Dunhuan Mogao Cave is the largest and best-preserved historical Buddhist site in the world. But why were such great works of art set up on a cliff in the desert in China`s northwest.

It is said this site was chosen by a monk. In 366. Le Zun traveled to Sanweishan Mountain in Dunhuang. The sun was setting. but he couldn`t find any place to live in. While he was pondering his predicament. he looked up at the sky and was dazzled by golden rays from nearby Wusha Mountain. It seems that tens of thousands of Buddhists appeared. Bewildered by the grand scenery. Monk Le Zun assumed that this was a sacred place. so he hired craftsman to carve grottoes. In the Tang Dynasty. the number of these grottoes had surpassed 1.000.

After much research. archeologists have concluded that the construction of the Mogao cave was not accidental. The caves are located in a dessert oasis. which conveys the idea that Buddhism is separate from earthly life and is integrated with nature. In front of the grottoes are rivers. which water the plants near the cave. The grottoes are honeycombed in the mountain. The highest grotto is 40 meters above the ground. In winter. the cave is protected from wind and sand since they blow in from the back. In the summer. the Sanweishan Mountains act as a barrier against the east wind. These factors make the Mogao cave the safest place in the dessert.

After thousands of years. 492 grottoes still exist with large number of murals and sculptures inside.