otherwise, like me, in the eyes of ordinary people who don't know history, Mogao Grottoes is nothing more than a cave carved out of a sand hill, with statues made of mud in the caves, and exquisite patterns painted on the walls and roofs; or you are more interested in the story of Wang Daoqian protecting the caves, discovering the treasure, and selling the treasure...

Of course, there are two other channels to educate history "idiots". One is "Seeing Dunhuang Again" directed by Wang Chaoge; the other is the two promotional films organized by the scenic area managers in a very humane way for tourists to watch before entering the physical caves.

Gao Grottoes will arrange special tour guides for tourists, who will arrange visits to about 8 caves based on the size of the visitor flow.

There is a large courtyard in the scenic area, where "Flying Apsaras" are dancing gracefully under the shade of green plants.

Generally, after visiting the caves and the historical materials exhibition hall, you will exit from the main gate of the scenic area.

Due to my lack of historical knowledge, I dare not comment on the beauty of the Gao Grottoes. In addition, taking photos is not allowed inside the caves, so I can only use a few photos to prove that I have been here.

We visited 11 caves (29, 23, 323, 328, 331, 16, 17, 296, 292, 96, 148). More caves are open in the off-season. There are also guides for explanations. Anyway, the normal ticket is to queue up and enter and start the tour when a certain number of people are gathered. Each person has a headset for explanation. The guide also explained very clearly. I really admire the craftsmanship of the past. You can't take photos inside Mogao Grottoes. Now Mogao Grottoes is still being digitized. The caves you see are different every time you visit. The two main caves must be seen. The others depend on the guide of the day to take you to visit the caves. We were very lucky in the off-season. We saw 11 caves.

Mogao Grottoes are caves dug by local people themselves. The rich dug big caves while the poor dug small caves.

The way to visit Mogao Grottoes is as follows: after arriving, passengers with reserved tickets line up at the north entrance. A tour guide is assigned to every group of about 20 people. She will lead you to visit the Sutra Cave and five other random caves in the reserved area. After the show, you can go to the public area to visit the Giant Buddha Cave and the Reclining Buddha Cave.

On that day, we followed a lovely tour guide who was energetic, professional and lovely. We visited caves 29/328/329. These caves were built in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty and restored during the Western Xia, Ming and Qing dynasties. One of the Bodhisattva statues in cave 328 was stolen by Warner and is now in the collection of the Harvard Museum in the United States.

In fact, as long as you behave well and keep quiet, you can continue to visit the caves with other tour guides after the show.

I happily spent time in Caves 71/323/292 before leaving reluctantly. Unfortunately, the other caves on my wish list were not open that day, such as Cave 45 with the beautiful Great White Bodhisattva and the Lotus Sutra, and Cave 257 with the story of the Deer King...

Although there were more people in the reservation area than usual, it was still not crowded. The crowds in the public area soon slapped me in the face. The waiting time for the four emergency caves ranged from 10 to 30 minutes. As the saying goes, you have to wait for half an hour and see the caves for one minute. The viewing experience is extremely poor, which makes people doubt life! So, if you want to visit Mogao Grottoes properly, you must make an appointment!

One of the 55 places you must visit in your life, feel the double shock brought by art and history, 8 guided caves, 4 open caves, plus watching movies and taking round-trip buses, this place takes at least 4 hours, because each cave led by a guide is not necessarily the same, you can also visit the caves for free, so you can stay for a day. Among the 4 open caves, Cave 96 and Cave 148 are must-sees, which are the largest standing Buddha and reclining Buddha, both of which are unparalleled national treasures. Of course, the queue is also super long, and because of the flow of people inside, it takes at most 3 minutes to get out

China's grotto art treasure house, visit the caves, see the thousand-year-old murals, sculptures and cultural relics with your own eyes, really tear up (personally more emotional). It is said that for the purpose of protection, the number of open caves will be less and less, please hurry up and experience it yourself! There is a lot of information on the Internet, it is recommended to do your homework in advance.

Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, is the world's most magnificent and best-preserved Buddhist culture and oriental art holy land that integrates architecture, colored sculptures, and murals. It is a world-famous wonder and is known as the "Ancient Oriental Art Museum". Mogao Grottoes already appeared in the caves of the Sui Dynasty. There are also accurate records in the posthumous books unearthed from the Sutra Cave. Mogao Grottoes is one of the four famous grottoes in my country. It is different from the Yungang Grottoes in Datong and the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, which are mainly stone carvings. Mogao Grottoes is known for colored sculptures and murals because the rock is not suitable for carving. The difficult Buddhist classics from India have become vivid artistic images here, and their content is extremely rich. Mogao Grottoes was founded in the second year of the Former Qin Yuan Dynasty (366 AD), and went through the Sixteen Kingdoms, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, and ended in the Yuan Dynasty. During the Wu Zetian era of the Tang Dynasty, more than a thousand caves were built.

You must buy a normal ticket for Mogao Grottoes! If you come during the peak season, as long as the itinerary is confirmed, you must buy the tickets when they are released one month in advance (purchase through the Mogao Grottoes mini program). The differences between the two tickets are as follows: Regular Class A tickets are 238 yuan: two digital movies + 8 caves (2 fixed + 6 random), a group of 30 people is equipped with a professional tour guide and each person is issued headphones. The queue is much shorter than the emergency ticket. After the 8 caves are over, you can experience the 4 fixed caves of the emergency ticket at the designated exit. The emergency ticket is 100 yuan: there are only 4 fixed caves, and the tour guide only broadcasts the explanation uniformly outside the caves. There is no preparation for the digital movie. There are long queues to take the scenic shuttle bus and visit each cave. You can't stop after entering the cave to visit.

Mogao Grottoes is a treasure of Chinese culture, but unfortunately you can only see 8 caves at most at a time, and the caves are dark. The digital film of the Mogao Grottoes scenic area can see and understand the history more clearly. Especially the performance of "Seeing Dunhuang Again", we can know that President Chang Shuhong came back from France to protect the Mogao Grottoes and guarded it together with his wife and daughter. I feel that its historical value is precious. The murals of Mogao Grottoes have gone through thousands of years and reflect the cultural evolution. Among them, the part of the Tang Dynasty is the most exquisite and magnificent.

The construction of Mogao Caves can be traced back to the Tang, Five Dynasties, Western Xia and Yuan dynasties from 366 AD to the 14th century. As Mogao Caves is located on the Silk Road, it has become an important node for cultural exchange between the East and the West, attracting many Buddhist believers and artists to come and build and decorate the caves. In the Tang Dynasty, Mogao Caves experienced its most glorious period. From the 7th to the 9th century AD, a large number of caves were built and carved, forming the large-scale cave complex we see today. The murals and sculptures of the Tang Dynasty showed strong Buddhist characteristics in content and artistic style, and also integrated various cultural elements such as Han, Uighur, Tibetan, etc.

Mogao Grottoes is one of the four major grottoes in China. I have visited Longmen and Yungang Grottoes before. Compared with them, the biggest feature of Mogao Grottoes is its more outstanding murals.

It was originally planned to gather in Dunhuang on May 20th. Since many friends had a strong interest in the Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake in Dunhuang, many of them arrived in Dunhuang early in the morning on the 19th and started their one-day tour of Dunhuang.

Although I have been to Mogao Grottoes and Mingsha Mountain, that was 14 years ago. In addition, I was accompanying Brother Xiao who had never been to Dunhuang, so I also joined the Dunhuang one-day tour. After arriving in Dunhuang on the 19th, I went to visit Mogao Grottoes and Mingsha Mountain.

Exceeded expectations! Especially the performance of "Seeing Dunhuang Again". It was amazing! A must visit. You need to plan a day to visit Mogao Grottoes! There was one performance in the afternoon and one in the evening.

Dunhuang has always been very far away and mysterious in my heart. "Dun means big; Huang means prosperous."

Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, is located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built during the reign of Emperor Xuanzhao of the Former Qin Dynasty, Fu Jian, and was later expanded and rebuilt during the Northern Dynasties, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Western Xia Dynasty, and Yuan Dynasty. It has a huge scale, with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay sculptures. It is the largest and most content-rich Buddhist art site in the world.

I strongly recommend going to the Special Caves in the off-season, the experience is not a little bit better. The Special Caves cost money, and you can enjoy the VIP interpretation service and feel the cultural influence. It is boring to go to the Special Caves in the peak season, and you have to queue for half an hour to visit for 5 minutes.

To visit this attraction, you must buy tickets online in advance. Just buy a normal ticket (238 yuan for online reservations in the peak season and 100 yuan for on-site purchase in the off-season). If you can't buy a normal ticket, you can also buy an emergency ticket, which is one hundred yuan. The number of caves visited in the off-season is the same, both 12. In the peak season, there are 8 caves visited with a normal ticket, and only 4 with an emergency ticket. The normal ticket has two movies to watch, each of which is about 30 minutes. It takes about an hour to watch it, and then take a bus to visit the cave. The emergency ticket does not include watching movies, and you can take a bus directly to visit the cave. The emergency ticket is the same as the normal ticket, and there will be an interpreter to explain. The normal ticket is a full explanation of each cave, and the emergency ticket is a fixed-point explanation. Finally, both tickets include round-trip sightseeing bus tickets, so on the return trip, you can get on the bus directly at the boarding point without buying a ticket.

There is a Dunhuang in everyone's heart. It may be the once prosperous land of commerce and travel on the Silk Road, or the legend of the holy relics on Xuanzang's journey to seek Buddhist scriptures, or the graceful flying dancers playing the pipa to produce thousand-year-old wonderful music, or the thousand-year-old cultural temple hidden in the depths of the desert, or the spiritual pure land that carries countless Buddhist believers, or the sustenance of patriotic feelings in the hearts of ancient literati and poets, or the three thousand Buddhas who have silently watched the world for thousands of years in those mottled caves. They have witnessed the glory and disgrace, rise and fall of Dunhuang, from generation to generation...



In Dunhuang, time is both generous and luxurious. For the Mogao Grottoes that travel through time, a thousand years is just a moment...

1. It was my first time to visit Mogao Grottoes. I was so shocked by the murals and sculptures inside the grottoes. No wonder some masters stayed here for months or even years (maybe that’s not the case now).

2. Do enough research, book A tickets online in advance (especially during peak season), or join a tour group with A tickets!

3. Taking photos is not allowed inside the cave. Listen carefully to the explanation before entering and stay as long as possible after entering!

【Mogao Grottoes】



Commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, it is located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built during the Former Qin Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and later went through the Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Western Xia, Yuan and other dynasties to form a huge scale, with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay sculptures. It is the largest and most content-rich Buddhist art site in the world, and one of the three major and four major grottoes in China.



In the second year of Jianyuan in the Former Qin Dynasty (366), the monk Le Zun passed by this mountain and suddenly saw a golden light shining, as if thousands of Buddhas appeared, so he dug the first cave on the rock wall. After that, Zen Master Faliang and others continued to build caves here to practice Zen, which was called "Mogao Grottoes", meaning "the high place in the desert". In later generations, because "Mo" and "Mo" are interchangeable, it was renamed "Mogao Grottoes". Another saying is: Buddhists say that building Buddha caves has immeasurable merits, and "Mo" means impossible or nothing. The meaning of Mogao Grottoes is that there is no higher practice than building Buddha caves.



Generally speaking, tickets are divided into Class A and Class B tickets, which can be purchased on the official WeChat public account or website.



Category A ticket: You can see 8 caves, plus two short movies in the digital center, watch them at the entrance and then go to Mogao Grottoes



B-type ticket: 4 caves, no movie



Note: The 8 caves in the A-type ticket and the 4 caves in the B-type ticket do not overlap. In other words, if you want to see both, you can buy both AB tickets. And the Buddhist Scripture Cave of Taoist Wang can only be seen with the A-type ticket.



Museums like these can be visited with any ticket, and no ticket is required, it is open to the public and free. There are no cultural relics on display, only introductions to the excavation history and protection history, and it is totally not worth seeing.



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You can take a taxi directly in the city, or take bus No. 12 in front of the Silk Road Yiyuan Hotel to the Mogao Grottoes Digital Display Center. It takes about 30 to take a taxi from Crescent Lake to the Digital Center, and about 20 from the city.



A full-price ticket: 238 yuan/person/time (180 yuan for Mogao Grottoes + 48 yuan for Mogao Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center + 10 yuan for round-trip transportation to Mogao Grottoes).



Type B fares

Take a round-trip shuttle bus to Mogao Grottoes, the caves are equipped with tour guides, and visit the 4 open caves of Mogao Grottoes

Full price ticket: 100 yuan/person/time (Mogao Grottoes ticket 90 yuan + round-trip transportation fee 10 yuan)

The most attractive place in Gansu is that you must book tickets in advance. Class A tickets can give you a better understanding of Mogao Grottoes. Class B tickets are just a helpless move when you can't buy Class A tickets. Even Class A tickets can only see 8 caves, which is far from enough to have a deep understanding of Mogao Grottoes. So it is better to visit these places of interest as early as possible. In a few decades, you may not see a single cave. The protection of Mogao Grottoes is very strict. There is no light in the cave, only the guide's small flashlight. Without a guide, you can't understand the murals at all.

The world-famous Mogao Grottoes, but I must say that the experience of the B-type ticket is very average. You just queue up at the entrance of a cave and someone will give you a brief explanation, and then go around the cave. You stay in each cave for no more than 5 minutes, and there will be security guards urging you, because there are really people standing side by side. I can't imagine what it's like on October 1st.

The Mogao Grottoes are indeed very beautiful and large, but for most people, there is no explanation and you can only take a simple look, and the experience is far inferior to the Yulin Grottoes. It is said that the A-class is guided in batches, so you must make an appointment for the A-class ticket in advance. We missed the time due to air traffic control, so we can only hope to have a chance to see it later.

However, because I had visited the special caves of Yulin Grottoes the day before, I was not so disappointed. If you really like Mogao Grottoes, you must leave enough time and flexible arrangements for it.

The only consolation is that category B allows you to see the big Buddha inside the nine-story pagoda, which is pretty good.

The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang are different from the Yungang Grottoes, Luoyang Grottoes, etc. This is an epic project that has lasted for more than a thousand years. It is especially recommended for those who love Buddhist art, painting, and students to visit.

Tickets for Mogao Grottoes must be purchased in advance on their official website. They are divided into A, B, and C tickets, with different prices and different numbers of caves to visit. (Currently, medical staff, college entrance examination candidates, and military personnel have free tickets or preferential policies)

We bought A tickets, which are briefly introduced as follows: tickets for the 8:45 show in the morning, and we arrived at the Mogao Grottoes Digital Display Center half an hour in advance to watch two digital movies (not included in other types of tickets), and learned about some of the caves in advance through the 3D dome film. There are more than 700 caves in Mogao Grottoes, and it is impossible to see all of them, so the film will introduce some of the more distinctive caves that will never be open to the public, which is still worth watching.

It took about half an hour to watch the two movies, and then we lined up along the aisle. There were about 20 people in a group with A tickets, and we were led by a tour guide for the tour.

Each cave is locked, and no one can enter for a visit without a teacher's guidance. In addition, there are temperature and humidity detectors in front of each cave. If the temperature in a cave reaches a certain value that affects the preservation of its murals this year, then the cave will be temporarily closed and may not be opened again until the next year.

There is a corresponding QR code at the entrance of each cave. You can scan and collect it, then go back and appreciate it slowly to understand the construction time and meaning of this cave.

After visiting the caves, you have to leave, but you can continue to visit the exhibition hall and museum (free). The collection of exhibits is very rich, including the introduction of where the colors of the murals come from, how the Buddha statues are made, where the materials come from, etc., which is very worth watching.

In addition, it is recommended that you visit in the off-season, because taking photos is prohibited inside the Mogao Grottoes, so there is no way to talk about light and weather. Although the weather is colder in the off-season, the experience of seeing things will be more comfortable.

In order for our future generations to be able to see such a great work, please do not take photos and work together to preserve our own treasures!

More work should be done here for protection rather than for sightseeing. There is still a lot of work to be done to restore the real caves with modern technology, and not enough has been done to promote the cultural value of Mogao Grottoes.

When I visited and listened to the explanation, I learned that the construction of a cave from the beginning to the completion has to go through a complex and precise process, which requires the cooperation of craftsmen of different trades such as stonemasons, carpenters, plasterers, sculptors, plasterers, painters, etc.

To visit the Mogao Grottoes, you need to make an appointment on the official website with real-name authentication***. It is often difficult to get a ticket during holidays. There are 6,000 tickets per day, so make an appointment in advance! The ticket includes two movies, one is about the history of Mogao Grottoes, and the other is about the dome movie of the Buddha statues in Mogao Grottoes. The movie effect exceeds expectations, the sound effect is not bad, and the dome movie is particularly immersive. The ticket also includes the transportation fee to and from Mogao Grottoes. You can visit 8 caves, four of which will be explained by a special person, and the other four are the 4 caves that you can watch with the ticket buyers on site. These 4 caves are not explained by anyone, and there are so many people that everyone lines up to take a look and it's over, so make sure to make an appointment in advance! The visit to Mogao Grottoes is very orderly. An interpreter will take more than a dozen individual tourists to visit together. Each interpreter will randomly open four caves from different periods. After entering, they will also hold a flashlight while shining and explaining. Cameras cannot be used in the caves, which largely avoids crowding and can also protect cultural relics well. It is said that Mogao Grottoes suffered various degrees of damage before it was discovered, so various high technologies are now used to restore and protect this cultural heritage.

Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, are known as the most valuable cultural discovery of the 20th century. They are located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor and are famous for their exquisite murals and statues. In 1961, they were announced as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units; in 1987, they were listed as a world cultural heritage.

Note: [Mogao Grottoes implements a real-name reservation system one month in advance, with a maximum daily capacity of 6,000 people. During the peak tourist season, when the number of tourists exceeds the maximum daily tourist capacity of Mogao Grottoes, the Mogao Grottoes super-large passenger flow emergency plan will be activated in a timely manner. Only emergency tickets can be purchased (including: 4 large classic caves and the academy history exhibition hall and the Dunhuang Grottoes Protection Research Exhibition Center.)

Normal ticket Class A ticket: 180+40+10 Class B ticket: 100

When you arrive at the entrance of the scenic area, you will be shown two introductory films about the Mogao Grottoes. One of them is in 3D, which allows you to get an immersive understanding of some of the most distinctive and exquisite grottoes in the Mogao Grottoes. I watched it with gusto, but those handsome guys seemed to be sleeping soundly.

After watching the film, you need to take a shuttle bus to the entrance of the grottoes. The scenic area will divide tourists into different small groups according to the number of people, and the special tour guides here will lead everyone to visit. A small group is about 20 people. The tour guide will select caves with different characteristics for explanation according to the actual situation. The current Mogao Grottoes are well protected. Each cave has a special door and key. Once tourists leave the cave, the tour guide must lock the door. Free visits are not allowed here. Of course, if you want to visit more precious caves, you need to pay extra money. Because taking pictures is not allowed in the grottoes, I failed to leave any images. But the tour guide's detailed and vivid explanation can make us more or less remember some interesting places in Mogao Grottoes. For example, the flying fairies of different eras have different characteristics, such as the three rabbits sharing ears, and the renovated Buddha statues in the Qing Dynasty have a kind of awkward feeling. I like the iconic nine-story building of Mogao Grottoes very much. The red building is reflected in the loess, which is particularly dazzling. If the Buddha of the same height as it could stand up to the sky, it should be more spectacular.

The way to visit Mogao Grottoes will be adjusted every few years. If you want to visit, you must find the guides of tourists who have visited recently, so the content I describe below is for reference only.



The Mogao Grottoes reservation website shows that there are six types of tickets: A, B, C, D, E, and F. Among them, A, B, and C are peak season tickets (April 1 to November 30 each year), and D, E, and F are off-season tickets (December 1 each year to March 31 of the following year). Class A and Class D tickets are regular tickets. Class A allows you to see 8 open caves, and Class D allows you to see 12 caves, with a limit of 6,000 tickets per day; Class B is an emergency ticket, which allows you to see 4 open caves, with a limit of 12,000 tickets per day; Class C and Class F tickets only allow you to watch two movies; Class E also allows you to see 12 open caves, two fewer movies than Class D tickets.



The above does not include special cave tickets, which need to be purchased on site. The caves open each year will be different, and you can check the official website for the specific caves open.



We bought a Class A ticket, which costs 238 yuan, including: 180 yuan for Mogao Grottoes tickets + 48 yuan for Mogao Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center + 10 yuan for round-trip transportation to Mogao Grottoes. The visiting process of Class A tickets is as follows: first go to the Digital Exhibition Center to watch two movies; take the shuttle bus to Mogao Grottoes to visit 8 open caves; visit the Sutra Cave Exhibition Hall, Dunhuang Academy History Exhibition Hall, Cultural Relics Protection Exhibition Center and Art Museum near Mogao Grottoes on your own; after the visit, take the shuttle bus back to the Digital Exhibition Center.



After entering the digital display center, the staff will guide tourists to different viewing halls according to the show time. First, they will watch the digital movie "Millennium Mogao", and then transfer to the dome theater to watch the movie "Dream Buddha Palace". "Millennium Mogao" is a background introduction, allowing tourists to briefly understand the ins and outs of Mogao Grottoes; the dome movie "Dream Buddha Palace" mainly shows several important grottoes in Mogao Grottoes. I didn't record which grottoes they were, but I found that some netizens wrote in their guide that they were 285, 428, 420, 220, 45, 61, and 130.

❗️It's really not easy to go to Mogao Grottoes❗️

as well as

❗️It's really worth a trip to Mogao Grottoes❗️

If you have time, I recommend buying Class A tickets and going to the cultural and creative shops at Mogao Grottoes. Remember to take a deep breath and give your mobile phone, bank card, and wallet to your companions for safekeeping in advance, otherwise, a huge loss will be waiting for you. . .

There is a memorial archway in front of the left entrance, with three golden characters "Mogao Grottoes" inlaid in a blue plaque. This, like another memorial archway not far away (which reads "Sanwei Lansheng"), was inscribed by Mr. Guo Moruo. Gao Ertai commented: "I don't like coquettish poses." However, after many years, it is no longer "shiny and eye-catching" as described in the book.

Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, is located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built during the Former Qin Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and has been rebuilt in the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Western Xia, Yuan and other dynasties. It is the largest and most content-rich Buddhist art site in the world. Because of the protection of the murals, flashlights are not allowed in the caves, so we can only look at the scenery outside, while the guides inside shine flashlights on the murals to tell us stories one after another.

Mogao Grottoes is commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves. There are 735 caves. There are two theories about the origin of the name of Mogao Grottoes. One is that there are caves in the high desert, and the other is that this area was called Mogao Township at that time. This is the first of the four major grottoes and the stop with the most tourists during our entire trip. Before going to Mogao Grottoes, you must book your tickets for the visit one month in advance. During the peak season, you may not be able to buy Class A tickets on site, so you will have less to see. Ticket booking website: ***. The Class A visit here (6,000 tickets/day) costs 238 yuan.



After entering with the A-type ticket, you will first watch two movies. One is a normal introduction to the Mogao Grottoes, and the other is a dome movie that shows the contents of the Mogao Grottoes in a 360-degree format, which is great. Then take a special bus in the scenic area to the Mogao Grottoes. There, a guide will lead the group to visit the caves. The A-type ticket can visit 8 caves. Each group should see different caves, and you are not allowed to take photos in the caves.



Mogao Grottoes is an important stop on the Silk Road. The caves were first built in 366 AD by the monk Le Zun. When Buddhism began to spread on a large scale, it became a spiritual sustenance for believers to eliminate the fear on the Silk Road. It reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. The caves we saw this time are 29, 325, 328, 16, 259, 237 (rebounding pipa, sutra painting), 96 (Wu Zetian, the third largest Buddha, the largest indoor Buddha), 148 (Nirvana, reclining Buddha), 138 (Flying Apsaras). Mogao Grottoes has a high historical and artistic value, and even gave rise to Dunhuang studies. A quick visit can only see a small part of it.



In addition to the caves, I would like to recommend two free attractions. One is the exhibition of the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Research Institute, and the other is the Dunhuang Academy Art Museum. The former shows a lot of work done on cultural relics protection, while the latter more systematically introduces the historical and artistic value of the murals in Mogao Grottoes. Take a closer look and learn a lot, you will gain a lot.

When you come to Dunhuang, you don't have to go to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, but Mogao Grottoes is basically a must. Mogao Grottoes is also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves. The scenic area consists of two parts: the Mogao Grottoes Digital Display Center and the Mogao Grottoes. It has a large number of murals, grottoes, cultural relics, etc. If you go to Mogao Grottoes in the peak season, you must remember to go to the official website to book tickets. It is recommended to book a full-price ticket of 238 for a Class A tour, which allows you to visit 8 caves, instead of buying a Class B tour on site, because it is likely that it will be overcrowded and you won't be able to buy tickets. As a scenic spot that attaches great importance to the protection of cultural relics, Mogao Grottoes will limit the number of visitors per day.



If you come in the off-season, it doesn't matter whether you buy it on-site or make an appointment online. When we arrived at the site, we found that we had to queue up to visit Mogao Grottoes in the off-season. Fortunately, we bought the tickets soon. In the end, we bought a Class B ticket for 100 yuan. I feel that it is enough to visit the four caves, mainly to feel the atmosphere.



It should be noted that you are not allowed to take photos or videos when visiting the caves. The cultural protection work of Mogao Grottoes is particularly strict. First, visitors will be taken to different visiting locations according to the type of tickets, and then they will be taken to different caves by tour guides in batches for explanations. Before visiting each cave, a tour guide will open the door with a key, and then the security guard will go in to monitor the visitors. If anyone is found taking photos or touching the murals, they will be stopped loudly. After the visit, the tour guide will also lock the door. In terms of cultural relic protection, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes has really done a good job. Of course, taking photos of the buildings outside is still allowed. It should be noted that the tour guide will not go back when taking everyone on a tour. If you want to take pictures of something, it is recommended that you take them first.



I have been to Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang before. The sculptures and murals of Longmen Grottoes are basically carved outside, while the sculptures and murals of Mogao Grottoes are carved inside the caves. In fact, if you have no knowledge of Mogao Grottoes, I suggest you watch the video of Mogao Grottoes on the Internet or watch the movie (charged) at the digital center on site, so that you can have a more comprehensive understanding of Mogao Grottoes. It is actually a complete epic of the Silk Road, which is presented with exquisite murals and rough and majestic sculptures. The meaning of the two words "Dunhuang" actually interprets Mogao Grottoes very well. Dun means big, and Huang means prosperous. Mogao Grottoes is the great product of the heyday of the Silk Road.



The most beautiful outer building of Mogao Grottoes is this nine-story pagoda. We counted it several times on site and it was always 8 stories, but it actually has 9 stories. The second top story is not easy to find.

We visited Mogao Grottoes on 2019-6-3. We bought Class B tickets, which cost 100 yuan. We had to go to the scenic area or the urban ticket office on the same day to buy them. We could not book online (it seems that Class B tickets can be purchased through the WeChat applet (Mogao Grottoes Visiting Reservation Website) from 7-1. You can check the official website policy. Any ticket notifications will be released through this official account, which is very timely). We visited 4 caves. We arrived at the scenic area ticket office at 7:40 (tickets start selling at 07:30). There were very few people, so we bought tickets as we arrived. The first sightseeing bus started the visit at 09:00 (you can wait in the cinema hall of the scenic area, which has restaurants, stools, souvenir shops, etc.). The entrances for A and B tickets are different. All the team members had A tickets, and there was a long queue at the entrance. The entrance for B tickets was next to the iconic cave, Cave 96 of the Nine-story Building. They were all free travel. A group of 40 people followed a guide. After the 40-minute visit, we could visit the free Dunhuang Research Institute History Exhibition Hall and the Dunhuang Grottoes Cultural Relics Protection Institute Exhibition Center, which were included in the ticket. It is worth learning. . It is recommended to visit Mogao Grottoes in the morning, firstly to protect from the sun and secondly because there are fewer people and it is better to watch.

 

Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, are located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built during the Former Qin Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and has been built over the course of the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Western Xia, and Yuan dynasties, forming a huge scale with 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay sculptures. It is the largest and most content-rich Buddhist art site in the world. Mogao Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, and Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu are collectively known as the Four Great Grottoes in China.

You are not allowed to take photos inside the Mogao Grottoes. There are special guides, but whether it is interesting or not depends on how they explain it. Whether you understand it or not is entirely up to you.

The internet says it takes about 2-3 hours. I bought a Class A ticket, and it starts at 10:00. I arrived around 9:20, and stayed for a full five hours from the time the movie officially started at 10:00. I didn't come out until 3:00 in the afternoon, and I was in a hurry to quickly browse through a lot of it. If I didn't have to catch a train, I could have watched it all day until closing time.

The location of the bus in the city is not accurate. It should be between the Silk Road Yiyuan Hotel and Dunhuang Hotel, which I circled in the picture. You have to walk a little further along Sanwei Road to see it. Be sure to look for it in advance. In theory, there is a bus every hour and half hour, but if there are many people, the bus will leave even if it is not full before the time. I arrived at 9:00 and just took a bus. The driver said to get on the bus and wait until 9:30. As a result, I bought a bottle of water and came out. The driver urged me to get on the bus and leave at 9:05. It's very casual here. You can go if you can make money. Everyone should get used to this rhythm. The ticket can be paid in cash or WeChat, 3 yuan, and it is the same bus to the train station.

The digital center was the most disappointing part for me. Everyone almost fell asleep after watching two movies, a total of 40 minutes in two theaters. If you arrive early, you can queue up half an hour earlier than the ticket price. If you queue up early, you have more room to choose seats. If you are stuck, you can only sit in the corners. The first theater has the last three rows in the middle, which is better. The second theater has a dome screen. The further back you sit, the more you can see. But in fact, the movies are very boring. I think it’s okay to just sit there. Especially the first one talks about the history of Dunhuang, but it is not as in-depth as Baidu’s. The narration is extremely slow, anxious and boring. The second one is slightly better, showing the inside of several caves.

After you get out, you don't have to strictly follow the time when taking a bus. If you want to go to the toilet, you can go there without worry and just get on any bus. There are buses running continuously and you don't have to wait. The 15km dedicated lane will take you to your destination in just over ten minutes.

The B category is not very clear. The A category is to line up and group into groups of about 20 people. They will be handed out headphones and explained the discipline before starting. The camera will not be confiscated during the process. You can take pictures outside the cave at will, but you must not take pictures inside the cave. It is really important to listen to the explanation. If you look at it yourself, you will feel that each cave is similar, but the tour guide can help you grasp the key points at once. You will hear eight kinds of new knowledge in eight caves, and you can ask questions at any time during the process. There are 8 different routes, and each team is randomly assigned to one, but the A-type ticket is definitely for the Sutra Cave and the Nine-story Pagoda. The explanation lasted less than an hour. After it was over, the B-type team happened to be talking about the last cave next to it, so we went to listen again. A total of nine caves were visited. If you have time, you can follow a few more groups.

After leaving the cave area, you can take pictures of the basilica outside the railing. After that, you will pass by three exhibition halls, the Dunhuang Academy History Exhibition Hall (the former site of the Dunhuang Academy), the Dunhuang Art Museum (recommended, it contains many clear murals, story explanations, etc.), and the Exhibition Hall (half of the exhibition is under renovation, and the most important thing in the other half is the panoramic reproduction of seven or eight caves). I hurriedly looked through these three halls and a store and it took me more than an hour.

If you need a commemorative stamp, the souvenir shops and post offices here have them. The ones in the digital center don't have commemorative stamps, so don't miss it.

After that, we boarded the bus for the return trip. The bus departed in a continuous stream and we didn’t have to wait. The tour ended when we returned to the Digital Center.

If you don't visit the Mogao Grottoes, you haven't been to Dunhuang. Don't think that the Mogao Grottoes only have murals. In fact, in addition to visiting the grottoes, the Gobi scenery of the scenic area itself is also very beautiful. The murals in the caves are very exquisite and shocking. Since taking photos is not allowed, you can only experience it in person. After watching it, you will definitely be amazed by the ancient people's unrestrained artistic attainments! To visit the Mogao Grottoes, you must make an appointment for tickets on the official website in advance. There is a limit every day! If the reservation is full, don't worry, you can buy emergency tickets on the spot on the same day, but the number of caves to visit will be reduced from 8 to 4, and the ticket price will be half the price. Everyone makes their own choice. It takes half a day to visit the Mogao Grottoes. As for how to get to the scenic spot, I don't need to say more about it. Buses/taxi/Didi are all OK.

After many years of wishing, I finally realized it today. I have to admire the diligence and wisdom of the ancient people. Before I went there, I watched a documentary about this, and Daolang's "Great Dunhuang". The song is distant and vicissitudes, which is very suitable for listening to when you go to Dunhuang. We have type A tickets, which allow us to see eight caves. Although it is off-season, we still waited in line for about an hour. Before entering, everyone was given headphones, and it was still very orderly. After the show, there are postcards, bookmarks and small souvenirs for sale. Buy them to keep memories for the future.

Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, is located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It was first built in the Former Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, and has been built in successive dynasties such as the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Western Xia, and Yuan, forming a huge scale. There are 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay sculptures. It is the largest and most content-rich Buddhist art site in the world. Friends who come during the peak season must book tickets online one month in advance, otherwise they can only buy emergency tickets to see three or four caves on site, and emergency tickets may not be available. You can book tickets on the official website of Mogao Grottoes, and the full price ticket is 238.