- Wade-Giles romanization:
- Tun-huang
Dunhuang
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Where is Dunhuang located in China?
Dunhuang is a city in western Gansu province, in northwestern China. It sits in an oasis in the Gansu-Xinjiang desert region. Dunhuang marks the far western limit of traditional Chinese settlement along the Silk Road across Central Asia and was the first trading town reached by foreign merchants entering Chinese-administered territory from the west. The renowned Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are located there.
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Why was Dunhuang important in ancient times?
Dunhuang was important in ancient times because it sat where the northern and southern Silk Road branches met, making it a key caravan town and commercial hub for Central Asian trade.
As the first town reached by foreign merchants entering Chinese territory from the west, Dunhuang came under Chinese control during the Han dynasty (206 BCEâ220 CE). Dunhuang became a major Buddhist center from 366 CE to the early 13th century, with monks establishing the Mogao Caves, which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. The Mogao Caves served as shelter, meditation cells, and galleries, holding murals, sculptures, and manuscripts.
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What was the Silk Road, and how did it relate to Dunhuang?
The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes linking China with the West, facilitating the exchange of goods and ideas between civilizations. Silk, among other commodities, was traded westward, while wool, gold, and silver moved eastward. Dunhuang, situated in western Gansu province, China, was a crucial oasis city on the Silk Road. It served as the first major trading town for merchants entering Chinese territory from the west. The city was where the northern and southern routes around the Tarim Basin converged. Today, Dunhuang is known for the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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What are the Mogao Caves, and why are they famous?
The Mogao Caves, also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, are famous for encapsulating a millennium of Buddhist history along the ancient Silk Road near the Dunhuang oasis. Dating back to the 4th century CE, these human-made caves served as shelter, meditation cells, and artists' galleries.
The caves hold a wealth of artistic treasures, including murals, clay sculptures, and priceless manuscripts. The emperors of the Tang dynasty (618â907) financially supported the caves, encouraging artists to create two colossal Buddha statues and mural paintings. In 1907, a hidden "library cave" containing about 50,000 ancient manuscripts, silk banners, paintings, rare textiles, and secular documents in various languages was discovered. The Mogao complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
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What kinds of art and artifacts have been found in Dunhuang?
Dunhuang, a city in western China, was a significant Buddhist center from 366 CE to the early 13th century. The Mogao Caves, also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, contain a wealth of artistic treasures, including murals, clay sculptures, and priceless manuscripts.
The caves hold a rich collection of approximately 60,000 paper manuscripts, printed documents, and fragments dating from the 5th to the 11th century. These contain Buddhist, Daoist, Zoroastrian, and Nestorian scriptures, as well as numerous secular texts. Discovered in a hidden library cave were thousands of well-preserved ancient manuscripts, silk banners, paintings, rare textiles, and secular documents in Khotanese, Tibetan, Chinese, Sanskrit, and Uighur.
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How has Dunhuang contributed to the sharing of cultures and religions along the Silk Road?
Dunhuang, a city in western China, was a crucial convergence point on the Silk Road where the northern and southern routes around the Tarim Basin met. As foreign merchants entered Chinese territory from the west, Dunhuang was the first trading town they encountered.
From 366 CE to the early 13th century, Dunhuang became a significant Buddhist center, with missionaries and monks using it as a key entry point from Central Asian kingdoms. They established the Mogao Caves, which became a major pilgrimage site. The Silk Road also facilitated the spread of Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism from India. The Mogao Caves served as shelters for travelers, meditation cells, and galleries for artists.
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Dunhuang, city, western Gansu sheng (province), northwestern China. Situated in an oasis in the Gansu-Xinjiang desert region, it is at the far western limit of traditional Chinese settlement along the Silk Road across Central Asia. Dunhuang was the first trading town reached by foreign merchants entering Chinese-administered territory from the west. The city is the site of the renowned Mogao Caves, which were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. Pop. (2005) 140,000.
The city
In ancient times Dunhuang was the point at which the two branches of the Silk Road, running around the Tarim Basin on the north and on the south, converged. It was first brought under Chinese control in the Han dynasty (206 bceâ220 ce) during an expansionist period at the end of the 2nd century bce. A Dunhuang commandery, separated from Jiuquan prefecture, was established there in 111 bce. A defensive line for protection from the Mongols was built to the north, and a sizable military force was stationed there. After the decay of Han central power, Dunhuang became semi-independent; in the 4th and 5th centuries ce, it successively formed part of kingdoms centred in Gansu. Throughout this period Dunhuang remained an important caravan town and commercial centre for trade with Central Asia.
In the late 5th century the Bei (Northern) Wei dynasty (386â534/535) brought Dunhuang back under Chinese domination as the seat of Guazhou (526) prefecture. In 618 the area passed to the Tang dynasty (618â907), who renamed the prefecture Shazhou in 619. The area remained under Tang administration until 781, when it fell into the hands of the Tibetans. On the breakup of the Tibetan state in 848, Dunhuang nominally reverted to Tang rule but in fact remained in the hands of local rulers. The Mongols (whose Yuan dynasty ruled China from 1206 to 1368) took the city in 1277, and, after the fall of Mongol rule, the Ming dynasty (1368â1644) established a garrison there. In the 15th century, however, Dunhuang was overrun by the Turfan kingdom and was abandoned. The area remained a part of Uighuristan until 1723, when the Qing dynasty (1644â1911/12) occupied it. A new town was built northeast of the old site, and by 1760 civil government had been restored. In 1987 the city of Dunhuang was set up to replace the former Dunhuang county.
By the early 1970s Dunhuangâs importance as a trading centre had been largely lost, since the highway and railway built across the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang had bypassed the city to the north at Anxi. However, tourism has grown since the mid-1980s. In addition to the Mogao Caves, ruins of the ancient Yumen and Yangguan passes (the westernmost gates of the Great Wall) are in the northwestern part of the city, and the Mingsha (âGurgling Sandâ) Dunes are southwest of it; all are famous tourist destinations. A huge movie setâconstructed in 1987 some 16 miles (25 km) southwest of the city, near the site of the ancient town of Dunhuangâis an important film and television production site as well as a popular tourist attraction. Some small-scale processing industries serving tourists have been established. Highways connect the city to the major rail line from Lanzhou (southeast; the provincial capital) and to ĂrĂŒmqi (northwest) in Xinjiang. Dunhuang also has an airport, to the east of the city, with flights to domestic cities.
The Mogao Caves
Dunhuang was a great centre of Buddhism from 366 ce to the fall of the Xi (Western) Xia dynasty in the early 13th century. It was one of the chief places of entry for Buddhist monks and missionaries from the kingdoms of Central Asia, and in 366 these Buddhists founded the first of what are now known as the Mogao Cavesâalso called the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas (Qianfo Dong). From that period onward the town was a major Buddhist centre and place of pilgrimage. There were a number of monastic communities that played a predominant role in local society and to which successive governors were generous patrons.
In one of the cave temples, a rich collection of about 60,000 paper manuscripts, printed documents, and fragments dating from the 5th to the 11th century was walled up about 1015. When discovered in 1900, this collection was found to include not only Buddhist but also Daoist, Zoroastrian, and Nestorian scriptures, as well as vast numbers of secular texts. Although most of the manuscripts and documents were sold to foreigners, the caves still contain murals and painted statuary. Many of the nearly 500 caves in the Mogao complex were opened to the public after 1949.