Binglingsi Thousand Buddha Caves

70 kilometers southwest of Lanzhou in Yongjing County,is about 2-hour driving by road,is one of China’s largest hydro-electric power stations,Liujiaxia Dam,which generates 5.7 million kilowatt-hours of electircity annually.Every year,between June and October,tourist boats depart from the dam,travelling upstream on the Yellow River for two hours to reach the Thousand Buddha Caves of Binglingsi.

   Yongjing was a crossroad for commerce ,and due to the many pilgrims who visited here the artwork was continually restored and expanded.The caves,which stretch for 200 meters,were carved into the western wall of the inlet over a period of 1,500 years.The earliest caves date from the Northern Wei Dynasty,the latest from the early Qing Dynasty.Some of the niches are Indian-style carve-stone stupas, rarely seen in China.Nearly 700 stone statues and 82 stucco ones have survived.