Taiyuan｜Tianlongshan Grottoes||Tianlongshan Grottoes are located in the southwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China. It is a famous scenic spot integrating Buddhist art and natural scenery.

||Tianlongshan Grottoes are located in the southwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China. It is a famous scenic spot integrating Buddhist art and natural scenery. Taiyuan | Tianlongshan Grottoes || Tianlongshan Grottoes are located in the southwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China. It is a famous scenic spot integrating Buddhist art and natural scenery. There are 25 grottoes distributed on the east and west peaks. There are more than 500 existing stone Buddhas of various sizes, as well as a large number of reliefs, caissons and portraits, totaling more than 1,144 statues (pieces). These grotto art works show different artistic styles and artistic achievements from the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and other periods. The excavation of the Tianlongshan Grottoes began in the era of Gao Huan, the prime minister of the Eastern Wei Dynasty. It lasted through the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, and Later Jin dynasties, with a total construction history of more than 400 years. These grottoes not only reflect the changes in grotto art from the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Five Dynasties period in China, but also the works of each era have their own unique artistic characteristics. The stone carvings of the Eastern Wei Dynasty are famous for their moderate proportions, realistic images, and strong sense of life. These statues usually have relatively thin bodies and simple clothing, showing a realistic aesthetic style. Sculptures from the Tang Dynasty became increasingly rigorous, refined and exquisite, with lively figures, graceful postures, refined knife techniques, smooth folds in clothing and rich texture. The seated Maitreya Buddha and the standing Guanyin statue in the Tang Dynasty grottoes are both masterpieces of stone carving. The grottoes during the Northern Qi Dynasty added a front porch with an imitation wooden structure in front of the caves.