Glimpse of Longmen Grottoes (8/10)

Located in central China's Henan Province, the Longmen Grottoes is a World Cultural Heritage recognized by UNESCO in 2000. The stone carvings in Longmen Grottoes were started from the reign of Emperor Xiaowen of North Wei Dynasty (471-477) and lasted over 400 years to complete. Representing the highest stone-carving level of China, the Longmen Grottoes stretches about 1 kilometer from south to north, with over 1,300 grottoes, 2,345 shrines, over 3,600 inscriptions, over 50 pagodas and over 97,000 Buddha statues. It is not only a stone-carving art museum, but also an encyclopedia of history and culture. (People's Daily Online)