Arising mountains stand around Tianlong Mountain; verdant trees grow on Tianlong Mountain. Tianlongshan Grottoes was first built in the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550), Gaohuan constructed grottoes in Tianlong Mountain. Then the grottoes continued to be built in Northern Qi Dynasty and Sui Dynasty. The Tianlong Mountain Grottoes are scattered in the cliff-waist of the East and West Peaks of the Tianlong Mountains. There are 24 caves built in the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui and Tang, with eight grottoes in the east peak, thirteen grottoes in the west peak and three grottoes in the north of the mountain. There are more than 1,500 statues, 1,144 embossments, alga wells and figures in existing grottos.

A shining example of Buddhist art during this time is the Bodhisattva Maitreya sculpture that has harmonious proportion and shows off an amiable and lenient smile. The people from the Tang Dynasty worshipped the Bodhisattva Maitreya, regarding him as the symbol of a bright future. The Kwan-yin sculpture is equally impressive with her charming countenance.  

 

The proficient styles, appropriate ratio, soft lines and elaborate sculpture of the grottoes in Tianlongshan Grottoes provide us abundant practical materials for the researches of Buddha, arts, sculpture and architecture. They are typical works of the Chinese ancient sculpture, playing an important role in the field of sculpture and art in the world.

---